Disputes & Chargebacks
When you accept payments through Stripe Connect on Voilà, you are the Merchant of Record (MoR) for those lesson payments. This page explains what that means, what you are responsible for, and how Voilà supports you if a student disputes a charge.
You Are the Merchant of Record
Voilà uses Stripe Connect (Standard). Students pay your connected Stripe account — not Voilà's. Legally and on Stripe's records, you are the seller of the tutoring service.
- Lesson payments go to your Stripe account and are paid out to your bank on your Stripe payout schedule.
- Voilà is the platform, not the seller of your lessons. Voilà takes zero commission on 1:1 lesson payments. Platform fees for recording and AI tools are billed separately — see Subscription & Billing.
- Group lessons — you remain the merchant of record for the student's payment. Voilà may charge a separate platform fee for group infrastructure. See Group Lessons.
When you connect Stripe, you agree that:
- Payments from students are processed directly through your Stripe account.
- You are the Merchant of Record and responsible for any disputes.
- Refunds are at your discretion unless you cancel a lesson.
- Voilà may provide booking confirmations, meeting attendance, and transaction history to assist with dispute resolution.
What You Are Responsible For
| Topic | Your responsibility |
|---|---|
| Chargebacks / disputes | Respond in the Stripe Dashboard before the evidence deadline. Stripe decides the outcome based on the evidence you submit. |
| Refunds | Follow your cancellation policy and Voilà's payment flows. Tutor-initiated cancellations refund automatically. See Payments. |
| Stripe balance | Disputed amounts may be debited from your Stripe balance while the dispute is open, per Stripe's rules. |
| Submitting evidence | You upload evidence to Stripe. Voilà does not submit dispute evidence on your behalf. |
Students typically open disputes through their bank or card issuer. The dispute appears in your Stripe Dashboard because the charge was on your connected account.
What Voilà Does When a Dispute Opens
Voilà monitors disputes on connected tutor accounts and helps you respond quickly:
| When | What Voilà does |
|---|---|
| A payment dispute is opened | Sends an email to your Voilà account address with the student, amount, reason, deadline, and a link to the dispute in Stripe. An evidence ZIP is attached when generation succeeds. |
| An early fraud warning is issued | Sends a separate alert email with the same evidence attachment pattern so you can review before a formal dispute. |
| The evidence deadline approaches | Sends reminder emails at 7 days, 48 hours, and 24 hours before the due date. |
| A dispute is still open | Shows a warning banner at the top of Admin with the student, amount, deadline, and an Open in Stripe button. |
Check your email (including spam) when you receive these alerts. The attached ZIP includes a README.txt with upload instructions.
Evidence Pack Contents
When Voilà generates an evidence pack, it includes four PDFs mapped to Stripe's evidence fields:
| File | Upload to Stripe field |
|---|---|
voila-dispute-transactions.pdf | Receipt / service documentation |
voila-dispute-meetings.pdf | Proof of service / access activity log |
voila-dispute-product-policy.pdf | Product description / refund policy disclosure |
voila-dispute-communications.pdf | Customer communication |
Automatic vs manual evidence
- When a dispute opens — the email attachment is scoped to the disputed payment where possible.
- Manual request — on Admin → Transactions, each student section has an Email dispute evidence button. Use this to request a fresh evidence pack by email (limited to once per student per 24 hours). Manual exports may include broader booking and payment history for that student.
Keep each file under about 4.5 MB when uploading to Stripe.
Privacy
Evidence packs contain student personal data (email, booking messages, attendance records). Upload only what Stripe requires for the dispute. Delete local copies after the dispute closes.
What to Do Step by Step
- Read the Voilà email — note the student, amount, reason, and deadline.
- Open the dispute in Stripe — use the link in the email or the Open in Stripe button on Admin.
- Upload the PDFs — match each file to the Stripe evidence field listed in the ZIP's
README.txt. - Add context — include your cancellation policy, lesson notes, or any other details Stripe asks for.
- Submit before the deadline — Voilà sends reminders, but Stripe enforces the cutoff.
For Stripe's own guidance on responding to disputes, see Stripe's dispute documentation.
Need Help?
Voilà provides records and notifications to assist you, but you own the dispute in Stripe. If you have questions about Voilà's evidence pack or need help finding a record, contact hello@voila.fun.
Related
- Overview — how Stripe Connect works on Voilà
- Setup — connecting your Stripe account
- Payments — bookings, packages, refunds, and cancellation policies
- Earnings & Payouts — Admin dashboard, dispute banner, and manual evidence export
- Group Lessons — group payment model and platform fees