Not upheld: buyer protection claim - flight tickets complaint against PayPal UK Ltd

Decision detail

Summary

Miss A booked flights transiting through the US without realizing she needed a US transit visa. Unable to travel, she had to book alternative flights at additional cost and sought a refund from PayPal under its buyer protection policy. PayPal declined the claim, initially as item not received, then as significantly not as described, reasoning that the tickets were issued as booked and visa requirements fall outside its buyer protection scope. The ombudsman upheld PayPal's decision, finding that the flight tickets were supplied without defect and that visa and entry requirements are not matters PayPal's buyer protection covers, suggesting Miss A pursue a claim against the airline directly.

The Ombudsman's reasoning

The ombudsman applied PayPal's buyer protection policy terms to Miss A's circumstances and found that none of the SNAD criteria were met. The flight tickets were supplied as booked, departing from the correct airports at the correct times. While the tickets were unusable due to Miss A's lack of a US transit visa, this is not something PayPal's buyer protection covers, as visa and entry requirements are the responsibility of the merchant or traveller, not PayPal. The ombudsman concluded that it would not be fair to hold PayPal responsible for Miss A's failure to obtain a visa before booking, particularly as US visas are valid for extended periods and can be obtained after flight purchase.

How this compares

Source

Read the original decision on the Financial Ombudsman Service website