Not upheld: Card / payment disputes complaint against J.P. Morgan Europe Limited trading as Chase

Decision detail

Summary

Miss P purchased plants from a merchant using her Chase debit card and later complained that some plants deteriorated. After the merchant failed to respond to her inquiries, Chase raised a chargeback on her behalf for £127.80. The merchant defended the dispute citing its returns policy, and Chase decided not to pursue it further. Miss P complained about the dispute handling and Chase's failure to log her initial complaint on 10 October 2025. The ombudsman found that Miss P did not fulfill the merchant's returns policy requirements (she did not return the plants within 14 days or provide timely notification of fault) and that the chargeback had low prospects of success under Mastercard rules. While Chase could have handled the complaint logging better, the apology issued was deemed appropriate and no compensation was awarded.

The Ombudsman's reasoning

The ombudsman found that Miss P did not fulfill the requirements of either section of G's returns policy. While she notified G of yellow leaves within 14 days of delivery, this initial contact was insufficient to indicate the plants were faulty or that she was dissatisfied with the purchase. Her more detailed complaint was sent after the 14-day notification period required for faulty items. Under Mastercard rules, the cardholder must inform the merchant that goods are available for return, which Miss P did not do until after the dispute was raised. Therefore, the prospects of the chargeback succeeding were low, and it was reasonable for Chase to decline to pursue it further. Regarding complaint handling, while Chase could have done better by logging the complaint on 10 October 2025, the matter was addressed when Miss P complained again on 28 October 2025, and Chase's apology was appropriate as no detriment was caused.

How this compares

Source

Read the original decision on the Financial Ombudsman Service website