Help and crisis runbooks

Step-by-step UK merchant guides for the moments when a card machine, acquirer or rule causes friction. Each runbook is dated, written by Oliver Mackman, and links to the underlying authoritative source (gov.uk, FCA, Mastercard or Visa scheme rules).

My card machine is not working

4-step troubleshoot in order, offline mode by acquirer (Dojo, SumUp, Zettle, Square, Stripe), UK support phone numbers, manual fallback, chargeback risk.

Card surcharging UK: B2B vs B2C

Full B2C ban since 13 January 2018, B2B surcharges still legal with disclosure. Decision tree, common pitfalls, gov.uk source.

Chargeback notification: what to do

Step-by-step response to a chargeback notification from your acquirer. Evidence pack, deadlines, dispute outcomes.

Acquirer terminated your account

What happens, how to read the termination letter, MATCH list risk, and how to find a new high-risk acquirer.

Acquirer froze your settlement funds

Why funds get held, how long it typically takes, and how to push for release with the right evidence pack.

MATCH list listing suspected

How to confirm a MATCH list entry, the 5-year duration, removal options, and the high-risk acquirer route forward.

Refund batch rejected

Why batch rejects fire, the per-acquirer fix sequence, and how to recover refund obligations without exposing chargeback risk.

Processing limit breached

Your acquirer flagged a volume breach. How to read the notice, the limit-uplift request flow, and acquirer-by-acquirer thresholds.

Last reviewed: 7 May 2026.