How to complain about Klarna

Klarna is a buy now pay later provider, and the way to complain about it depends on what has gone wrong. If an order never arrived, arrived damaged or was not what you ordered, the shop is the first place to go, because the shop is responsible for the goods. If the problem is with the payment itself, such as a charge you do not recognise, a late fee or a refund that has not come through, that is a complaint for Klarna.

Klarna takes complaints through its app, by live chat and by phone. The app is usually the quickest route, and live chat is promoted as a round-the-clock way to reach the company. There is no charge for complaining, and you do not need to pay anyone to do it for you.

One thing to know before you start: Klarna has introduced its own internal complaints adjudicator for customers who are not happy with how their complaint has been handled, as an interim step until its customers can access the Financial Ombudsman Service¹. Whether the ombudsman can look at your case depends on what the complaint is about and how the product is regulated, so it is worth asking Klarna which route applies to you.

Complaining through the Klarna app or website

The app is the natural starting point for most Klarna complaints, because it already holds the order, the payment plan and the payment history the company needs to look into the problem. Complaining from inside your account means Klarna can see exactly which purchase you mean, which shortens the back and forth.

If you would rather not use the app, you can complain through the website or by phone. Klarna's own guidance to retailers describes a single Klarna button at the checkout alongside the other payment methods a shop offers, with the choice of payment scheme made after you select Klarna¹. That matters for complaints because it means your agreement is with Klarna for the payment, while your contract for the goods is with the shop.

Before you write anything, ask the company for a copy of its complaints procedure so you can be sure it is handling your complaint correctly³. Lenders should have a complaints procedure and give you a copy if you ask for one⁴. It also helps to have the documents ready: bills, letters and anything with a reference number on it³.

24/7 live chat: the quickest route to Klarna

Live chat is the route Klarna itself points customers towards, and it is the one that stays open when branches and phone lines would normally be shut. Other firms describe the same pattern: Jaja Finance tells customers the quickest and easiest way to complain is Live Chat, reached through the More tab in its app⁵, and TSB says the easiest way is to tap the chat icon in its mobile app and type "Complaint"⁶. Starling says the quickest and easiest way to complain is a message in its app⁷.

The advantage of chat over a phone call is the record it leaves. A transcript shows what you said, what you were told and when, which is exactly what you need if the complaint is not settled first time. If you use chat, save or screenshot the conversation before you close the window.

Not every firm runs chat around the clock, and hours vary. National Debtline's webchat runs 9am to 8pm Monday to Friday and 9.30am to 1pm Saturday⁸, and Citizens Advice's Help to Claim chat is usually available 8am to 6pm, Monday to Friday⁹. Klarna promotes its own live chat as a round-the-clock service, so if you are complaining late at night or at the weekend, chat is likely to be the only route open¹.

Complaining to Klarna by phone

Phone complaints suit anything that is easier to explain out loud: a payment taken twice, a refund that has gone astray, or a dispute with a shop that has dragged on. Klarna takes complaints by phone as well as by chat and in the app¹.

Have your details ready before you dial. Quilter asks customers contacting its complaints manager by post, telephone or email to provide the relevant policy or account number and as much information as possible¹⁰, and Canara Bank treats complaints made in writing, by telephone, by email or in person as subject to the same complaint-handling procedures¹¹. The same principle applies to Klarna: the more precisely you can identify the order and the payment, the faster the complaint can be logged.

Ask for the complaint to be recorded formally rather than dealt with as a general query, and ask for a reference number. Note the date and time of the call and the name of the person you speak to. If you are complaining about something a bank has done, for example refusing to refund an unauthorised payment, the standard first step is to contact the bank to make a complaint¹².

What to include when you complain to Klarna

A complaint that gets resolved quickly is usually one that sets out the facts in order. Explain the problem fully, what action you have taken so far, who you dealt with and what happened as a result³. If you are writing, mark the message clearly as a complaint, include dates and the names of people you have spoken to, and say how you would like the problem resolved¹³.

Keep the paperwork together. Have the necessary documents from the company ready, such as bills and letters, which may carry a reference number you need³. Always make a copy of anything you send and always keep the original documents³. If you complain by post, write "Complaint" on the front of the letter and include your reference number if it appears in any letters you have from the organisation¹⁴.

A short checklist covers most Klarna complaints:

• The order number, the date of purchase and the amount
• What went wrong, in date order, with what you have already tried
• Screenshots of the order, the payment plan and any chat you have had
• Bank or card statements showing the payment or the missing refund
• The outcome you are asking for, such as a refund, a fee reversed or the payment plan paused

Should you contact the shop or Klarna?

Start with the company you bought from if something has gone wrong, and contact it straight away³. The shop is responsible for the goods arriving and being as described, and most order problems, wrong size, damaged item, missing delivery, are the shop's to fix. Consumerline, the Northern Ireland consumer service, is the contact point for information on how to make a complaint against a trader or to ask about your consumer rights¹⁵.

Klarna comes into it when the problem is with the payment rather than the goods. That includes a charge you do not recognise, a late fee you think was applied in error, a refund the shop says it has sent but which has not reached you, or a payment plan you want paused while a dispute is sorted out. Klarna can also help where a shop has stopped responding.

If you are not happy with how a bank or payment firm deals with your claim, you can complain to it, and its website will set out how¹⁷. The same applies to Klarna: the complaint goes to Klarna, and the route is the app, chat or phone.

If Klarna does not resolve your complaint

If you have raised a complaint with a company and allowed it time to respond, and you have either had no response or are unhappy with the response, the complaint can be escalated³. Before a complaint goes to an external service, the company's own process requires that a formal complaint has been logged with the company, that the company has been worked with to resolve the complaint, and that evidence such as letters or emails about it has been gathered¹⁸.

Klarna's own escalation route is its internal complaints adjudicator, introduced for customers who are not happy with how their complaints are handled, as an interim step until its customers can access the Financial Ombudsman Service¹. Whether the ombudsman can take your case depends on what the complaint is about and how the product is regulated, so ask Klarna directly which route applies.

Where a complaint is about personal data, there is a separate route: the organisation is the first point of complaint, and if the outcome leaves the person dissatisfied, the Information Commissioner's Office takes complaints online¹⁹. Where a person is struggling to pay a contract, the provider is the first point of contact²⁰. If a complaint about a debt has not been resolved fairly, it can be escalated to the Financial Ombudsman Service⁹.

Where to get free help

Free, impartial help exists and there is no need to pay for it. The Financial Ombudsman Service takes complaints through an online form that guides consumers through the information needed²¹. The Consumer Council's complaints handling service accepts complaints online, by phone, letter or email²², and its eligibility rules require that you have already logged a formal complaint with the company, worked with it to resolve the complaint, and gathered evidence such as letters or emails¹⁸.

For money problems more broadly, free debt advice charities can help you work out what to do next, and they will not charge for it. If your complaint is about a payment service, the FCA's own guidance on account information and payment initiation services explains how those services work and who to contact²⁴. If your complaint relates to car finance rather than a Klarna purchase, the FCA publishes a list of lenders and a template complaint letter you can download and fill in²⁵.

If you are on a low income or receiving benefits and a Klarna payment has become unaffordable, free advice services can look at your whole budget rather than just the one payment. The key is to raise the complaint with Klarna first, keep the record, and only then take it further.