Refunds + disputes
When a charge goes sideways
Refunds are simple. Chargebacks are stressful. Either way, the playbook is the same: respond quickly + document thoroughly + don’t take it personally. Goldenhour keeps the records so you don’t have to.
Refund workflow
Three clicks
- 1.Open the appointment → click the payment line.
- 2.Click Refund → full or partial amount → optional internal note (why you refunded).
- 3.Confirm. The customer’s card is credited within 5-10 business days; you see the reversal in your Stripe payout the same evening.
The Stripe processing fee on the original charge is not refunded back to you (~2.9% + 30¢). Plan for this when offering goodwill refunds.
When to refund vs hold firm
A decision tree
- Client cancels >48h out: refund the deposit. Your policy says you keep it, but goodwill refunds on advance cancellations buy long-term loyalty.
- Client cancels <24h: follow your published policy. Goldenhour enforces it automatically : the customer saw the policy at checkout.
- Service quality complaint, first-time client: partial refund (~50%) + offer a redo at no charge. The redo is usually declined: but the offer matters.
- Service quality complaint, repeat client: full refund + a free next session. They’re worth the lifetime value; one bad day shouldn’t cost you 20+ future bookings.
- Allergic reaction or skin issue:full refund immediately, document the incident in the client’s notes, and revisit your intake form for that allergen. Don’t debate; refund.
- Customer claims they never booked / never came: this is a chargeback risk. Reach out FIRST with your records before they call their bank. A polite SMS with the booking-confirmation timestamps de-escalates 80% of these.
Chargeback defense
What Stripe needs to win
When a chargeback hits, Stripe gives you ~7 days to upload evidence. Goldenhour stores most of this for you. Open the appointment + click “Export dispute packet”: it bundles:
- Booking confirmation SMS + email delivery logs (with timestamps + Twilio / Resend message IDs)
- Intake form / consent waiver signature (if collected)
- IP address + device fingerprint from the booking session
- Published cancellation policy + the timestamp-of-acceptance at checkout
- Any post-service SMS / chat messages (proves service was rendered)
Add: photos of completed work (with the client’s consent flag), and the client’s reply to the post-care SMS if they responded. Service-business chargeback win rate with full documentation is ~30% per Stripe’s 2025 benchmark.
Prevention beats defense
The five chargeback magnets
- 1. Vague descriptor on the bank statement. Goldenhour sets it to “BUSINESS NAME” by default; verify yours matches your IG / Google presence so customers recognize it.
- 2. No reminder sent before the appointment. Customer forgets, no-shows, then disputes the charge. Always keep the 24-hour reminder ON.
- 3. No-show fee without warning. If your policy charges a fee, say so before checkout. Goldenhour shows the policy inline; never paste it post-hoc.
- 4. Long gap between charge + service. Deposits taken weeks in advance can “feel” fraudulent if the customer forgets. Send a T-7d reminder for far-future bookings.
- 5. No post-service follow-up. A simple “thanks for coming in” text creates a digital paper trail + an opportunity for unhappy clients to reach out before going to their bank.
FAQ
- How do I issue a refund in goldenhour?
- Open the appointment, click the payment line item, click Refund. Choose full or partial. The funds reverse through Stripe to the customer's original payment method, typically within 5-10 business days. The Stripe fees on the original charge are NOT refunded back to you: that's a fixed loss of ~2.9% + 30¢ no matter what.
- What's a chargeback vs a refund?
- A refund is you voluntarily reversing a charge. A chargeback is the customer's bank reversing it without asking: usually because the customer disputes the charge as fraud, 'service not received,' or 'service not as described.' Chargebacks cost an extra $15-25 in fees on top of losing the original revenue. Always prefer refunds when a customer is unhappy: a quick refund prevents a chargeback.
- Can I keep the deposit if the customer no-shows?
- Yes: if your cancellation policy says so, and goldenhour will enforce it automatically. The no-show fee or forfeited deposit is captured at the time of the missed appointment. Refunding it is at your discretion (some artists refund first-time clients as goodwill; never on repeat offenders).
- What if the customer says they didn't book: chargeback for 'fraud'?
- Fight it via Stripe's dispute interface. Provide: the booking confirmation SMS / email log (goldenhour stores timestamps + delivery proof), the consent waiver signature if you have one, any photos / chat messages from the appointment, the IP + device fingerprint from the booking session. Stripe wins ~30% of fraud disputes for service businesses with documentation.