Not upheld: Card / payment disputes complaint against Santander UK Plc

Decision detail

Summary

Mr M purchased flights through an intermediary for £1,300+ plus an additional £500 for a departure airport change. When the airline cancelled certain flight legs, Mr M sought a refund but struggled with the intermediary's response. Santander raised a chargeback which was defended on grounds of change of mind, failing to address the airline cancellation issue. After initial confusion, Santander pragmatically offered to refund the outstanding £500 and pay £200 for distress and inconvenience. The ombudsman found this fair, noting that Mr M had received substantial refunds, intermediaries' terms differ from direct airline purchases, and much of his frustration was attributable to other parties rather than Santander.

The Ombudsman's reasoning

The ombudsman acknowledged Santander's failure to understand the core issue (airline cancellation rather than change of mind) but found this insufficient to warrant further action. The chargeback process has inherent delays and the card network ultimately decides outcomes. Santander's pragmatic commercial decision to refund £500 and pay £200 compensation was fair. The intermediary's terms and conditions may differ from direct airline purchases, and refunds from airlines to intermediaries typically take 6-8 weeks. Mr M received full refund of flights and had advance notice of cancellation, with no proven consequential losses. The ombudsman found much of Mr M's frustration attributable to other parties rather than Santander.

How this compares

Source

Read the original decision on the Financial Ombudsman Service website