Not every chargeback is worth fighting. Only 2 percent of disputes ever reach arbitration, and losing there costs $600 to $575 on top of the disputed amount, with no new evidence allowed. The fight-or-accept decision is economic, not emotional.

Manual, scrambled-together evidence wins under 20 percent of disputes. The same evidence, prepared in advance, wins 70 to 85 percent. The evidence did not change. The timing did.