Most bank transactions are completed successfully, but sometimes things go wrong, and you may dispute having made or authorised a transaction. If you can’t settle the matter directly with your bank, we can take an independent look.
Generally, disputed transaction complaints fall into two categories:
those involving fraud and scams, such as where a consumer is persuaded by a third party pretending to be their bank
those where there’s a dispute about the payment for some other reason
We see a range of complaints about disputed transactions. For example, consumers contact us about complaints where:
they tried to withdraw money from a cash machine but none came out – then the amount was debited to their account
they put money into a paying-in machine but the deposit didn’t appear on their account, or the wrong amount was credited
they gave their credit or debit card details to a supplier of goods and services (usually over the phone or online), which the supplier used in a way the customer didn’t expect or authorise
they asked their card issuer to refund them (through “chargeback”) for an incorrect card transaction, but the card issuer didn't do it
We also see complaints from joint account holders, where one of them claims the bank or building society should have declined a transaction made by the other account holder.
What we look at
To help us consider a complaint fairly, we’ll ask you to provide some information. We’ll make our decision about what happened using evidence from you, the bank and any relevant third parties. Depending on the kind of transaction being disputed, you may need to provide information about your previous use of your card or a cashpoint or paying-in machine.
In reaching a decision, we consider:
the relevant law
any regulations that applied at the time
any industry codes of conduct in force at the time
the terms and conditions of the account that the disputed transaction was made from
How to complain
The first thing you should do is explain to the business what’s happened and why you’re complaining. The quicker disputed transactions are noticed and queried, the greater the chance they can be put right. We only look at complaints that a business has had a chance to look at first, unless both sides agree.
The business should look at the complaint within certain time limits. They should give you their final response within 8 weeks for most types of complaint.
If you’re not happy with their response, you can bring your complaint to us.
If we find you’ve been treated unfairly, we’ll ask the business to put things right. This usually involves putting you back in the position you’d be in if things hadn’t gone wrong. It will depend on the nature and type of complaint but it might include, for example, asking a business to refund a disputed transaction and consider its impact on you and your account, including interest and charges.
Case studies
Consumer complains that bank won’t refund transactions made in a club
Greg was about to turn 40, and he and some friends went abroad for a long weekend to celebrate. When he was back home, his bank got in touch with him to say he had gone over his overdraft limit.
Consumer complains that bank refused to stop repayments to payday lender
Clare gave her debit card details to the lender so they could take the repayment from her account at the end of the month. But as the repayment date approached, Clare realised she had less money than she’d thought. She asked her bank to stop the repayment leaving her account.
