What is a Dispute?

A dispute (also known as a chargeback) occurs when an insured reports a payment made through Ascend as fraudulent or unauthorized to their bank or credit card company. The bank or card company then opens a formal dispute, which immediately freezes the payment and starts the dispute resolution process.

Common Reasons for Disputes include:

• The payor wants to cancel the policy

• The payor's payment method was lost or stolen

• The payor accidentally disputed the charge

• The payor is waiting for a refund

How might a dispute affect the customer?

A dispute filed on an Ascend payment may result in one or more of the following:

1. Cancelation of coverage, due to a break in loan payments

2. A delay or pause in issuing refunds

Dispute scenarios

1. Paid-in-full, one-time payments, and installment plans (no financing)

Step 1 — Notification. When an insured files a dispute, Ascend immediately notifies both the cardholder and the producer of record.

Step 2 — Contact the insured. Your team should reach out right away to confirm why the dispute was filed.

Step 3 — Resolve based on intent:

Outcomes for intentional disputes:

2. Financed programs — dispute on a down payment

(Includes down payments with catch-up monthly installments.)

• If the policy was never bound, cancel the program in Ascend immediately.

• Your agency is financially responsible for disputed down payments.

Resolve based on intent:

Outcomes:

3. Financed programs — dispute on a monthly installment

• The disputed installment is treated as an overdue payment as of the day the dispute is reported, and a NOIC/NOC is issued on the standard timeline (typically 15–20 days).

• Ascend generates a Settlement Invoice, visible in the program's Transactions table, labeled "Dispute."

• Share this invoice with the insured to prevent cancelation of the finance agreement while the dispute is under review. Once it's paid, the loan is considered current.

Once the settlement invoice is paid and the dispute is resolved:

Collect Disputed Funds From Your Customer

For a disputed checkout or one-time payment, you can bill a settlement invoice directly to the customer from the dispute banner.

To create the settlement invoice:

1. From the program page, click Collect from customer in the dispute banner.

2. Click Confirm in the popup.

3. The invoice appears in Transactions, labeled "Dispute."

To archive the settlement invoice:

1. Click the "Dispute" transaction.

2. Select Invoice actions from the popup.

3. Choose Archive Invoice.

4. Confirm by clicking Archive Invoice.

Disputes on Canceled Policies

If an insured files a dispute on an already-canceled policy, here's how to help move things along:

1. Confirm the program is canceled in the Ascend dashboard.

2. Talk to your customer. Make sure they understand:

   • Premium finance loans stay active until the return premium (RP) is received from the carrier/MGA and the loan is closed out — even after the policy itself is canceled. Most refunds go out within 30–60 days of the cancelation date, and the loan remains active until then.

   • Withdrawing the dispute speeds up the refund, since it skips the bank's investigation period.

3. Contact the wholesaler/MGA/carrier for the RP issuance date and amount, and let them know the insured's loan stays open until the RP is sent.

Withdrawing Disputes

1. Get proof of withdrawal. The cardholder shares proof that they withdrew the dispute (forwarded email, screenshot from their card issuer, etc.). Once withdrawn, the bank re-bills the account for the original charge and — depending on the bank — may issue a formal letter of withdrawal, or just an electronic notification/online statement update. Send us either the letter of withdrawal or the re-billing statement:

   • It should be a screenshot of the insured's online banking portal, or an image of a paper statement.

   • We need to see the cardholder's name, the card's last four digits, and the date and amount of the dispute. Other sensitive info can be redacted.

   • A letter of withdrawal must explicitly state the dispute was dropped/withdrawn.

   • A re-billing statement should show the date of the original charge, the date of the conditional credit, and the date the credit was reversed.

2. Collect payment for the disputed amount. While a dispute is under review, the funds are frozen and can't be applied to the policy. If the insured wants to withdraw the dispute to avoid loan/policy cancelation, they'll need to make an additional payment for the disputed amount — since the review can still take months even after withdrawal. If the dispute is ultimately decided in the insured's favor, that extra payment is refunded.

Intentional Disputes

If the insured confirms they intend to dispute the charge, send us any supporting communication (screenshots, emails, text threads) to support@useascend.com as evidence to counter the dispute. If the dispute is lost, your team may be responsible for the disputed amount, the $15 dispute fee, and the transaction fee.

If the dispute was filed because the policy is canceled and the insured wants a refund, confirm the program is canceled in Ascend's dashboard and make sure the insured understands the difference between canceling the policy and canceling the loan used to finance it — see Disputes on Canceled Policies above.

Arbitration

Ascend doesn’t support the arbitration phase for disputes, which means that you can’t escalate disputes to arbitrators through our platform.

FAQ

How does Ascend determine cancelation effective dates?

Cancelation dates come directly from the carrier — Ascend doesn't set them. For example, if the carrier cancels a policy effective 2/1, the refund is calculated from that date once Ascend receives the corresponding return premium. Ascend applies the RP to the loan balance first, then refunds any remaining amount to the customer.

• Insured refunds are sent by check to the address on file.

• Agency-owed amounts (e.g., unearned commission) are either deducted from the agency's next payout or requested via a payment link.

How long does it take to refund for a cancelation?

Ascend can only process refunds on financed programs once the return premium is received from the carrier/MGA and the loan is closed out. Refunds on financed programs directly depend on the carrier sending the return premium. Most refunds will be issued within the 30-90 day timeframe from the date of cancelation. However, the refund timeline will be extended if the carrier still needs to send the return premium to us within that timeframe.

If your customer has filed a dispute while waiting for a refund on a canceled policy, we will work with them to retract the dispute and contact the carrier directly to speed up the refund process as much as possible. Ascend will not process any refunds on a program with an active dispute.

Contact Us

Need more help? Contact us at support@useascend.com for more help.