Visa 13.3 · Mastercard 4853

What arrived is not what you paid for

If the thing that turned up is materially different from what was advertised, or arrived broken, you can dispute the payment with your bank rather than accepting it. The test is not whether you liked it — it is whether it matches what was described at the point you paid.

Does this apply to you?

• The item is a different model, size, colour or specification than advertised
• It arrived damaged or broken
• It was described as new and arrived visibly used
• Key features that were advertised simply are not there
• A service was delivered to a standard far below what was promised

How long you have to file

You have 120 days, counted from the day the payment was taken.

That is the card network's outer limit. Your own bank often sets an earlier one, and a missed deadline ends a dispute however good the case is — so treat it as the day to have filed by, not the day to start.

What to gather before you file

• The listing or advert as it appeared when you bought — a screenshot, since sellers edit listings
• Photos of what actually arrived, next to the description if you can
• The order confirmation and your card statement line
• Your messages asking the seller to fix it, and their reply
• The return policy, and proof you returned the item if you did

What the seller will argue

The seller will argue this is buyer's remorse dressed up as a defect — that the item matched the listing and you simply changed your mind. Their second move is the return policy: if you did not return the item, or returned it outside their window, they will lean on that hard. Photographs taken the day it arrived, and a return sent with tracking, are what separate this from a matter of taste.

What to do, in order

1. Photograph the item immediately, before you use it further.
2. Screenshot the original listing before the seller can edit it.
3. Contact the seller and ask for a refund, replacement or repair, in writing.
4. Return the item if they ask you to, using a tracked service, and keep the receipt.
5. File with your bank if they refuse or ignore you, attaching the listing and the photos side by side.

When this will not work

Disliking the item is not grounds for a dispute, and neither is a minor difference in shade or finish. The difference has to be material — something a reasonable person would call a different product from the one advertised.

Other problems we cover

• Your order never arrived. Here is how to get your money back
• They kept charging you after you cancelled
• You paid for the real thing and received a fake
• They promised you a refund and it never arrived