Keeping Records and Escalating a Payment Complaint

Create a factual timeline

Write down the date and time, method, amount, recipient shown, reference, status and the support channels contacted. Keep the original receipt and case numbers. Separate what you observed from what you suspect: for example, “provider shows completed; merchant history has no credit” is clearer than “the merchant stole the payment”.

Preserve relevant emails, messages and screenshots, but redact unrelated balances, identity numbers and credentials before sharing. Never include a PIN, password, OTP or full card details in a complaint record.

Follow a staged escalation

Start with the support team that owns the unresolved stage. Ask for a case reference and the exact next step. If the issue remains unresolved, follow the provider’s formal complaints process and retain the response. For questions about the payment system or provider oversight, consult the Central Bank’s current National Payments System information and contact guidance; do not assume it will adjudicate an individual merchant account dispute.

A regulator directory or licence status does not prove an individual transaction was handled correctly. Describe the provider, date, reference and specific problem, and use only the official complaint route for the relevant institution.

Avoid risky “helpers”

• Do not pay a stranger to recover or reverse funds.
• Do not send a PIN or OTP to an alleged regulator, agent or support account.
• Do not approve a new payment to receive a refund.
• Do not publish full transaction receipts on social media.