How a claim works
Six stages, what we need from you at each one, and roughly how long each takes.
Last updated 10 August 2026
Every claim we run follows the same six stages, whether you are reclaiming eighty pounds from a retailer that never shipped or a six-figure sum lost to an investment scam. What changes is the depth of evidence, not the process.
1. Free assessment
Tell us what happened, what you paid, how you paid it and what your bank has said so far. We tell you honestly whether there is a claim, roughly what it is worth, and whether you would be better off going direct to your bank for nothing. This costs nothing and carries no obligation. Around two thirds of the enquiries we receive end here, with instructions for claiming yourself and no follow-up call.
2. Route and deadline check
Chargeback, Section 75 and APP reimbursement have different windows, different evidence requirements and different odds. The payment method usually decides which applies: a credit card purchase over $100 opens Section 75, a debit card opens chargeback, a bank transfer points to reimbursement. More than one route often runs on the same payment, and we will run them in parallel where that helps.
Deadlines are checked before anything else, because nothing else matters if you are out of time. Chargeback windows are commonly 120 days from the transaction or from the date goods were due, whichever is later, and that second date is frequently the one that saves a claim.
3. Evidence gathering
Statements, order confirmations, adverts and listings as they appeared at the time, and the exact wording of what you were promised. Most claims are decided on the paperwork rather than on the argument. We will tell you precisely what to send and what not to bother with.
4. Formal representation
We put the claim to your bank or card provider in writing, citing the regulation or scheme rule it turns on and setting out where their reasoning fails. This starts the eight-week complaint window, which the firm is obliged to work to.
5. Escalation to the Ombudsman
If the answer is still no, we refer the case to the Financial Ombudsman Service with a full submission. That referral is free to you, and free to us, and it is where a great many refused claims are overturned. You can make this referral yourself at any point without us.
6. Money back to you
Redress is paid directly to you by the bank, with 8% simple interest claimed for the period you were without it where that applies.