Petboost uses Stripe for all payment processing. Petboost support can help you understand and use the payment features in Petboost, but some problems need Stripe's direct help, because they involve Stripe's systems, banking relationships or settings in your Stripe account that Petboost cannot control. Knowing which is which gets the problem solved fastest.
Petboost or Stripe?
Ask whether the problem is about how Petboost handles payments, or about Stripe's systems, your Stripe account, or banks and card networks.
| Petboost can help | Stripe Support should help |
|---|---|
| How to charge a customer in Petboost | Why a specific payout did not arrive |
| Setting up auto-pay for a service | Disputes and chargebacks |
| Understanding fee pass-through options | Bank account verification issues |
| Why an appointment shows "Unpaid" | Specific card decline reasons from banks |
| How to send a payment link | Stripe account restrictions |
| Package purchases and credits | Card reader hardware defects |
| Invoice and receipt generation | Tax documents (1099s, statements) |
In short, a setting in Petboost is a question for Petboost. A setting in your Stripe Dashboard, or anything about banking, disputes, payouts or verification, is a question for Stripe.
When to contact Stripe Support
Disputes and chargebacks
Contact Stripe when:
- A customer has started a chargeback against your business
- You have received a dispute notification
- You need to submit evidence to fight a dispute
- You have lost a dispute and want to appeal
- You have questions about dispute fees or policies
A dispute is a formal process between Stripe, the customer's bank and the card networks, and Petboost has no visibility into or control over it. Petboost can help you find the original appointment, look up its payment history and download receipts that may help your evidence.
Payouts and bank account issues
Contact Stripe when:
- A payout did not arrive in your bank account
- A payout is marked "Failed" in the Stripe Dashboard
- Bank account verification failed
- You need to change your payout bank account
- You have questions about payout timing or schedule changes
- A payout has been "In Transit" longer than expected
Payouts go from Stripe straight to your bank, and Petboost has no control over bank transfers, verification or payout schedules. Petboost can help you read Stripe Payouts, show you which payments are in a payout and explain the general payout timeline. See Payouts and bank account.
Account verification and identity
Contact Stripe when:
- Stripe is asking for identity verification documents
- Business verification has failed
- Stripe has restricted or suspended your account
- You received an "Information Request" from Stripe
- You have questions about the documents Stripe needs
- Verification is stuck at "Pending"
Account verification is a regulatory requirement that Stripe manages entirely. Stripe assesses documents, identity and business legitimacy under banking regulations. Petboost can explain what verification generally involves and why it is needed, but cannot see or change your Stripe verification status.
Stripe fees and pricing
Contact Stripe about:
- Stripe's fee structure
- Why the fees on a specific transaction were higher than expected
- Currency conversion fees
- International card processing fees
- Volume discounts or custom pricing
- Monthly Stripe platform fees
Stripe sets its own prices and fees, and Petboost has no control over Stripe's rates. Petboost can explain how fee pass-through works, where you choose whether the customer or your business pays each fee, and show you where your plan's rates appear: the badge beside each switch under Fee Configuration on Pricing & Payments. See Payment Settings.
Refunds that have not arrived
Contact Stripe when:
- A refund has not appeared on the customer's bank statement after the usual 5 to 10 business days
- The customer says they have not received their refund
- A refund is marked "Failed" in Stripe
Once a refund is issued, Stripe and the customer's bank control the timeline, and Petboost cannot speed up the bank. Petboost issues refunds for card payments with Issue refund in the booking's Manage menu, card reader payments included, in full or in part. It shows the refund status on the appointment, and can explain the usual refund timelines.
Card decline details
Contact Stripe when:
- A customer's card was declined and they want to know the specific reason
- You see decline codes such as "Do not honor", "Insufficient funds" or "Card expired"
- The card was blocked by the issuing bank or by fraud prevention
- A customer's card is declined again and again
- 3D Secure authentication fails
Banks do not always give merchants a detailed decline reason. Stripe gathers what is available, but often the customer must contact their own bank. Petboost can show you that a payment was declined, help you retry it or ask for another payment method, and send the customer a payment link.
"Your card was declined. This is decided by your bank, not by us or our payment processor. Please contact your bank or try a different payment method."
Card readers and hardware
Contact Stripe when:
- A card reader will not connect
- A reader's firmware update fails
- A reader has a hardware defect or damage
- You need a replacement reader
- Reader registration or pairing fails
- A reader shows error codes
Stripe makes and supports its card reader hardware directly. Petboost can help with setting up and connecting the reader in Petboost, but hardware faults need Stripe's support team. See Card Reader Setup.
Tax documents and reporting
Contact Stripe about:
- 1099 forms, for US businesses
- Tax statements Stripe generates
- GST reporting from Stripe
- End-of-year tax documents
- Transaction exports for accountants
Stripe generates official tax documents from its records of your payouts. Petboost can provide appointment and payment data, and Billing has a statement of your Petboost charges and card sales for each period. For official tax documents, use the Stripe Dashboard or contact Stripe Support. See Payments and tax compliance.
Radar and fraud prevention
Contact Stripe when:
- Stripe Radar blocked a legitimate payment
- You want to adjust fraud sensitivity settings
- You want to know why a payment was flagged
- You need to review blocked payments
Stripe Radar is Stripe's fraud detection system, built on machine learning models. Petboost does not control fraud sensitivity. It can show that a payment failed and help you retry it, but cannot override a Radar decision.
Stripe account settings
These are Stripe account settings, not Petboost settings, so contact Stripe about:
- Changing your Stripe account email or password
- Two-factor authentication issues
- User permissions in the Stripe Dashboard
- Closing or reopening a Stripe account
- Stripe branding settings, such as how receipts look
Find the payout or payment to give Stripe
Stripe resolves a question fastest when you give it the payout ID or the transaction ID.
- Open Stripe Payouts.
- Under Payout History, select the payout.
- Select View in Stripe on the payout, or on one of its transactions, to open it in your Stripe Dashboard with its ID.
Contact Stripe Support
Stripe offers support 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
- Go to Stripe Support.
- Optional: search for your issue to find Stripe's help articles.
- At the bottom of the page, select "Contact support", shown with "24/7 help from our support staff". It opens a chat.
- Start the chat and describe your issue briefly. Stripe's bot tries to help first. To reach a person, say "speak to a human" or "talk to support".
Have this ready:
- Your business name, as registered with Stripe
- The email address on your Stripe account
- The transaction or payout IDs, from the Stripe Dashboard or Stripe Payouts
- Screenshots, if they help
On Stripe Payouts, Contact Stripe Support under Questions about payouts? opens Stripe's contact page too.
Stripe Dashboard
Your Stripe Dashboard answers many questions directly:
- Payouts: payout history and status
- Payments: the details of each transaction
- Disputes: manage and respond to chargebacks
- Settings: your bank account, verification and account details
Common scenarios and who to contact
| Scenario | Contact |
|---|---|
| "My customer's card was declined" | Petboost, to retry or send a payment link |
| "Why was my customer's card declined specifically?" | Stripe, for decline codes, or the customer's bank |
| "My payout didn't arrive" | Stripe |
| "A customer disputed a charge" | Stripe |
| "How do I set up auto-pay?" | Petboost |
| "Stripe is asking for identity documents" | Stripe |
| "How do I refund a customer?" | Petboost, for card payments, card reader included. Cash is returned by you |
| "Refund hasn't arrived for customer after 10 days" | Stripe, then the customer's bank |
| "My terminal isn't connecting" | Petboost first, then Stripe if it is a hardware fault |
| "I need a tax statement" | Stripe |
| "How do fees work?" | Petboost for Petboost fees, Stripe for Stripe fees |
| "Why is my Stripe account restricted?" | Stripe |
| "I want to change who pays fees" | Petboost, under Fee Configuration on Pricing & Payments |
| "I want to change my payout bank account" | Stripe |
What we tell customers
When a payment problem is clearly a Stripe matter, Petboost support answers along these lines.
Disputes and chargebacks
"We've received notice of a dispute on this payment. Disputes are handled directly by Stripe and your customer's bank. To respond to this dispute and submit evidence, please log in to your Stripe Dashboard at https://dashboard.stripe.com/ and navigate to the Disputes section. If you need help with the dispute process, Stripe's support team is available 24/7 at https://support.stripe.com/."
Payout issues
"Payouts are transferred directly from Stripe to your bank account. We can see that the payout was initiated, but the actual bank transfer is managed by Stripe. Please contact Stripe Support at https://support.stripe.com/. They have 24/7 support and can investigate the bank transfer status."
Account verification
"Stripe is requesting verification documents for your account. This is a regulatory requirement managed by Stripe. Please log in to your Stripe Dashboard to upload the requested documents, or contact Stripe Support at https://support.stripe.com/ if you need help with the verification process."
Specific decline reasons
"We can see that the payment was declined, but the specific reason is determined by the customer's bank. We'd recommend asking the customer to try a different card, or contact their bank to understand why the transaction was blocked. Stripe Support may have additional details at https://support.stripe.com/."
Related guides
- Payment Settings: fee pass-through and payment options
- Payouts and bank account: how money moves from Stripe to your bank
- Payments and tax compliance: tax and accounting workflow
- Automatic Actions: auto-charge and pre-authorisation