Bacs Chargeback process

The Direct Debit Guarantee

The Direct Debit Guarantee is put in place in the UK to protect customers from payments that are collected in error.

The Direct Debit Guarantee protects the customer in three ways:

Notifications: Customers must be notified in advance of a payment. GoCardless notify your customers by email three working days before an individual payment is collected or a subscription is set up.
Cancellations: Customers can cancel their Direct Debit mandate at any time.
Chargebacks: Customers are entitled to a full and immediate refund of any payment they claim has been taken in error.

All banks and building societies that process Direct Debit payments offer customers protection under the Direct Debit Guarantee.

How do customers request a chargeback?

Customers can contact their bank and file an indemnity claim to charge back any Direct Debit payments they claim have been collected in error.

The customer will usually receive the funds back into their account on the same day.

The bank will then notify GoCardless of the chargeback.

As soon as we receive notification of the chargeback, an email is triggered to notify the merchant.

Is there a time limit for customers to request a chargeback?

Within the UK, there is currently no time limit for when a customer can request a chargeback.