Not upheld: chargeback claim handling - time limit application complaint against Barclays Bank UK PLC

Decision detail

Summary

Mr L purchased a baby monitor in March 2022 using his Barclays debit card. In September 2025, the manufacturer discontinued the app and service required for the product to function, rendering it unusable. Mr L requested a chargeback, but Barclays declined on the basis that the claim fell outside the Visa chargeback scheme's 540-day absolute time limit. The ombudsman found that Barclays correctly applied the mandatory Visa scheme rules and did not act unfairly in declining the chargeback, despite Mr L's argument that the issue only became apparent later. The complaint was not upheld.

The Ombudsman's reasoning

The ombudsman determined that under Visa chargeback scheme rules, there is an absolute 540-day time limit from the transaction processing date for raising disputes, regardless of when the issue became apparent. Since Mr L's purchase was in March 2022 and he raised the complaint in September 2025, the transaction was no longer eligible for a chargeback. Barclays was required to operate within these mandatory scheme rules and therefore acted correctly in declining the claim. Section 75 of the Consumer Credit Act did not apply as the payment was made by debit card rather than credit.

How this compares

Source

Read the original decision on the Financial Ombudsman Service website