C31

Amex Reason Code C31: What Merchants Should Do

The Card Member says what arrived did not match your written description. Here is what the code means and how to answer it.

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American Express
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Amex reason code C31 means the Card Member says the goods or services you sold differ from the written description given at purchase. The item may have arrived. It may even work fine. The claim is that it was not what you said it was. This guide covers what the code means, why it happens, and how to answer it well.

What is Amex reason code C31?

C31 is the American Express code for Goods/services not as described. A letter and two digits tell you it is an Amex code. If you are new to these notices, start with how to read a chargeback notice.

Before you hear anything, the disputed charge is first worked on with the Card Member. If that does not settle it, and more information is needed, you receive either an Inquiry or a Chargeback. An Inquiry means the Card Member disputes a charge that cannot be resolved with the documents on file. If the Card Member gives enough information, your account may be debited upfront.

Common scenarios that trigger a C31 chargeback

The claim behind C31 is a mismatch between words and product. You might see it when a listing promised one thing and the buyer feels they got another. A few examples:

  • A product photo or size chart did not match the item sent.
  • A service was sold with a scope the buyer says was wider than what was done.
  • Marketing copy promised a material, color or feature the item lacks.
  • The buyer expected an accessory or part that the description never clearly included or excluded.

Note what is missing from that list. C31 is not for items that never arrived, and it is not for items that arrived broken. Those are different codes, covered below.

How to gather evidence for a C31 dispute

You have two ways to win. Show the goods and services matched what was described, or show the Card Member agreed to accept them as provided. Build your proof around one of those, or both.

For a match claim, gather the exact words the buyer saw. Save the product page, the order confirmation and any listing text. Photos of the item as shipped help, as do emails where you described the item before the sale. For an acceptance claim, save signed delivery confirmations, chat logs or emails where the buyer saw the item and said it was fine.

Your supporting documents should include a copy of the charge record or credit record. Keep everything in one place before you write a word of your reply.

Step-by-step: Writing your rebuttal for C31

  1. State the code and the claim plainly. Say you are responding to C31, Goods/services not as described.
  2. Address the specific dispute reason. Do not send a pile of papers with no note. A good reply explains the documents, addresses the specific dispute reason and describes the steps taken to resolve it.
  3. Lead with your strongest proof. If the listing text matches the item, quote it and show the photo next to it.
  4. Explain each document in one or two sentences. Tell the reader what to look at and why it matters.
  5. Note any attempt to fix things. If you offered a refund, exchange or clarification, say so and show the record.
  6. Submit online. The best way for a merchant to respond to a dispute is online through its Merchant Account.

If your reply settles an Inquiry on time, there is no Chargeback. That is the best outcome, so do not wait on it.

What happens after you submit your response

After a Chargeback, you can send supporting documents that might reverse it. The Chargeback is undone if your reply addresses the dispute successfully and on time. If you do not reply in time, or you leave out what was asked for, the Chargeback stands.

If you skip the reply entirely, you lose the money and likely the fee as well. A no reply is its own problem, and so is a thin one. See what happens after you answer a chargeback for the rounds that can follow. Also read up on R13, no reply and R03, insufficient reply if either shows up on a notice.

C31 is about description. Other codes cover nearby claims, and picking the wrong one to argue against wastes your reply.

  • C32 covers goods or services that are damaged or defective. The item matched the description but arrived broken or faulty.
  • C08 covers goods or services not received, or only partly received.
  • C04 covers goods that were returned or refused.
  • C05 covers a canceled order the buyer says was still charged.
  • C14 covers a charge the buyer says was paid another way.
  • C28 covers recurring billing the buyer says was canceled.

Card networks label this same kind of claim differently. Visa handles it under its consumer dispute category, and its page on merchandise not as described or defective explains that code. The claim is similar. The process and deadlines are not, so always argue the code on your notice, not a cousin of it.

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