Customer was charged a different amount than agreed

Mastercard 4831 turns on what the customer agreed to when they bought. A signed receipt, a click-through agreement, or a disclosed final-amount agreement makes the case defensible. If you changed the amount after the buyer agreed to something else and have no record of their agreement, the chargeback usually succeeds.

How it arrives

A 4831 usually arrives within a billing cycle or two of the sale. The notice, which carries the dispute reason (the code on your notice), gives the disputed amount, the amount the customer says they agreed to, and the gap. Respond before the date on that notice. Your payment company sets it, and it comes before the card network's own limit.

Hotels, restaurants and rental businesses see most 4831 disputes. Restaurants get them on tip adjustments. Hotels and rental companies get them when the final amount differs from the first approval. Stores that sell across borders without a clear currency-conversion notice get them on conversions.

What the issuer is looking for

The customer's bank asks what amount the customer agreed to and whether the amount collected matches. For an in-person sale, that is the signed receipt with the total. For an online sale, it is the checkout agreement with the total shown at that moment.

On tips and service charges, Mastercard rules let merchants in certain hospitality categories add a tip after the customer leaves. The evidence is the signed receipt with a tip line and a final total of base plus tip. A tip added to a receipt with no tip line is harder to defend.

On currency conversion, you need the rate shown to the buyer at the time of sale and their agreement to be charged in your currency. Mastercard's rules on converting currency at the till or checkout require you to show the rate before the buyer accepts.

Common scenarios and the evidence for each

• Tip added after the buyer signed. The receipt with the tip line and the customer's signature on the total or tip field.
• Typing error in the amount at the till. Refund the difference and accept the chargeback on the rest. Fighting a real error raises your chargeback ratio and recovers nothing.
• Currency conversion the buyer did not expect. The notice shown at the time of sale, the rate used, and the buyer's agreement. Without the notice, the dispute is usually lost.
• Estimate that ended at a different final amount. The original approval, the buyer's agreement to a variable final charge, and the records behind the difference, such as a rental damage assessment or hotel bill.

When it is a different code

If the customer says they agreed to no charge at all, the dispute belongs under Mastercard 4837 (customer says they didn't make the purchase). If the buyer objects to the goods or services, it belongs under Mastercard 4853 (the customer disputes the order).

How we help

We draft 4831 responses when you have the signed receipt, online agreement, or disclosed final-amount agreement. Each response ties the amount collected to what the customer agreed to. If you have received one, your first response is free. Try free.