Leif Adamec Rydenfalk
The refund was refused
A seller that won't refund, a subscription that renewed after you cancelled, a bank that closed your dispute in the merchant's favour. A refused chargeback can usually be re-opened, and the first one is often lost only because the bank didn't get the right proof.
This page covers US and UK cards. In Sweden you raise it with your card issuer first, then Allmänna reklamationsnämnden (ARN), free. This is what I'd do, in order. I'm not a lawyer, and if you'd rather not deal with it, send it to me.
Ask the seller once, in writing
One short email: what you bought, the date and amount, what went wrong, the refund you want, and a date seven days out. Banks want to see that you tried. Screenshot your cancellation, the order page and any chat.
Your deadlines with the bank
| US credit card | Fair Credit Billing Act: dispute in writing within 60 days of the statement that first showed the charge. The bank must acknowledge within 30 days and resolve it within two billing cycles, and you don't have to pay the disputed amount meanwhile. |
|---|---|
| Visa and Mastercard | Network rules generally give you about 120 days from the charge, or from the date the goods were due, for "not received" and "not as described". |
| Debit card | Strong protection for unauthorized charges if you report fast. For a seller dispute you rely on the network rules above, so act early. |
| UK credit card | Section 75: the card company is jointly liable for purchases between £100 and £30,000. If they refuse, the Financial Ombudsman Service is free. |
When the bank says no
- Ask for the reason and the merchant's evidence. Banks share what the merchant sent. Usually it's a delivery scan or terms you "accepted".
- Answer that evidence, not the original complaint. Delivered to the wrong address, terms that hid the renewal, a cancellation they ignored: show it with a screenshot or a date.
- Re-open the dispute in writing with the new proof attached. Ask that it go to the next stage (pre-arbitration).
- Complain to the regulator. In the US the CFPB takes complaints online, free, and the bank has to answer within 15 days.
App store and subscription charges
Bought through Apple: reportaproblem.apple.com, pick the charge, "request a refund". Through Google Play: your order history, then "request a refund". Paid on the company's own website: the card dispute above, with the screenshot of your cancellation and the renewal terms.
Or hand it to me
Send me the order, what you've written to the seller and what the bank said. I write the dispute and the follow-ups, you send them from your account, and I keep at it until the money is back or there's a final answer. You get a fixed price before I start.
