Disputed Orders - Admin Operations Guide

Published by Give.Gives · Updated April 2, 2026

Disputed Orders - Admin Operations Guide

1. Purpose and Business Context

Recommended review frequency: The operations team should review this page whenever a new Stripe dispute appears and continue checking it until the dispute is resolved.

Why does this page exist?
Disputed Orders is the admin page used to monitor and track Stripe payment disputes connected to platform orders.

When a dispute is created in Stripe:

1. Stripe flags the payment as disputed.

2. The order dispute fields are updated in Give.Gives through webhook handling.

3. The system records the dispute impact in the ledger.

4. The disputed amount is treated as a deduction against the brand-side financial balance until the case is resolved.

This page helps operations keep dispute handling visible and organized. It is not the place where evidence is submitted. Stripe remains the system where the actual dispute response is handled.

Why are the actions on this page important?

• Dispute visibility: Operations can quickly see which orders are currently disputed and what stage each dispute is in.

• Finance awareness: Disputed amounts affect ledger and brand balance calculations, so unresolved cases should not be ignored.

• Case follow-up: The page helps the team know which disputes need evidence review, which are under review, and which are already won or lost.

2. How to Access It

In the admin sidebar, go to Orders > Disputed Orders.

[Placeholder: Full-page screenshot of the Disputed Orders page, including the blue process card and dispute table]

3. What Happens When a Dispute Arrives

The standard dispute flow in this system is:

1. Dispute Created: Stripe notifies Give.Gives that a charge has been disputed.

2. Balance Deduction: The system records the dispute impact in the ledger, which reduces the related brand balance.

3. Admin Review: Operations should open Stripe Dashboard, review the dispute, and decide whether evidence should be submitted.

4. Resolution: Stripe later closes the case. If the dispute is won, funds may be reinstated and the system records the reversal accordingly.

This means the page is operationally important for both:

• payment-risk follow-up

• finance reconciliation visibility

[Placeholder: Screenshot of the blue “Standard Dispute Handling Process” card]

4. How to Read the Page

Filters

The page includes these filters:

• Status: Filter by dispute stage such as needs_response, under_review, won, lost, or closed

• Keyword: Search by order code or Stripe-related identifier

• Reset: Clear filters and return to the default list

• Refresh: Reload the current dispute list

Use filters to focus on unresolved cases first, especially disputes that still require action.

Table Columns

Each row shows:

• Order: Internal order code and item reference

• Amount: Disputed amount and original order amount

• Reason: The dispute reason provided by Stripe

• Dispute Status: The current dispute stage

• Created At: The dispute time, or order creation time if dispute time is unavailable

• Actions: A Details button that opens the related order view

[Placeholder: Screenshot of the dispute table with one row highlighted]

5. Standard Workflow

Step 1: Review New or Open Disputes First

Start with statuses that still need active follow-up:

• needs_response

• under_review

• warning

These are also treated as operational todo items elsewhere in the admin system, so they should be reviewed promptly.

If the list is long, filter by status first, then work through the newest disputes from top to bottom.

Step 2: Check the Dispute Details in the Row

For each dispute, review:

• the order code

• the item title

• the disputed amount

• the dispute reason

• the dispute status

This helps you decide whether the case is:

• a normal open dispute awaiting evidence

• a dispute already under Stripe review

• a finished case that only needs internal awareness

Step 3: Open Stripe Dashboard

Use the Open Stripe Dispute Dashboard button from the blue process card when you need to work the case in Stripe.

Stripe is where operations should:

• inspect the full dispute details

• review the cardholder claim

• submit evidence if needed

• check final resolution details

The Give.Gives page is for tracking and navigation. Stripe is the operational system for dispute response.

[Placeholder: Screenshot of the “Open Stripe Dispute Dashboard” button]

Step 4: Open the Related Order Record

Click Details on a row to jump into the related order view.

Use the order detail page when you need additional context such as:

• item information

• order history

• customer details

• payment timeline

• related operational notes

This is especially important before preparing evidence or explaining the case internally.

6. How to Handle Common Statuses

needs_response

This is the highest-priority operational status.

It means the dispute is open and the team should review the case quickly in Stripe. If evidence should be submitted, do not delay.

under_review

This means the case has already moved into Stripe review.

At this stage, the team usually monitors the case and waits for Stripe's decision unless more information is required.

warning

Treat this as an attention-needed state. Review it promptly in Stripe and confirm whether any immediate action is needed.

won

This means Stripe resolved the dispute in favor of the platform side.

From an operations perspective, the case should still be reviewed once to confirm the outcome is understood. Financial reversal handling may already have been recorded automatically.

lost

This means the dispute was not won.

Operations should confirm the final outcome, make sure the team understands the reason, and use the case as feedback for future risk handling if necessary.

closed

This is a completed end state. Usually no further direct action is needed unless finance or support needs historical context.

7. What This Page Does Not Do

This page does not:

• submit evidence to Stripe

• manually reverse or cancel disputes

• edit dispute status directly

• resolve the case outside Stripe

Dispute status is updated from Stripe events, not by manual editing on this page.

That means operators should use this page to track, prioritize, and navigate, then use Stripe and the related order record to do the real case work.

8. Finance and Ledger Impact

A dispute is not only a customer-support event. It is also a finance event.

Important operational implications:

• disputed amounts are recorded into the system's ledger flow

• a created dispute reduces brand-side financial balance

• a reversed dispute can later restore value through a dispute-reversal ledger entry

Because of this, unresolved disputes should be treated as both:

• payment-risk issues

• finance-impact issues

If operations sees a dispute with an unusually large amount or repeated dispute patterns for the same brand or venue, escalate quickly.

9. Day-to-Day Operations Suggestions

• Review needs_response disputes as soon as they appear.

• Use Stripe as the source of truth for evidence submission and resolution steps.

• Use the related order detail page before responding so you understand the transaction context.

• If multiple disputes appear for the same brand, venue, or item type, treat that as a broader operational signal rather than a one-off case.

• Keep finance informed when disputes remain open for meaningful amounts, because the ledger impact is already active before final resolution.