The box arrived — but what's inside isn't what you paid for. Wrong model, wrong material, missing features, a "new" item that was clearly used. These disputes turn on a single comparison: what was promised versus what showed up. Your job is to make that comparison visible to a reviewer who has never seen either. This guide covers the two halves of the evidence — the listing as of your purchase date and photos of what arrived — plus the return-attempt records many issuers expect.
Answer one question and get a prioritized, printable evidence checklist for not-as-described disputes.
Every not-as-described file should let the reviewer do one thing in under a minute: see the promise next to the reality. Structure your file around that comparison. The promise side: the product listing, specs, and price as they appeared when you ordered, plus your order confirmation tying you to that listing. The reality side: photos of what arrived. Everything else — correspondence, return records — supports the comparison but doesn't replace it. If a reviewer can look at your two key exhibits and see the mismatch themselves, your written argument barely matters. If they can't, no amount of argument will fix it.
Listings change. Sellers edit descriptions, swap photos, and adjust specs — sometimes after a dispute starts. What matters is the page as you saw it when you bought. Gather:
Focus on the specific claims that turned out false: the material, the model number, the dimensions, the "includes" list, the condition ("new" vs "refurbished"). Highlight or annotate the exact lines — reviewers skim, and a marked-up screenshot guides their eyes to the mismatch.
Photos of what arrived are the second half of the comparison. A few practices make them materially more persuasive:
If the difference is functional rather than visible — software missing advertised features, a device that won't hold a charge — supplement photos with screen recordings or screenshots showing the failure, plus the spec sheet promising the feature.
These are distinct arguments, and mixing them up weakens the file:
An item can be both (the wrong model and broken), but lead with the stronger argument and keep the evidence for each separate. Reviewers map documents to the dispute reason you filed under; a file that argues two reasons at once can read as unfocused. Pick the reason that fits best — our checklist builder gives you the right list for each.
Many issuers expect you to have tried returning the item before disputing — and the attempt itself becomes evidence. Keep:
If returning is genuinely impractical — perishable goods, items whose return shipping exceeds their value — say so in your dispute letter and explain why. Reviewers generally understand proportionality; they mainly want to see you didn't skip the step without reason.
Services can be "not as described" too: a course missing advertised modules, a contractor's work that doesn't match the quote, an event that wasn't what was sold. The evidence looks different but the comparison is the same:
Get the not-as-described evidence list as a printable checklist — tick items off as you gather them.
The product listing as it appeared when you bought — description, specs, size, color, price — placed next to photos of what actually arrived. That comparison is the entire case: promise versus reality.
Use whatever you captured at purchase time: order confirmation emails (which often repeat the item description), your own screenshots, or an archived copy of the page. The current listing is less useful, since sellers can edit pages after a dispute starts.
Many issuers expect you to have tried. Attempting a return — and keeping the return authorization, shipping receipt, or the merchant's refusal — generally strengthens your file. If returning is impractical, document why.
Yes. Damage is about condition on arrival (broken, faulty); misdescription is about the item not matching what was advertised (wrong model, wrong material, missing features). The evidence overlaps — photos matter for both — but the argument differs: one compares the item to its listing, the other shows it arrived unusable.
Generally yes — services are covered too. The evidence looks different: contracts or booking pages showing what was promised, records of what was delivered (photos of work done, attendance records, deliverables), and correspondence where you raised the shortfall.
