Two complaints recur more than any others in this sector: a large percentage withheld from a refund, and a refund that is agreed then never arrives. Both are addressable, and both get worse the longer you continue negotiating privately rather than using the mechanisms available to you.

Establish what was actually performed

The strength of your position depends heavily on what work was genuinely done. If an application was submitted to an authority and refused, a service was arguably delivered even though the outcome was not what you wanted. If nothing was ever filed — which you can establish independently through the official portal — then an administrative deduction is being applied to a service that did not start, which is a far stronger argument and one worth making explicitly.

Put a proper demand in writing

Email, not chat, so there is a record outside their system. State the facts briefly: what you paid, when, what was promised, what happened. State what you want — a specific amount — and give a specific deadline, typically fourteen days. Say that you will escalate to the consumer protection authority and your card issuer if it is not met. Keep it factual and unemotional; this document may be read by a regulator later.

Start the card dispute in parallel

This is the step people delay while waiting for the merchant's promised resolution, and the delay is what causes cases to fail. Chargeback deadlines are finite and typically measured from the transaction or expected delivery date. Contact your issuer, state that the service was not provided as described, and ask what evidence they need. Waiting six weeks on assurances can put you outside the window entirely.

Recognise the delay scripts

  • Blaming third-party processors or "the payment gateway".
  • International banking delays, offered without reference numbers.
  • An internal approval or finance cycle that has no stated end.
  • A refund said to be already initiated, with no transaction reference supplied.

The reasonable response to each is the same: request the transaction reference and the date it was issued. A genuinely processed refund has one. Its absence, repeatedly, is itself evidence for your dispute.

Escalate to the right authority

Complain to the consumer protection body where the merchant is based, which is frequently more effective than where you are. For businesses licensed in Dubai, that is the Department of Economy and Tourism's consumer protection function; the UAE Ministry of Economy also handles consumer complaints. Elsewhere, use the national consumer authority or, for a travel business, the relevant tourism licensing body. Several complaints in this sector describe substantive responses beginning only after such an escalation.

Assemble it once, properly

One pack: a short timeline, the payment records, the promises as they were made, your written demand, and the official portal result if you have it. Send the same pack to the merchant, the card issuer, and the authority. Consistency across all three is what makes a case straightforward to decide in your favour.