Dispute Management

Manage disputes, submit evidence, track dispute status changes, and receive real-time updates through webhooks.

The Riverty Dispute Management helps merchants manage the full dispute process in a structured way. You can retrieve dispute cases, add comments, upload evidence, download attachments, and follow each dispute from notification to final decision.

What is a dispute?

A dispute occurs when a consumer disagrees with all or part of an invoice and asks Riverty to review the case.

A consumer may open a dispute when:

Products were returned but the invoice was not updated.
Products were not received.
Products were faulty, damaged, or incorrect.
The invoice amount is wrong.
The consumer already paid the merchant directly.
The order may be fraudulent or unauthorized.

When a dispute is opened, Riverty pauses the invoice collection process until the case is resolved.

What you can do with the Dispute API

Use the Dispute API to:

Retrieve open and closed disputes.
View dispute details.
Add comments to a dispute.
Upload evidence files.
Download dispute attachments.
Receive webhook updates when the dispute status changes.

You can also manage disputes manually in the Riverty Merchant Portal.

Dispute types

Reason code	Dispute type	Description
R1	Return not processed	The consumer says they returned all or part of the order, but the invoice was not adjusted.
R2	Products not received	The consumer says they did not receive all or part of the order.
R3	Faulty product	The consumer says the product was damaged, defective, incorrect, or unusable.
R4	Already paid	The consumer says they already paid the merchant directly instead of paying Riverty.
R5	Incorrect invoice	The consumer says the invoice amount or invoice details are incorrect.
R6	High fraud risk order	Riverty identified a possible fraudulent order after authorization.
R7	Unauthorized purchase	The consumer says the order was placed without their authorization.
R99	Other issue	The consumer raised another type of issue.

Dispute lifecycle

A dispute follows a clear lifecycle.

S1 Dispute Notification
↓
S2 Request for Information
↓
S3 Information Supplied
↓
S4 Decision
↓
S5 Appeal
↓
S6 Final Decision

A dispute can be canceled by the consumer at any time if they are satisfied with the solution provided.

Dispute stages overview

Stage	Name	What happens
S1	Dispute Notification	A consumer opens a dispute. Riverty notifies the merchant and pauses collection.
S2	Request for Information	Riverty requests evidence from the merchant, consumer, or both.
S3	Information Supplied	Evidence is submitted for review.
S4	Decision	Riverty reviews the case and issues an initial decision.
S5	Appeal	The merchant can appeal and submit additional evidence.
S6	Final Decision	Riverty issues the final outcome.
S7	Canceled	The consumer cancels the dispute before the final decision.

S1 Dispute Notification

A dispute starts when a consumer reports an issue to Riverty.

Riverty then:

Creates a dispute case.
Pauses collection on the invoice.
Sends a dispute notification to the merchant.
Makes the dispute available in the Merchant Portal.
Gives the merchant 20 days to resolve the issue directly with the consumer.

The fastest way to resolve a dispute is often to contact the consumer, clarify the issue, and agree on a solution.

If the consumer is satisfied, they can close the dispute in the Riverty app.

Merchant action

When you receive a dispute notification:

Review the dispute reason.
Check the order, invoice, shipment, return, or payment details.
Contact the consumer if needed.
Resolve the issue directly where possible.
Add comments or supporting documents if required.

Standard notification codes

Code	Description
notification_return	The consumer reported a full or partial return.
notification_products_not_received	The consumer reported that they did not receive the full order.
notification_faulty_products	The consumer reported faulty products.
notification_already_paid	The consumer reported that they already paid the merchant directly.
notification_incorrect_invoice	The consumer reported that the invoice is incorrect.
notification_high_fraud_risk_order	Riverty identified a possible fraudulent order and recommends order cancellation.
notification_unauthorized_order	The consumer reported an unauthorized purchase.
notification_other_issue	The consumer reported another issue.

S2 Request for Information

If the dispute is not resolved within 20 days, Riverty sends a Request for Information on day 21.

The requested party has 14 days to respond.

Depending on the dispute reason, Riverty may request evidence from:

The merchant
The consumer
Both parties

Typical evidence by dispute type

Dispute type	Typical evidence
Return not processed	Return confirmation, refund confirmation, warehouse status
Products not received	Proof of delivery, tracking information, signed delivery confirmation
Faulty product	Product photos, return proof, quality assessment
Already paid	Payment confirmation, bank transfer details, reconciliation proof
Incorrect invoice	Corrected invoice, order adjustment, refund details
High fraud risk order	Order cancellation confirmation
Unauthorized purchase	Merchant proof, order details, delivery details

What happens if evidence is not submitted?

If the consumer does not respond in time, the dispute may be decided in favor of the merchant.

If the merchant does not respond in time, Riverty may decide the dispute in favor of the consumer. This can lead to a chargeback and, for specific dispute types, a dispute fee.

S3 Information Supplied

During this stage, the requested evidence is submitted.

Merchants can provide:

Written comments
Supporting documents
Proof of delivery
Return or refund information
Invoice correction details
Any other relevant proof

Supported file types

PDF
DOC
DOCX
JPG
PNG

Upload limits

Maximum 5 files per submission
Maximum file size: 10 MB per file

S4 Decision

Riverty reviews the available information and makes a decision within 7 days.

There are three possible outcomes.

Decision in favor of the merchant

If the merchant’s evidence is accepted:

The dispute is decided in favor of the merchant.
The consumer is informed about the outcome.
Riverty continues collection of the disputed amount.

Decision in favor of the consumer

If the merchant’s evidence is rejected:

The dispute is decided in favor of the consumer.
The merchant receives the decision and reasoning.
The merchant may appeal within 5 days.
If no appeal is submitted, the decision remains in favor of the consumer.

S5 Appeal

If the merchant disagrees with the decision, they can appeal.

The appeal must be submitted within 5 working days after the decision.

During the appeal, the merchant can submit additional documentation using the same process as in the first evidence submission stage.

S6 Final Decision

After an appeal, Riverty reviews the additional evidence and issues a final decision within 7 days.

Final decision in favor of the merchant

If the final decision is in favor of the merchant:

The merchant is notified via the Dispute API and Merchant Portal.
The consumer is informed about the outcome.
Riverty continues collection of the claim from the consumer.

Final decision in favor of the consumer

If the final decision is in favor of the consumer:

The merchant is notified via the Dispute API and Merchant Portal.
Riverty creates a chargeback request.
Settlement reports are updated.
The merchant account is debited.
The consumer no longer has to pay the disputed amount.

S7 Canceled

A consumer can cancel a dispute before the final decision.

When this happens:

The dispute is closed.
No chargeback is applied.
Riverty sends a webhook notification.

Timelines

Step	Timing
Merchant response after dispute notification	20 days
Request for Information response	14 days
Riverty decision after evidence submission	Within 7 days
Merchant appeal window	5 working days
Riverty final decision after appeal	Within 7 days

Chargebacks

A chargeback may occur when a dispute is decided in favor of the consumer.

Common reasons for chargebacks include:

The order was shipped to a different person or address than approved by Riverty.
The order was delivered to another household or neighbor.
The merchant cannot provide proof of delivery.
The merchant cannot provide signed proof of delivery for an order value above €200.
The merchant did not respond within the required deadline.
The merchant charged additional fees for selecting Riverty at checkout.

Dispute fees

Dispute fees only apply only to chargebacks for these dispute types:

R2 Products not received
R3 Faulty product

The fee is charged in the currency of the original transaction.

If the transaction currency is not listed, the fee is charged in the merchant’s primary holding currency.

Fee levels

Market	Standard fee	High fee
Netherlands	€15	€30
Belgium	€15	€30
Germany	€15	€30
Austria	€15	€30
Switzerland	CHF 15	CHF 30

How the fee level is calculated

The dispute fee level is set at the beginning of each month.

Riverty calculates the level based on the previous three calendar months.

Example:

The fee level charged in September is determined in August using data from May, June, and July.

A merchant is charged the High fee if:

The total transaction amount of R2 and R3 disputes is 1.5% or more of successful Riverty sales.
The merchant had more than 100 transactions in the previous three calendar months.

If these conditions are not met, the Standard fee applies.

API resources

The Dispute API includes the following resources.

Disputes

Use these endpoints to retrieve dispute cases.

Comments

Use these endpoints to read and add comments on a dispute.

Attachments

Use these endpoints to upload and download evidence files.

Base URLs

Test environment

https://api-pt.dispute.riverty.io

Production environment

https://api.dispute.riverty.io

Recommended integration flow

Use this flow when building a dispute integration.

1. Retrieve disputes

Call the dispute endpoint to retrieve open disputes for a shop.

Use this to:

Display disputes in your internal tools.
Prioritize disputes by value and/ or deadline.
Identify cases that require action.

2. Review the dispute details

Check:

Dispute reason
Current stage
Invoice details
Consumer message
Existing comments
Existing attachments

3. Add a comment

Use comments to provide updates, explanations, or merchant responses.

Examples:

Return was received and refund is being processed.
Proof of delivery is attached.
Invoice was corrected.
Consumer has been contacted.

4. Upload evidence

Upload documents that support your position.

Examples:

Proof of delivery
Return confirmation
Refund confirmation
Corrected invoice
Payment confirmation
Product photos

5. Monitor the outcome

Track the dispute status until the case is closed, canceled, or finalized.

Best practices

Respond early

Do not wait until the deadline. Early responses improve the chance of resolving the dispute before escalation.

Provide clear evidence

Upload documents that directly answer the dispute reason.

For example:

For products not received, provide proof of delivery.
For already paid, provide payment reconciliation proof.
For incorrect invoice, provide the corrected invoice or refund confirmation.

Keep comments short and specific

Good example:

"The return was received on 12 March. Refund of €49.90 was processed on 13 March. Refund confirmation is attached."

The Merchant Portal can be useful when teams need to manually review, comment, or upload files.

Use the API when you want to automate dispute handling in your own systems.

Summary

The Dispute API helps merchants manage disputes faster and with less manual effort.

Use it to:

Track dispute cases.
Understand required actions.
Submit evidence.
Communicate updates.
Follow decisions.
Reduce missed deadlines.
Support a better consumer experience.

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