Customer protection message
Find out what Klarna's warning and stop messages mean, why they appear when a Store's dispute rate climbs, and the steps Partners can take to resolve them.
Klarna may show warning and stop messages to a Partner's customers in the Klarna Purchase Journey. This article walks through what these messages are, why they appear, how they change, and what Partners can do about them.
Think a message is applied in error?
If you believe a message doesn't reflect your Store's recent performance, reach out through the chat in the Klarna Purchase Journey. A specialist will review your case.
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| Warning message | Stop message |
What are customer protection messages?
Customer protection messages appear when customers have raised issues about the Partner's Store, leading to an unusually high rate of disputes, or other critical issues the Partner needs to address. The aim is to inform customers of recently reported issues at the Store in question. The messages surface in the Klarna Purchase Journey — the screen a customer reaches after choosing Klarna at checkout to complete their payment. Only customers who are signed in to their Klarna account see these messages; they don't appear outside of the Klarna environment.
There are two types:
- Warning message: the customer sees a message about issues customers have reported to Klarna due to an excessive rate of customer-reported issues. Customers can choose to cancel the purchase with Klarna or complete it.
- Stop message: the customer sees a notice explaining that they can't complete the purchase with Klarna at the Store currently, due to an unacceptable rate of customer-reported issues.
What's in the message
A warning or stop message shows information about the issue(s), so it's clear why the message is shown. It includes:
- Dispute rate: the percentage of the Store's Klarna transactions that customers have recently disputed.
- Issue type: the types of disputes customers have raised, such as items not received or items not matching their description.
- Issue summaries: short summaries of the problems customers have reported about the Store.
The issue summaries are AI-generated from real customer feedback Klarna has received.
Understanding the messages
A Store can be in one of three states at any time. The state isn't fixed — it changes according to the number of customers reporting issues to Klarna:
| State | What the customer sees | Can they complete the purchase? | How the state changes |
|---|---|---|---|
| No message | The Klarna Purchase Journey works normally, with no indication of an issue. | Yes | Becomes a warning when an issue is detected, such as a rising dispute rate. A serious issue can lead straight to a stop. |
| Warning message | A notice about issues customers have reported to Klarna. | Yes | Clears when customer-reported issues are at an acceptable level. Can escalate to a stop if high levels of customer-reported issues continue or increase. |
| Stop message | A notice explaining they can't complete purchases with Klarna. | No | Clears only if the Partner contacts Klarna using the available link in the Klarna Purchase Journey and provides acceptable reasons for the issues and a plan to reduce them. |
Getting help through chat
If a warning or stop message appears in the Klarna Purchase Journey, the Partner sees a link at the bottom of the page that opens a chat with Klarna. Use the chat to share feedback or context about the issue, or to dispute the message with an explanation for the issues and a clear plan to reduce the issues customers are experiencing.
While optional, we encourage you to verify that you're associated with the Store through one of the following methods:
- 1.Klarna Partner Portal Support ID — enter the Support ID associated with your Klarna Partner Portal account. You'll find this in your account settings if you have access to the Klarna Partner Portal.
- 2.One-time code by email — Klarna sends a one-time verification code to the email address on file for your account. Enter this code to confirm your identity.
- 3.Website verification meta tag — add a verification meta tag to your website's homepage. This confirms you have administrative control over the domain linked to your Klarna account.
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| Click "Reach out" link in footer | Access chat |
What this looks like in practice
The two scenarios below show what to expect if a customer protection message ever appears for a Store.
Scenario 1: A warning message that returns
A Partner's dispute rate rises above an acceptable level, and a warning message appears in the Klarna Purchase Journey for its customers. The Partner reaches out to Klarna through the chat and shares what they're doing to fix the issue. Klarna reviews the response, finds it credible, and removes the warning — giving the Partner three months to bring the dispute rate back down.
Three months later, the dispute rate is still too high: the changes didn't have the intended effect. The warning message reappears in the Klarna Purchase Journey.
Scenario 2: A stop message after a denied resolution attempt
A Partner's dispute rate reaches an unacceptable level, and a stop message appears in the Klarna Purchase Journey — customers are prevented from completing purchases with Klarna. The Partner reaches out through the chat and shares a plan to fix the issue, but Klarna reviews it and doesn't find it credible. The stop message remains in place.