Disputes evidence guidelines

When Klarna initiates a dispute against one of your transactions, Klarna collects supporting evidence from the customer and shares it with you to provide full transparency. You then have the opportunity to respond and present your own evidence to challenge or clarify the dispute. Responding with appropriate and well-documented evidence helps ensure fair outcomes, reduces potential financial loss, and promotes prompt resolution.

Below you'll find the types of evidence Klarna requires — organized by dispute reason — to help guide your response and streamline the dispute process, plus best practices for preventing disputes from being raised in the first place.

Returns are an inevitable part of the purchase lifecycle. Handling them well ensures that customers maintain trust in you and Klarna while minimizing errands and disputes. Below you'll find best practices for handling returns and fees, and providing customers up-front information and communication.

To enhance the customer return experience and prevent disputes, Klarna recommends implementing the following:

By following these steps, you can make the return process more transparent and user-friendly, leading to improved customer satisfaction and fewer disputes.

Klarna asks whether the return has been received. When it has, please make sure to adjust the invoice of the related transaction. When the return has been received but is not accepted, make sure to explain the reasoning in the comment section ("Add reply"). When the return has not been received but the customer used your return label, please check on the status and give a more detailed response than "return not received". When the customer used your label, you are liable for the return, even if it is lost in transit.

When more information about the return is available — for example the tracking ID belongs to a different transaction, an empty box was returned, wrong items were returned, etc. — please make sure to clearly state this in the response.

In the world of online shopping, providing accurate and transparent information to customers is paramount. This section emphasizes best practices including tracking information sent to customers, efficient order handling, and the importance of effective communication on your website. By prioritizing these aspects, you can significantly improve customer satisfaction, reduce disputes, and enhance your operational efficiency.

Prioritizing well-organized order and delivery handling can help prevent goods not received, thus reducing errands and disputes. Klarna recommends the following best practices:

Providing shipping or delivery evidence is crucial in resolving disputes where a customer claims non-receipt of goods or delayed delivery. By submitting clear and accurate evidence, you can substantiate that the goods were shipped or delivered as agreed. This evidence plays a vital role in defending against disputes and ensuring that the resolution process is fair and transparent.

In disputes involving non-receipt or delayed delivery of goods, shipping or delivery evidence is often the deciding factor. Without this evidence, the dispute is likely to be resolved in favor of the customer, potentially leading to financial loss and a negative impact on your business's reputation.

You can submit various types of evidence to support your case, including:

To effectively upload and submit shipping or delivery evidence:

An online store receives a dispute from Chris, a customer claiming that the hiking boots he ordered were never delivered. The store gathers the shipping receipt, which includes the tracking number and delivery confirmation from the carrier, showing that the boots were delivered to Chris's address. They use Klarna's Disputes API to upload these documents as evidence. After reviewing the submission, Klarna resolves the dispute in the store's favor, as the evidence clearly supports that the goods were delivered as promised.

For Goods Not Received disputes, the main piece of evidence is a valid Proof of Delivery (POD). This document provides Klarna with enough detail to confirm the goods have been correctly delivered to the customer as ordered. Depending on the type of goods and how they are delivered, this POD can look different. Klarna expects you to provide a POD as an attachment — it is not sufficient to provide a tracking link. The POD must meet the requirements set out in the Merchant Protection Program.

Klarna cannot accept other evidence on its own (for example, forwarding emails from customers saying they received the goods). This can be provided in addition to a POD, but without a valid POD the dispute will be decided in favor of the customer.

When the customer does not accept the delivery of the order or does not pick up the goods, they will be sent back. However, this is not a valid use of the right of withdrawal (in the EU) nor is it considered a valid return. The customer is expected to accept delivery and follow the right of withdrawal and/or your return policy. When a customer has not accepted the delivery, make sure this information is included either in the POD or in the response to Klarna.

You'll be asked to select the delivery method that suits the transaction. These have been categorized into:

Each category includes requests tailored to get the most relevant information pertaining to the dispute. Only the category that applies to the transaction should be selected.

Faulty products, or significant deviations, can taint the shopping experience and negatively impact customer trust in you and Klarna. This section highlights key areas to ensure product quality and customer satisfaction. Accurate product descriptions, a precise definition of faulty goods, and a simple reporting process empower customers to make informed decisions. Through evidence submission and swift resolution, you should address issues efficiently — either offering refunds or replacements.

The following best practices will help drastically reduce customer complaints around faulty goods disputes:

These are usually the most complex disputes. Questions Klarna commonly asks are "Have you been in contact with the customer?" and "Have you come to an agreement?" (such as refunding the defective product or resending the product).

Accepted evidence includes:

When customers purchase online, it's important to be transparent and ensure they know what they are paying for. When a customer has completed an order, they do not want any surprises when they see the invoice later on. Customers need to understand what items have been added to the cart. In the event of upselling, you have to make sure that the customer is aware of what is happening, and can see the added products and prices in checkout. If hidden fees are added to the total order amount, or if it is not clearly stated that a discount has been added, questions will most likely be directed to Klarna and you. By following these best practices you can reduce both operational costs and disputes.

The following best practices will help drastically reduce customer invoice questions and incorrect invoice disputes:

Klarna requests evidence from you to prove that the amount is correct. This dispute reason can include a variety of scenarios, including missing discounts, wrong price, return not registered, cancellation, or invalid fees. For example, when a customer claims that a discount is missing (backed up by evidence), you need to prove why the discount was not applicable.

When a customer raises a dispute, they need to provide Klarna with valid evidence to support their claim. The specific information required varies based on the nature of the dispute (dispute reason). The tables below show the information Klarna gathers from the customer for each dispute reason — useful context when you review the customer evidence shared in your dispute notification.

Once the customer agrees to the conditions to raise a dispute, Klarna requests information regarding their contact with you. The customer provides a basic Proof of Contact: