Not upheld: chargeback claim handling - defective goods complaint against Revolut Ltd

Decision detail

Summary

Mr B purchased three laptops for approximately $3,000 USD through an online marketplace using a Revolut debit card, claiming they were defective upon arrival. When the marketplace suspended his account due to violations of its conditions of use, he was unable to return the goods. Mr B requested a chargeback through Revolut, which declined the request. The ombudsman found that while the circumstances contained elements of a defective goods claim, the evidence was insufficient to demonstrate a valid attempt to return the merchandise as required by chargeback rules. The ombudsman also noted concerns about the evidence quality and the unusual nature of three brand new sealed laptops all having identical chip faults. Therefore, the complaint was not upheld and Revolut's decision was found to be fair.

The Ombudsman's reasoning

The ombudsman found that while the circumstances contained elements that could fit a defective goods claim, the evidence was insufficient to demonstrate a valid attempt to return the merchandise as required by chargeback rules. The ombudsman noted concerns about the evidence quality, including the service centre report being under a different name and lacking detailed analysis for each of the three devices. The ombudsman also found it unusual that three brand new sealed laptops would all have the same chip fault, and noted the online marketplace's serious concerns about the account usage. Therefore, Revolut's decision not to submit the chargeback was fair because there was no reasonable prospect of success.

How this compares

Source

Read the original decision on the Financial Ombudsman Service website