Customer says the item was not as described

Amex C31 means the customer (Amex calls customers cardmembers) received the goods or service and says it did not match your description, your listing, or the agreed quality.

How it arrives

The notice carries the dispute reason (the code on your notice). Respond before the date on that notice. Your payment company sets it, and it comes before the card network's own limit. C31 is one of the harder Amex codes to win in 2026. Amex tends to side with the buyer when no reasonable fix was offered first.

What the issuer is looking for

Amex wants your checkout description and your response to the complaint. If the listing described what you delivered, the case often turns on the buyer's messages. A customer who used the product for three months, never contacted you, and then filed has a weak case. A customer who emailed within a week and was ignored has a strong one.

What you offered to put things right counts as much as the listing. Amex expects a refund or replacement when a real problem is raised, and silence tilts it toward the customer.

Common scenarios and the evidence for each

• Physical order where colour, size, material, or quality differs from the listing. Listing screenshots from the time of sale, plus photos of what you shipped.
• Digital product or course that differs from the marketing page. The page as it stood at the time of sale, or an archived copy if you have changed it since.
• Service with a disputed scope. The booking confirmation, statement of work, or signed agreement.
• Subscription whose features changed mid-term. Evidence the customer agreed to the change, such as an email notice or in-app acceptance.

If the claim is different

If the customer says the goods never arrived, the dispute arrives as C08. If they say a refund never came, it arrives as C02. Leading with tracking proof on a C31 is a common way to lose, because the customer accepts the goods arrived.

How we help

We draft C31 responses from your listing, delivery evidence, and your messages with the customer. If the listing or your response is the weak point, we tell you. If you have received one, your first response is free. Try free.