What happens when a guest raises a dispute for their accommodation?

Most card issuing companies allow the cardholder to query a transaction on their statement. The cardholder has 180 days from check-in to query a transaction with their card holding bank.

Guest raises dispute

The guest raises a query with their card holding bank on a transaction.

Bank requests documents relating to the transaction

The bank will ask NightsBridge for the PayBridge transaction slip signed by the card holder and copy of the card holder's ID.
NightsBridge will ask you (the property) to send these documents to challenge the dispute.
We will send the documents to the bank.

Contact the guest to understand the reasons for the dispute

There are a number of common reasons why guests dispute their PayBridge transactions.
Contact the guest and ask them why they raised a dispute.
Use the recommendations to resolve the dispute.

The card might have been stolen and used fraudently

If the card used was fraudulent, you are unlikely to be to resolve the dispute directly with the guest.
NightsBridge will ask you (the property) to send these documents to challenge the dispute.
We will send the documents to the bank.
Please look at our tutorial on how to reduce the likelihood of credit card fraud if you want more information on things you can to minimise the likelihood of this type of dispute.

Other common reasons for disputes

Reason for dispute	Suggested way to resolve the dispute	How to prevent avoid similar disputes in future
Transactions through PayBridge show up as "PayBridge Accommodation" on the guest's bank statement. The guest may not recognise this as a reference for their accommodation.	Show the guest that "PayBridge Accommodation" appeared on their signed PayBridge signed transaction slip.	Tell guests about the transaction reference.
The booking was cancelled and the guest has not received a refund.	Process the refund through PayBridge.
A refund to the guest was processed via bank transfer (EFT). The guest was expecting the refund through their credit card as the transaction was paid by credit card.	Provide the refund information to the guest.	Always do refunds and reversals through PayBridge.
The guest claims that the services were "not as described" or materially different to their expectations.	Resolve directly with the guest.
The guest believes there is an administrative error such as duplicate billing or an incorrect amount billed.	Resolve directly with the guest.

Bank reviews the documents

The bank will look at the supporting documentation.

If the bank is satisfied with the supporting documents, nothing further will happen with the dispute.
If the bank is not satisfied with the supporting documents or the documents are not provided within 5 days of being requested, a chargeback will be processed. The money will be reversed out of the NightsBridge bank account and the charge back will debited to the property. Please look at our tutorial on what to do if you receive a chargeback for a guest's accommodation.

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