Not upheld: Card / payment disputes complaint against Revolut Ltd

Decision detail

Summary

Miss P booked accommodation overseas via an introducer website using her Revolut debit card. The accommodation was misrepresented as a cozy urban retreat but was actually a noisy multi-occupancy house with unhygienic facilities. After the introducer offered only $85 in goodwill, Miss P requested a chargeback from Revolut, which refused on the grounds that she had completed her stay and therefore did not meet the Visa scheme criteria. Miss P argued the claim should be considered under 'Services not as described' rather than general dissatisfaction. The Ombudsman upheld Revolut's decision, finding that the Visa scheme rules require an unused portion of a cancelled service for such disputes, and since Miss P completed her stay in full, there was no reasonable prospect of success.

The Ombudsman's reasoning

The Ombudsman reviewed the Visa chargeback scheme rules and found that condition 13.3 for 'Services not as described' disputes limits claims to the unused portion of a cancelled service or returned merchandise. Since Miss P completed her stay in full, there was no unused portion, meaning the claim had no reasonable chance of success under any characterization. Revolut was not required to raise a chargeback when circumstances did not meet the scheme criteria or where there was no realistic prospect of success. The fact that Miss P felt she had no realistic option but to remain in the accommodation did not change the scheme's requirements.

How this compares

Source

Read the original decision on the Financial Ombudsman Service website