I purchased some flooring on Friday for ~£1500.00, the merchant called me and advised they no longer had stock, so I asked for a refund and they obliged. 30 minutes later I could see a refund pending in my account. They advised that as the refund was made so soon after the purchase, the card issuer (santander in my case) would likely refund the money same day- This didn't happen. This morning the transaction cleared and the refund has dissapeared out of my clearing list but now is showing in my availbility as having been deducted like it was a second purchase rather than a refund, but there is no transaction to show for this, just a mystery pending amount of the exact same value.
Is this normal to happen for refunds?
Yes - it usually takes about 3-5 days before credit card refunds sort themselves out. It shows strange things that don't add up properly before that.
Basically wait at least 10days before even starting to think if something went wrong.
I am hoping this is the case. I only have a small credit card that I use for online purchase protection and this has now taken my card into overlimit- although it only shows that via availability and not by the actual balance, so I am hoping I won't be penalised for this.
Proper stinker right before Xmas.
How? Surely you were expecting to spend £1500 and that’s what’s happened? You’ll get it back in a day or two and be back to zero?
My account appears as though £3000 has been taken
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!thanksin a reply to them. Points are shown as the user flair by their username.No, they’ve charged your card again. If the original transaction was pending, and they reversed it, it would disappear and your balance would go up by £1500. What they’ve done is process another transaction, so now they owe you £3000. Call Santander and dispute both.
I don't think we can say this for sure with the available info, especially if they saw a refund pending in the account.
u/Revolutionary_Crab80 you could contact the credit card company, they should have a view on whether:
1 - There is one card charge or two
2 - If a refund is pending
In my experience, refunds to cards are much slower than the initial transaction which appears instantly on some cards
He’s saying the refund was “deducted like it was a second purchase rather than a refund” - so that sounds like a 2nd transaction. I’ve asked OP what it shows as on the statement, so let’s find out.
This is the wierd part, nothing shows on the statement. the domestic refund dissappaered and instead of crediting debited from the avialability, but there is no sign of it on the statement, so currently the numbers don't add up.
Having read your response to my question, I’ve come to the conclusion that they’ve issued the refund at the start of the weekend and it’s waiting to be processed over the next few days.
That put's my mind a rest a bit- thank you, I will keep an eye on it and contact them if nothing changes.
They issued me a credit note and I could see "domestic refund" in my clearing list, so I don't think the merchant has double charged me, I am thinking more something with Santander
Has your debt increased or decreased on this card? If the OG transaction had already cleared they would have to issue a refund which would take 3-10 business days to hit your account. Credit cards, just to be confusing, show payments into the account as minus whilst payments using the card are plus.
What you should see is +£1500 For the OG transaction -£1500 for the refund
What does it show as?
So on Friday after the refund it showed as +£1500 for the purchase and -£1500 for the refund.
So my credit card balance was showing as £0 because the payment hadn't cleared and let's say I have a £2500 credit limit was showing as £1,000 remaining.
Today the credit card balance is now £1500, as the purchase has cleared, however, the -£1500 for the refund has dissaperead of my clearing list and you can't see it now, but my credit limit has gone to -£500, suggesting I have had 2 lots of £1500 taken from my account- But there is not second transaction showing anymore.
Does that make sense?
I am hoping as it the exact amount again and it showed as a domestic refund before and I have the refund slip from the merchant that it's just gone into a limbo state whilst Santander manually action it.
It sounds like the had issued the refund and it’s now processing. Keep an eye on it for the next 3 working days. It could be the fact they issued the refund at the start of the weekend and it was waiting until today to begin processing.
Phone Santander and ask is the best course.
If, and it is unlikely, they have double charged you then you are going to have to contact them anyway.
I treat my bank accounts like fort Knox, anything unusual and I freeze my cards online and phone in. Best way to stop losing a chunk of money.
I think this will have to be the way, I was hoping this may have happened to people and someone would say this is normal.