Not upheld: chargeback decline - time limits complaint against TSB Bank plc

Decision detail

Summary

Mrs Q paid £2,100 for wedding photography services via TSB debit card, with delivery contracted for within 90 days of her 11 August 2024 wedding (by 9 November 2024). The supplier became uncontactable and eventually delivered a poor-quality album to an old address in November 2025. Mrs Q requested TSB raise a chargeback in October 2025, but TSB declined citing time limits under card scheme rules. The ombudsman found TSB acted fairly as the chargeback fell outside the required 120-day window from the expected delivery date and the 540-day limit from the last payment, making success unlikely. The complaint was not upheld.

The Ombudsman's reasoning

The ombudsman found that while sympathising with Mrs Q's situation, TSB was bound by card scheme rules which set strict time limits for chargebacks. A chargeback had to be raised within 120 days of the expected delivery date (9 November 2024), meaning by 9 March 2025, or within 540 days of the last payment (31 October 2023). Mrs Q did not contact TSB until October 2025, by which time both time limits had been exceeded. Therefore, any chargeback raised would have been unlikely to succeed as it would not have met the necessary conditions set by the card scheme. TSB did not act unfairly in declining to raise a chargeback that had no reasonable prospect of success.

How this compares

Source

Read the original decision on the Financial Ombudsman Service website