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Visa reason code 13.3: not as described or defective

Visa reason code 13.3 covers goods or services that were not as described, damaged, defective, or of disputed quality. See defenses and deadlines.

What Visa code 13.3 means and when it applies

Visa code 13.3, “Not as Described or Defective Merchandise/Services,” is filed when the cardholder receives merchandise or a service but claims that it does not match the merchant’s description. It also covers damaged or defective merchandise and disputes about the quality of what was received.

For a transaction subject to the general rule, at least one of these five situations must exist:

  1. What was delivered does not match the description. The comparison is made against the receipt or another record presented at the time of purchase.
  2. The merchandise arrived damaged or defective. The issue concerns the condition of the product received.
  3. The quality of what was received is disputed. The cardholder disagrees with the standard or condition of the merchandise or service, such as a vehicle repair or hotel room.
  4. A travel agency did not honor the contract. This specific situation requires a Visa Commercial Card Virtual AccountThis is the virtual account used, for this rule, by a travel agency to pay for services covered by a contract with a travel and entertainment merchant.. It is enough that the merchant did not honor the contract or that the service did not match the contract’s description.
  5. The non-fiat currencyAn asset that is not currency issued by a government, such as cryptocurrency. or NFTNFT stands for non-fungible token. It is a digital asset that can be individually identified. received does not match what was advertised. This path exists only when the asset received differs from the description presented at the time of the transaction.

Source for the five situations: Visa Core Rules §11.10.4.1, Table 11-103 (ID# 0030325).

There is also a regional path. In a card-absent transactionA purchase where the physical card is not presented to the merchant, such as a sale by telephone or online., the merchant’s verbal description or other documentation presented at purchase can also support a 13.3 dispute if it does not match what was received. This additional path applies only to US domestic transactions, Canada domestic transactions, and interregional transactions between the United States and Canada.

Source for the regional situation: Visa Core Rules §11.10.4.1, Table 11-103 (ID# 0030325), and Visa Dispute Management Guidelines for Visa Merchants, Condition 13.3, p. 40, note 5.

Those situations are not enough by themselves. Outside the specific travel-agency path, all of these requirements must be met before the dispute is filed:

  1. The cardholder tried to resolve the issue with the merchant. If the business is in liquidation, the cardholder may contact the party responsible for winding up its obligations. For the non-fiat currency or NFT path, the attempt may also be made with the company that provides or converts the asset, when applicable. Cancelling a service counts as an attempt to resolve the issue.
  2. The cardholder returned or attempted to return the merchandise, or cancelled the service. If the service was already provided, the cardholder must have requested a credit from the merchant.

An attempted return counts only when at least one of these conditions occurred: the merchant refused the return, refused to provide an authorization or label, instructed the cardholder not to return the merchandise, no longer exists or did not respond, or did not provide clear return instructions.

The amount is also limited. The dispute covers only the unused portion of a cancelled service, the value of merchandise returned or whose return was attempted, items not included in the travel agency contract, or the cost of the non-fiat asset or NFT the cardholder intended to acquire.

Source for the prerequisites, the alternatives for an attempted return, and the amount limits: Visa Core Rules §11.10.4.2, Table 11-104 (ID# 0030326).

When the problem is different, use the corresponding code: 13.1 for merchandise or services never received; 13.4 for counterfeit merchandise; 13.5 for misrepresented terms of sale; and 13.6 for a promised credit that was not processed.

Deadlines for each party under Visa 13.3

1 block represents 10 calendar days.

  1. IssuerWait 15 days before filing the 13.3 disputeThe waiting period starts when the cardholder returns or attempts to return the merchandise, or cancels the service.
    15-calendar-day waiting period
  2. IssuerFile the 13.3 disputeThe clock starts when Visa processes the transaction.
    Up to 120 calendar days
  3. IssuerFile the 13.3 dispute based on the receipt dateThe clock starts when the cardholder receives the merchandise or service, but no later than 540 calendar days after Visa processes the transaction.
    Up to 120 calendar days
  4. IssuerFile the 13.3 dispute after documented prior negotiationsThe clock starts when the issuer receives the cardholder’s first notification, provided negotiations with the merchant occurred within 120 days and no later than 540 calendar days after Visa processes the transaction.
    Up to 60 calendar days
  5. AcquirerSubmit a Visa-permitted defense pathThe clock starts when Visa processes the dispute.
    Up to 30 calendar days
  6. IssuerRespond to the acquirer’s defenseThe clock starts when Visa processes the acquirer’s defense.
    Up to 30 calendar days
  7. AcquirerRespond to the issuer’s pre-arbitration attemptThe clock starts when Visa processes the issuer’s pre-arbitration attempt.
    Up to 30 calendar days
  8. IssuerAsk Visa to decide the caseThe clock starts when Visa processes the acquirer’s pre-arbitration response.
    Up to 10 calendar days
These are the time limits set by Visa.Your deadline to submit documents may be shorter; confirm it with your acquirer.Source:Visa Core Rules, Tabelas 11-106 (ID# 0030328, pp. 761-762) e 11-2 (ID# 0030213, pp. 671-672)

Who files the dispute and what happens next

The issuer, the bank that issued the card, files the 13.3 dispute for the cardholder in VROLVisa Resolve Online is Visa’s system where the issuer files the dispute and the acquirer submits the response and case documents.. The merchant does not file or respond directly to Visa.

When filing the case, the issuer must record the applicable information: what was different, damaged, or defective; the date the cardholder received it; the attempt to resolve the issue with the merchant; and the date the service was cancelled, the credit was requested, the merchandise was returned, or the return was attempted. If the merchandise was returned, the issuer also provides the carrier, tracking number, and the date the merchant received it, when available. If there was only an attempted return, the issuer must explain how and when it happened, where the merchandise was left, and which of the merchant’s five actions prevented the return. For the travel-agency path, the issuer explains how the contract was not honored. If the issuer uses the prior-negotiations window, it states when the negotiations began, when it received the first notification, and provides evidence of those discussions.

Source for the information required from the issuer: Visa Core Rules §11.10.4.5, Table 11-107 (ID# 0030329).

As a rule, the issuer waits 15 calendar days after the return, attempted return, or cancellation before filing the case. The wait does not apply if it would cause the dispute to miss its deadline, if the merchant refuses the return or cancellation, or for the specific travel-agency path using a Visa Commercial Card Virtual Account.

Source for the wait and its three exceptions: Visa Core Rules §11.10.4.4, Table 11-106 (ID# 0030328).

When the issuer files the dispute, it charges the corresponding amount back to the acquirer, the institution that represents the merchant on the Visa network. If there is a valid ground to respond, the merchant gives the documents to the acquirer. The acquirer submits the Dispute ResponseThe formal response the acquirer submits in VROL to contest the dispute using at least one of the grounds Visa accepts..

If the issuer rejects the response, it may make a pre-arbitration attemptThe stage where the issuer challenges the evidence submitted by the acquirer before asking Visa to decide the case.. The acquirer accepts financial responsibility or declines the attempt. If the parties do not agree, the issuer may ask Visa to decide the case in arbitration.

Source for the process: Visa Core Rules §11.2.3, Table 11-2 (ID# 0030213). The defense for 13.3 is a Dispute Response; there is no second presentment stage from the Allocation process.

Before building a defense, check whether this dispute is invalidProving any one condition is enough to challenge the dispute's validity.
  • Buyer’s remorse, with no defect or difference from the description.
  • The claim concerns the quality of food from an eating place or restaurant — the example in the rules is “the burger was received cold.”
  • The dispute concerns a price discrepancy, VAT, or the cash-back portion of a Visa Cash-Back Transaction.
  • The transaction is an excluded type: ATM Cash Disbursement, Straight Through Processing, or Automated Fuel Dispenser Transaction.
  • The cardholder states that the transaction is fraudulent — the case belongs in Category 10, not 13.3.
  • The returned merchandise is held by a customs agency in a country other than the merchant’s country.
  • The non-fiat asset or NFT merely failed to increase in value as the cardholder expected.
  • The case belongs under another code: merchandise never received (13.1), counterfeit merchandise (13.4), misrepresented terms of sale (13.5), or a promised credit not processed (13.6).
  • The cardholder did not try to resolve the issue with the merchant and did not return or attempt to return the merchandise, or cancel the service, when required.

Source:Visa Core Rules §11.10.4.3 — Invalid Disputes, ID# 0030327; pré-requisitos do portador e arrependimento de compra em §11.10.4.2 — Dispute Rights, ID# 0030326

How to reduce the risk of this code

Visa does not provide a separate prevention list for 13.3. The practices below are practical measures derived from the defense requirements, not new card-scheme obligations:

  1. Keep the description presented at the time of sale. Preserve the receipt, listing, contract, or another record that allows the offer to be compared with what was delivered.
  2. Describe quality in verifiable terms. For services, record the promised scope and standard. For products, avoid vague statements that cannot be supported later.
  3. Respond to the claim point by point. Record what the customer alleged and how the merchant addressed each point. In a quality dispute, a neutral third-party opinion may corroborate the merchant’s position.
  4. Track returned merchandise. Check tracking information and receiving records before stating that returned merchandise did not arrive.

Source for the response guidance: Visa Dispute Management Guidelines for Visa Merchants, Condition 13.3, p. 40. Source for the test of description, condition, and the merchant’s rebuttal: Visa Core Rules §11.10.4.6, Table 11-108 (ID# 0030330).

Evidence the merchant needs to gather

Prove what was agreed

The defense must satisfy at least one of the five grounds Visa accepts. The grounds are alternatives; the merchant does not have to submit all five or choose exactly one:

  1. Credit, invalidity, or withdrawal. It is enough to prove at least one of these situations: the merchant issued a credit or reversal that the issuer did not address, the dispute is invalid, or the cardholder no longer disputes the transaction.
  2. What was delivered matched the description. Both pieces of evidence are required together: evidence that the merchandise or service matched the description, including the advertised quality, or was not damaged or defective and the merchant’s response to each cardholder claim.
  3. The return was not attempted or did not arrive. When applicable, it is enough to prove that the cardholder did not attempt to return the merchandise or to certify, after checking the records, that the returned merchandise was not received.
  4. The travel-agency contract was honored. For the Visa Commercial Card Virtual Account path, the defense shows that the contract terms were honored or delivered as described.
  5. The asset received matched what was advertised. For the non-fiat currency or NFT path, the defense compares the description presented at the time of sale with the asset the cardholder received.

Source for the five grounds and their cardinality: Visa Core Rules §11.10.4.6, Table 11-108 (ID# 0030330). Source for the guidance to address each claim and check returns: Visa Dispute Management Guidelines for Visa Merchants, Condition 13.3, p. 40.

If the issuer proceeds to pre-arbitration, it cannot simply repeat the complaint. Depending on the ground used in the defense, the issuer must provide evidence that the return was attempted or received; third-party evidence that the merchandise or service did not match the description or was defective; or, in a moving-services dispute where the merchant challenged the cost, the repair or replacement estimate. When the acquirer’s response met the requirements, the issuer must also confirm that it showed this evidence to the cardholder and explain why the cardholder continues to dispute the transaction.

Source for the pre-arbitration evidence: Visa Core Rules §11.10.4.7, Table 11-109 (ID# 0031086). Source for confirmation of contact with the cardholder: Visa Core Rules §11.2.3, Table 11-2 (ID# 0030213).

Frequently asked questions

When should Visa code 13.3 be used instead of 13.1 (not received)?

Code 13.1 applies when the merchandise or service never arrived. Code 13.3 applies when it was delivered but did not match the description, arrived damaged or defective, or was of disputed quality.

Must the cardholder try to return the product before filing?

Generally, yes. The cardholder must try to resolve the issue with the merchant and return or attempt to return the merchandise. For services, cancellation counts as an attempt to resolve the issue; if the service was already provided, the cardholder must request a credit. These requirements do not apply to the specific travel-agency path involving a Visa Commercial Card Virtual Account.

How can the merchant prove the product was as described?

The merchant must provide the product or service description as it appeared at the time of purchase, such as an archived listing, contract, receipt, or telephone sales script. The merchant must also address each specific claim made by the cardholder.

What is the absolute deadline for an issuer to file a 13.3 dispute?

The confirmed outer limit is 540 calendar days from the Transaction Processing Date. It caps both the window measured from receipt and the special window based on prior negotiations.

Can cold food at a restaurant result in a 13.3 chargeback?

No. The rules expressly list complaints about the quality of food from eating places or restaurants as invalid under 13.3. The example in the rules is “the burger was received cold.” Price-discrepancy disputes are also invalid.

How long does the merchant have to respond to a 13.3 dispute?

The acquirer has 30 calendar days from the Dispute Processing Date to submit the Dispute Response to Visa. The acquirer’s internal deadline for the merchant’s documents is usually much shorter. Confirm it with your acquirer.

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