Escalations Toolkit
Courier lost the parcel, a customer filed a chargeback, a refund demand looks wrong. The businesses that win these fights have the right letter, sent inside the deadline. Check your deadline below, then get the seven documents customised to your business.
Escalations Toolkit costs R890 at ProperSA. That is our fixed service fee; government and authority fees are charged at cost on top. If you give us everything we ask for and we still fail to deliver what this page promises, we refund our fee; a refusal by the authority is not refundable.
Only owed money on an unpaid invoice? You want the letter of demand on its own at R190, or the drafted version at R450. Someone else wronged you as a consumer? The free dispute playbooks cover that side.
What is included
- Chargeback representment letterAddressed to your acquiring bank, with the transaction table and the evidence bundle in the order the card schemes expect: proof of delivery, accepted terms, correspondence, session data
- Courier claim letterLodged inside the courier’s claims window, citing the waybill, declared value and cover, with the claim amount set out
- Refund demand letterFor when a supplier owes you: defective goods under section 56 of the Consumer Protection Act, substandard service under section 54, or non delivery, with the ombud and court steps named
- Refund refusal letterFor when a customer is not entitled: change of mind, damage caused by use, or a cooling off exclusion, written to hold up in front of the Consumer Goods and Services Ombud
- Letter of demandThe step before small claims or an attorney, with a deadline and the consequences stated
- Escalation ladderAn internal guide for eight dispute types: the first step, the next step, the final step and the time limit to watch for each
- Evidence logSo every dispute is documented from day one, in the form an ombud or court can follow
How ordering works
- Order online with the button below and pay securely by card or instant EFT (PayFast), or wait for the EFT invoice.
- Complete the short online form waiting in your client portal: your business details, your couriers, your payment provider and your refund policy. No calls, no meetings, everything on record.
- We customise the seven documents to your answers and deliver them to your portal downloads as editable files within two business days.
- The price you see is the price you pay, and if you give us everything we ask for and we still fail to deliver what this page describes, we refund our fee. A delay caused by missing information from you is not refundable. Full rules in our terms.
Frequently asked questions
How long do I have to respond to a chargeback in South Africa?
Your acquiring bank sets the deadline in its chargeback notice, commonly 7 to 14 calendar days to submit evidence, inside the card schemes’ dispute cycle of roughly 120 days. Miss the bank’s date and the money is usually gone, so treat the notification date as day zero.
Can I fight a chargeback and win?
Yes, with the right evidence: proof of delivery with a signature, the terms the customer accepted at checkout, the message history and the transaction data. A structured representment bundle wins far more often than an email saying the charge was valid.
How long do couriers give you to claim for a lost or damaged parcel?
Most South African couriers require written notice within 7 days of delivery or expected delivery and a full claim within about 30 days, under their standard trading terms. Check your waybill terms; the toolkit letter cites them for you.
How quickly must I pay a refund I have agreed to?
For an online cooling off cancellation under the Electronic Communications and Transactions Act, within 30 days. For a defective goods refund under the Consumer Protection Act, without undue delay once the refund is chosen. Sitting on an agreed refund is what turns a complaint into a chargeback or an ombud case.
When should I escalate to an ombud or the small claims court?
After a written demand with a deadline has been ignored. The small claims court hears claims up to R30 000 without attorneys, but only a natural person can sue there; a company cannot. The Consumer Goods and Services Ombud handles consumer complaints at no charge. The escalation ladder in the toolkit maps which route fits which dispute.
Is the toolkit a set of templates or written for my business?
Both. The seven documents start from our masters, then we customise them to your questionnaire answers: your business details, your couriers, your payment provider and your refund policy, before they land in your portal as editable files.
Keep exploring
Chargeback and courier claim windows are set by bank, card scheme and courier terms and vary by provider; the checker shows common defaults, and your own bank notice or waybill terms take precedence. Statutory references: Consumer Protection Act 68 of 2008 sections 54, 55 and 56; Electronic Communications and Transactions Act 25 of 2002 sections 42 and 44; small claims limit R30 000 from 1 August 2026 (Government Notice 7717, Gazette 55038). Free tools are estimates. Packs are customised documents and guidance, not legal advice.