Transaction Errors and Severity Levels
Severity Codes
Severity Codes are included with each transaction to indicate the status of the transaction processing.
Severity 1 and 2 errors can typically be resolved by the end user.
Severity 3 errors may also be addressed by the end user, unless a different approach is preferred.
Severity 4 and 5 errors signal that the data being sent to Check Commerce does not align with your merchant account.
It is important to promptly address Severity 4 and higher errors in a production environment, as these issues cannot be resolved by the end user. To prevent such errors, it is recommended to address them during the development phase. Monitoring Severity 3 errors is optional.
Any Severity code other than 0 through 5 should be reported to Check Commerce without delay.
Additionally, each Severity code is accompanied by a "Success" field, which will display "True" for Severity 0 and "False" for all other Severities.
Severity Code | Severity | Response Action |
|---|---|---|
0 | Okay | No error |
1 | Input Fault | The problem is simple enough that the consumer (or the person entering the transactions) could correct it, so your app should prompt for the missing information. You may choose to display the "Message" of the response to end users because it will say something useful, such as "Routing number is required." |
2 | Input Fault | Same as Severity 1, although some of these errors might be preventable if you were to enforce input validation within your application before passing the data to Check Commerce. |
3 | Consumer Verification Negative | The consumer verification methods enabled on your account, such as LexisNexis or Account Check, resulted in an insufficient score. You will have to decide whether or not you want your software to prompt the end user to try again. Check Commerce recommends that a message clearly indicate to end users that the information entered gets verified against national databases so as to persuade them to enter correct information. |
4 | Merchant Fault | You submitted some part of the information incorrectly. For example, you submitted the wrong password, or sent the request to the wrong server. The problem cannot be corrected by the end user. |
5 | Merchant Account | Your merchant account is not configured to handle your request. For example, you made a type of request for which you have not been granted access. |
All Other Codes | System Error | An unexpected error occurred in Check Commerce's system or during network communications with affiliates. Check Commerce should be notified |