Bank correctly applied refunds to date of purchase

Categories:

Cards, Chargebacks,

Summary:

In January 2025, Randall used his credit card to make payments at an online travel agency and other merchants. In March, his plans changed and he cancelled the payments and received refunds. Randall complained that the refunds had been "backdated" to January, reducing his available balance. He rang the bank the same month and asked where the money had “disappeared to”. The staff member replied that his refunds “[had] been adjusted to the original date of the transaction”. The bank supplied credit statements and a spreadsheet showing previous transactions and how the refunds had been applied correctly. Unhappy with this explanation, he complained to us.

Published:

October 2025

Our investigation

We listened to the March call and analysed his credit statements, and found the bank had correctly applied the refunds to his credit card account. We also found the bank was not obliged to provide the balances and logs Randall requested. However, the bank acknowledged the phone call had caused unnecessary confusion. It apologised to Randall and offered compensation of $1,000.