Petboost uses Stripe for all payment processing. While we can help you understand and navigate payment features within Petboost, certain issues require Stripe's direct assistance because they involve Stripe's systems, banking relationships, or account-level settings that are outside Petboost's control.

This guide helps you identify when to contact Stripe Support directly, and how to get the fastest resolution.

Ask yourself: "Is this about how Petboost handles payments, or is it about Stripe's systems, my Stripe account, or banking/card networks?"

What this covers:

Why Stripe handles this:
Disputes are a formal process between Stripe, the customer's bank, and card networks. Petboost has no visibility into or control over dispute proceedings.

What Petboost can do:
We can help you locate the original appointment, pull up payment history, and generate receipts that may help your evidence submission.

What this covers:

Why Stripe handles this:
Payouts are transferred directly from Stripe to your bank. Petboost has no control over bank transfers, verification, or payout schedules.

What Petboost can do:
We can help you understand the Petboost Payouts tab, show you which payments are included in a payout, and explain the general payout timeline.

📖 Related: Payouts & Bank Account

What this covers:

Why Stripe handles this:
Account verification is a regulatory requirement managed entirely by Stripe. They assess documents, identity, and business legitimacy under banking regulations.

What Petboost can do:
We can explain what the verification process generally involves and why it's necessary, but we cannot access or influence your Stripe verification status.

What this covers:

Why Stripe handles this:
Stripe sets their own pricing and fee structures. Petboost has no control over Stripe's rates.

What Petboost can do:
We can explain how Petboost's fee pass-through works (customer pays vs business pays) and show you the Petboost platform fee (1.4% for Pro, 1.2% for Max).

📖 Related: Payment Settings

What this covers:

Why Stripe handles this:
Once we initiate a refund, Stripe and the customer's bank control the timeline. Petboost cannot speed up bank processing.

What Petboost can do:

⚠️ Important: For in-person terminal payments, refunds must currently be processed directly in your Stripe Dashboard.

What this covers:

Why Stripe handles this:
Banks don't consistently provide detailed decline reasons to merchants. Stripe aggregates what information is available, but often the customer must contact their own bank.

What Petboost can do:

What to tell the customer:
"Your card was declined. This is determined by your bank, not by us or our payment processor. Please contact your bank or try a different payment method."

What this covers:

Why Stripe handles this:
Stripe manufactures and supports their terminal hardware directly.

What Petboost can do:
We can help with Petboost-side terminal setup and connection, but hardware issues require Stripe's support team.

What this covers:

Why Stripe handles this:
Stripe generates official tax documentation based on their records of your payouts.

What Petboost can do:
We can provide appointment and payment data from Petboost. For official tax documents, use Stripe Dashboard or contact Stripe Support.

📖 Related: Streamlined Payments & Happy Accountants

What this covers:

Why Stripe handles this:
Stripe Radar is their fraud detection system with machine learning models. Petboost does not control fraud sensitivity.

What Petboost can do:
We can see if a payment failed and help retry, but cannot override Radar decisions.

What this covers:

Why Stripe handles this:
These are Stripe account settings, not Petboost settings.

Stripe Support: https://support.stripe.com/

For many issues, you can also find answers directly in your Stripe Dashboard:

When a payment issue is clearly a Stripe matter, here's how to guide the customer:

For disputes/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/."

For 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."

For 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."

For 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/."

Petboost handles payment collection and management within your business operations. Stripe handles the underlying payment infrastructure, banking relationships, and account-level matters.

When in doubt:

Stripe Support: https://support.stripe.com/ — 24/7 support available