Amex Reason Code C31: Goods/Services Not as Described

What Amex reason code C31 means

C31 is a Card Member Dispute. The Card Member isn’t denying the purchase. They’re saying the product or service they received isn’t what was described. Typical claims are “wrong size,” “not the material listed,” “fewer units than advertised,” or “the course didn’t include what the sales page promised.”

The key word is materially. A slightly different shade of blue is a weak C31. A “100% leather” bag made of synthetic material is a strong one. Your job is to show the description was accurate and that the Card Member had a fair route to resolve any mismatch with you.

As with most Amex disputes, you’ll usually see an inquiry first. Reply fully and on time; a missed inquiry can become a chargeback you can no longer argue on the merits.

Common causes

• Stock images or styled photos that make the product look bigger, brighter or more premium
• Vague size charts, or sizing that runs small without a note saying so
• Supplement or beauty claims (“visible results in 7 days”) the customer reframes as “not as described”
• Bundles, quantities or “free gift” terms that were unclear at checkout
• Course or coaching offers whose deliverables were described loosely
• Buyer’s remorse filed as a description dispute because it seems more likely to succeed

Evidence that wins a C31 dispute

1. The listing as the Card Member saw it: a dated screenshot of the product page, including title, description, specifications, images and price at the time of the order.
2. Proof the item matched: SKU and variant on the order, fulfillment photos, supplier spec sheet or batch record.
3. Return policy and disclosure: the policy text and proof it was shown or accepted at checkout.
4. Return status: show the Card Member didn’t contact you, didn’t request a return, or didn’t ship the item back.
5. Communication: support tickets where you offered an exchange, return or partial refund and the Card Member declined.
6. For services: the offer page, accepted terms, and usage evidence (logins, completed lessons, delivered files).

Structure the rebuttal as three answers: what you promised, what you delivered, and what the Card Member did (or didn’t do) to resolve it with you.

How to prevent C31 disputes

• Use real product photos and precise specs: measurements, materials, quantity per pack.
• Put “runs small” or “see size chart” next to the size selector, not buried in the description.
• Avoid outcome promises in copy for supplements and beauty products.
• Make returns easy. A refund on a $40 item is cheaper than a chargeback, a fee and the hit to your ratio.
• Track C31s by SKU. Repeats on one product usually mean the listing is the problem.

Should you fight or accept?

Fight when the listing was accurate, the item shipped as described, and the Card Member never contacted you or never returned it. Those cases are often winnable.

Accept when the description genuinely overstated the product, the same complaint keeps recurring on that SKU, or the Card Member returned the item and you didn’t refund it. In that last case the dispute may really be a C04 or C02, and refunding is the right move. For the Visa equivalent, see Visa 13.3.