The Dispute Timeline
Day 1 — Settlement drops
Review immediately
Check every line item on the new settlement. Note any deductions labeled as chargebacks, adjustments, or service failures. Record the exact amount, the date it was taken, and how it's labeled.
Days 1–2
Check your dispute window
Open your contractor agreement and find the dispute provision. Look for language like "disputes must be submitted within [X] business days of settlement." This is your hard deadline. Note the date.
Days 2–3
Gather your delivery evidence
Pull your delivery confirmation, GPS timestamps, customer interaction records, and any photos. Screenshot everything with visible timestamps. Don't wait until you're fully assembled to start the dispute — file first if the window is tight.
Days 3–5
Send your written dispute response
A formal written challenge contesting the deduction, attaching your counter-evidence, and requesting the company's documentation: the underlying complaint, the basis for the dollar amount, and any investigation records. Set a 7-business-day response deadline.
Days 10–12
Follow up if no response
If the company hasn't responded with documentation within your deadline, send a formal documentation request — a second, separate document noting that your initial dispute went unanswered and reiterating the request for their supporting evidence.
Days 17–20
Send demand letter
If no substantive response has been received, your demand letter goes out. It summarizes the dispute history, states the amount demanded, and sets a 10-business-day deadline before formal escalation.
Day 30+
Escalate
If the demand letter deadline passes without resolution, escalate: BBB complaint, state agency filing, or arbitration demand — depending on your contract's escalation provisions and the amount in dispute.
What If You Already Missed the Window?
If your contract dispute window has passed, you have fewer options but not zero options. Some contracts allow disputes to be reopened if new evidence surfaces. A pattern of chargebacks — where the same company deducts similar amounts repeatedly across multiple contractors — may be addressable through a BBB complaint or state agency filing on different grounds than a standard contract dispute.
If the window recently passed, escalate immediately — don't wait. The closer you are to the deadline, the more likely a company is to accept a late formal dispute rather than defend a policy that says they can keep money they can't document.
Start now — before the window closes
Get your chargeback dispute documents in under 10 minutes
Dispute System includes the chargeback Dispute Response Template, Documentation Request Letter, and Evidence Checklist — everything you need to follow this timeline correctly.