Upheld: failed cash machine withdrawal - refund dispute complaint against J.P. Morgan Europe Limited, trading as Chase

Decision detail

Summary

Ms O attempted to withdraw £250 from a cash machine on 7 July 2025 but received no cash despite hearing the machine counting money and seeing an 'out of service' message. The amount appeared as pending on her Chase account. Chase refused to refund her, claiming the cash machine owner's evidence showed successful execution. The ombudsman upheld Ms O's complaint, finding that Chase's evidence (a journal roll with error codes) did not prove successful execution under the Payment Services Regulations 2017, and that Chase failed to conduct adequate investigation. Chase was instructed to refund £250 plus 8% interest and pay £50 compensation for inconvenience and prolonged handling.

The Ombudsman's reasoning

The ombudsman found that Chase failed to provide irrefutable evidence that the transaction was effectively executed as required under the Payment Services Regulations 2017. The journal roll evidence contained error codes ('RECEIPT PRINTER ERROR', 'REJECTED/RETRACTED', 'SET IN SUSPEND MODE') that did not conclusively prove successful execution. Chase's unwillingness to contact the cash machine owner for further investigation, obtain purge bin data, or confirm cash machine balancing was a significant factor. Ms O's consistent testimony, supported by photographic evidence, was found credible and there was no evidence suggesting she was mistaken or dishonest. On balance, the ombudsman determined the withdrawal was not completed successfully.

How this compares

Source

Read the original decision on the Financial Ombudsman Service website