The customer never tried to return the item. Does that matter?

Yes, significantly. Amex dispute rules generally expect the cardmember to attempt to resolve with the merchant or return the goods, so document the absence of any return attempt and your available return policy.

How is C31 different from C32?

C31 says the item differs from its description; C32 says it arrived damaged or defective. The evidence differs too: listings and specifications for C31, condition on arrival and warranty handling for C32.

American Express · Consumer Disputes

Reason code C31: Goods or Services Not As Described

C31 is the cardmember's claim that what arrived materially differs from what was advertised or agreed: wrong specifications, different quality, counterfeit goods, or services that did not match the sales promise. It is a merchandise-quality dispute rather than a delivery or fraud claim.

Issuer filing window

typically 120 days from the charge or delivery date

Merchant response window

typically 20 days to respond

Why C31 chargebacks happen

Product listings overstated specifications, materials, or capabilities relative to what ships.
A supplier or drop-ship partner substituted a different item or a lower grade than the listing showed.
Marketing imagery set expectations the physical product cannot meet, especially for color, size, or finish.
Services were sold with promised outcomes or deliverables that the engagement did not produce.
The customer misunderstood a genuinely accurate listing and is using the dispute as a return mechanism.

How to fight a C31 chargeback

Submit the product listing exactly as the customer saw it at purchase, with specifications, photos, and disclaimers.
Show that the delivered item matched the listing, using SKU records, fulfillment photos, or serial numbers.
Demonstrate that you offered a return or replacement and the customer declined or never attempted it, since Amex expects the cardmember to try resolution first.
Provide correspondence where the customer's actual complaint (changed mind, wrong size ordered) differs from the not-as-described claim.
For services, attach the statement of work and evidence of the deliverables actually provided.

How to prevent C31 chargebacks

Write listings to survive a side-by-side comparison with the shipped product, and audit them when suppliers change.
Photograph or spot-check outbound quality on categories that generate description complaints.
Offer an easy return window so quality complaints become returns instead of Amex disputes.
Keep versioned snapshots of product pages so you can prove what any customer saw on any date.
Vet drop-ship suppliers with test orders before routing real volume through them.

Frequently asked questions

The customer never tried to return the item. Does that matter?: Yes, significantly. Amex dispute rules generally expect the cardmember to attempt to resolve with the merchant or return the goods, so document the absence of any return attempt and your available return policy.
How is C31 different from C32?: C31 says the item differs from its description; C32 says it arrived damaged or defective. The evidence differs too: listings and specifications for C31, condition on arrival and warranty handling for C32.

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