Sudden dispute spike often correlates with a fulfilment incident or fraud wave, surface immediately.
At a glance
Dispute Velocity Alert is a nerve centre metric tracked from PayPal data. It surfaces operational signal at the nerve centre layer so merchants can spot regressions, opportunities, and structural patterns in their store performance. The card pairs with sibling metrics in the Nerve Centre category to build a complete diagnostic picture; cross-reference the related cards listed below for context.
| What it counts | Dispute Velocity Alert as exposed by the PayPal integration. The metric is computed from the latest available data and refreshed on the standard data refresh. |
| Sample type | Backend API data from PayPal, refreshed on the standard data refresh. |
| Why it matters | The metric appears in the Nerve Centre category and complements the sibling cards listed below. Track movement over time to identify regressions or opportunities. |
| Reading the value | Compare the current period to the prior period to identify direction. Cross-reference siblings for the full diagnostic picture. |
| Currency | number |
| Time window | RT |
| Alert trigger | >3 new disputes in 1h |
| Sentiment key | pp_alert_dispute_velocity |
| Roles | owner, finance, operations |
Calculation
Calculated automatically from your PayPal data. See the At a glance summary above for what the metric tracks and the worked example below for a typical reading.Worked example
A representative reading of Dispute Velocity Alert for a typical merchant on PayPal. The card reports the current period value alongside a comparison against the previous period. Direction matters: rising values may be healthy or concerning depending on the underlying metric. Cross-reference the siblings below to triangulate cause when the value moves outside expected range. For deeper investigation, use Vortex Mind to trace upstream causes; for natural-language exploration, ask Ask Viq.Sibling cards merchants should reference together
| Card | Why merchants reach for it |
|---|---|
pp_alert_decline_spike | Nerve Centre sibling: Decline Rate Spike Alert. |
pp_alert_dispute_threshold | Nerve Centre sibling: Dispute Threshold Watch. |
pp_alert_fraud_velocity | Nerve Centre sibling: Fraud Velocity Alert. |
pp_alert_settlement_stuck | Nerve Centre sibling: Settlement Stuck. |
pay_avg_settlement_days | Settlement sibling: Avg Settlement Time (days). |
Reconciling against the vendor’s own dashboard
Where to look in PayPal’s own dashboard: The PayPal dashboard surfaces this metric (or its components) under the relevant report section. Confirm period boundaries and filter settings match the Vortex IQ profile to reconcile cleanly. Why the Vortex IQ value may legitimately differ:| Reason | Direction | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Period boundary. Vortex IQ uses 30-day rolling by default; vendor dashboards may use calendar periods. | Variable | Match the period range. |
| Time zone. Vendor uses account time zone; Vortex IQ aligns to merchant reporting time zone. | Marginal | Confirm time zone match. |
| Filter scope. Profile-level filters (channel, B2B, test orders) may narrow the Vortex IQ view. | Variable | Match filter settings. |