Customer says the order never arrived

Visa 13.1 is a claim that the buyer never received what they paid for. Fraud checks such as the buyer's identity, the buyer's internet location and the billing-address check (AVS) do not apply here. The customer's bank wants to see what was delivered, when, and to whom.

How it arrives

Your payment company (Stripe, Shopify Payments and the like) sends a notice that names the dispute reason (the code on your notice), 13.1, along with the customer's claim. It arrives between 3 and 90 days after the original sale. Respond before the date on that notice. Your payment company sets it, and it comes before the card network's own limit. A missed deadline closes the dispute against you.

For a store that ships physical goods, 13.1 usually means a package the buyer says never arrived. For a software or course business, it usually means a buyer who signed up, never used the product, and disputes the charge.

What the issuer is looking for

The bank wants to know whether you delivered what the buyer paid for. For physical goods, proof of delivery to the billing or shipping address carries the case. For digital products and subscriptions, login records, session timestamps and usage history do. A message from the buyer acknowledging receipt helps in either case.

The terms the buyer agreed to at checkout count for more than most merchants expect. If they define delivery as access to the customer's account and the logs show the account was active, the bank reads that as delivery.

Common scenarios and the evidence for each

• Package marked delivered, buyer says it never arrived. Carrier tracking comes first. In 2026 banks increasingly want a signature, a photo, or a verified address on file as well.
• Subscription, course, or membership the buyer never logged into. The platform's activity log shows the account created, the welcome email opened, and the first lesson started.
• Service appointment the buyer says never happened. Technician notes, GPS timestamps from your scheduling tool, and the customer's signed work order. A missing signed completion form often loses these.
• Digital download where the buyer says the link never worked. Server logs showing the download, or a support thread where the buyer never reported a problem before the chargeback.

When the buyer claims fraud

If the buyer says someone used their card without permission, the dispute arrives under a 10-series reason such as Visa 10.4 (the customer says they didn't make the purchase). Merchants who answer a 13.1 with billing-address, security-code and internet-location data lose, because the bank asked about delivery.

How we help

Visa 13.1 is one of the more common chargebacks we draft responses for. Each response is built from your evidence, the bank's recent decisions on this reason, and your business. If you have received one, your first response is free. Try free.