Not upheld: Card / payment disputes complaint against Nationwide Building Society

Decision detail

Summary

Mr T complained that NBS failed to locate a £13.50 payment he made through merchant P on 19 July 2025, despite the merchant being able to account for the transaction and process a refund. When Mr T raised a dispute in August 2025, NBS could not find the payment on its systems and explained it could not pursue a refund for a transaction that never debited his account. The ombudsman found that NBS acted fairly because it can only examine its own systems, and since the payment never actually debited Mr T's credit card, there was nothing to refund. Mr T suffered no loss as the £13.50 never left his account, and NBS's handling was prompt and clear. The complaint was not upheld.

The Ombudsman's reasoning

The ombudsman reasoned that NBS can only look at its own systems and is limited to assisting with payments actually made from the customer's account. Since the payment never debited Mr T's credit card account, NBS had no obligation to pursue a refund. The fact that the transaction appeared differently on the merchant's systems is not NBS's responsibility to explain. NBS promptly investigated, clearly explained its findings, and made no error. Mr T suffered no loss as the £13.50 never left his account.

How this compares

Source

Read the original decision on the Financial Ombudsman Service website