I raised a chargeback with Monzo on the 10th of June this year against a holiday company that refused to offer myself and my partner a refund following a COVID cancelled trip to Malta.
I was told charge back disputes take up to 8 weeks to process and the merchant may dispute the claim (which they did upon me requesting an update on 10th August) but most charge back disputes are settled within 3 months.
On 18th August we were told that the charge back was escalated to Mastercard with the idea of getting a cash refund and then no further info was given. According to the Monzo chat contact this will take 45-50 days for a final result.
Fast forward 80 days from then (todays date) and I still have no answer, but better yet have been told that the process is back where it started??
On 15th September we were told that the case was submitted to Arbitration at Mastercard where a mediator will make a FINAL decision on the case. So how is it that I still don’t have an answer or refund when this is such a clear cut case?
You’re unlikely to get a definitive answer, unless you’re able to get one from Monzo directly. The posters here are all customers, so we’d only be guessing.
My own guess is that the holiday company contested the chargeback each time, and Monzo resubmitted it without going back to you. As @Revels says, this would’ve reset the clock. But I can’t say why you haven’t heard anything further since 15th September, which does seem a long time. Again, this is a question you’d have to ask of Monzo directly (and if you’re unhappy with their answer, it may be time for a formal complaint).
I’m sorry to hear your holiday was cancelled and I wish you the best of luck with getting your refund.
I think this is a major flaw in the chargeback system, as it lets the merchant hold on to the money for far too long, even when they know they’ll not succeed. Harsher charges for merchants who don’t concede clearcut cases would be a start.
Arbitration is quite expensive, so I’m surprised the merchant are taking it this far, or maybe they are taking yours all the way and hoping the can use the decision to fight all future chargebacks
This was my thought. The company is clinging on for dear life - I’m so shocked at the poor practise in this sector right now as I know I’m not the o ly one in this position
It’s difficult when you’re fighting to get your money back but spare a thought for the tens of thousands of people that are losing jobs/businesses in the sector through no fault of their own.
It’s not always ‘poor practice’ - nobody was totally prepared for this and some companies just haven’t known how to cope with an unprecedented and devastating situation.
Of course I don’t know all the details - they could also just be shits. Hope you get things resolved in the end.