Under the Installment Sales Act in Japan, Mitsui Sumitomo Card, JCB, and American Express, in partnership with Stripe, are obligated to conduct appropriate and prompt complaint handling, including investigating the cause and requesting corrections if improvements are necessary when there are complaints from consumers. Therefore, if there are complaints from consumers, Stripe users in Japan are required to verify the facts and take necessary corrective actions.

If you do not respond sufficiently or at all to this request, it may be determined based on the Stripe Terms of Use, the service terms of Mitsui Sumitomo Card, and the service terms of JCB that there is a risk in continuing the merchant contract, which could potentially lead to contract termination. We therefore request a prompt response and action.

Why did I receive a fact check email from Stripe?

When there is a complaint regarding a transaction made by a consumer with a Stripe user, a fact verification request is received from Stripe's partnered financial institutions, and the relevant Stripe user is asked to verify the facts. The email sent from Stripe will contain details of the complaint and the relevant transaction, so reply regarding whether the content is factual and, if factual, whether you are taking the appropriate corrective actions, such as issuing a refund, following the instructions provided. If the content is not factual, please reply to the email with the reasons or details.

What actions are necessary if the complaint is factual?

If the content of the complaint is factual, you must correct the cause of the complaint to prevent similar complaints from occurring in the future. Here are some examples of appropriate responses:

• If the cause of the complaint is inadequate customer support, provide proof of improvements made, such as establishing or enhancing the customer support service through training.  
• If delays occurred in shipping or delivery, implement and document a system that promptly informs consumers of such delays.

What actions are necessary if the complaint is not factual?

If the complaint is not factual, submit documents demonstrating this. For example, provide records of exchanges with the consumer such as chats or emails, evidence that the product or service has already been provided, customer solicitation materials, or contracts.

In what cases is it acceptable not to issue a refund?

Normally, an email will be sent requesting a refund. However, it is acceptable to not process a refund if there are appropriate reasons such as the related payment being under suspicious charge review, a refund has already been issued outside of Stripe (such as by bank transfer), the product or service has already been provided, or you are unable to contact the consumer. Submit details and supporting evidence in response to the fact verification email.

Do I need to respond if the related payment is under suspicious charge review?

Yes, you need to respond. Fact verification regarding complaints is necessary regardless of the status of dispute and chargeback, which is handled separately.