A Norwegian man seeking a refund of nearly 190,000 kroner after nine card transactions at a Gdansk strip club has been left to cover the loss himself, as Finansklagenemnda dismissed the case due to conflicting explanations from the claimant, vg.no reported.
The 177,966-Kroner Strip Club Bill in Gdansk
In August last year, the Norwegian man visited a strip club while on a company trip to Poland. Visa-kortet ble brukt ni ganger, resulting in seven payments and two ATM withdrawals using chip and PIN-code, according to the ruling from Finansklagenemnda.
The card payments totaled 177,966 kroner, while the cash withdrawals amounted to 11,825 kroner. The man also demanded compensation for a withdrawal fee of 178.25 kroner. Dagens Næringsliv first broke the story of the disputed transactions.
Conflicting Explanations Given to Luster Sparebank
Initially, the man told Luster Sparebank that he had only purchased two drinks for himself and a colleague, insisting he bought nothing else at the venue. He claimed the card never left his possession and he did not notice anyone else handling it.
Later, the man changed his story and apologized for not being honest. He stated that he accepted a free shot at the club and remembered nothing afterward, citing shame over the visit as the reason for withholding details. He claimed he and his colleague were drugged by the shot and manipulated into making the transactions.
Early that same morning, however, the man told the card blocking service that he had performed the payments himself but mistakenly believed the amounts were much lower. His father ultimately contacted the bank to get the card blocked.
Finansklagenemnda Rejects the Dispute
Finansklagenemnda noted that the strip club payments followed a suspicious pattern where the amounts increased with each transaction and exceeded normal spending at a venue. While the board acknowledged these details could point to fraud, the man’s shifting explanations made it unclear how the payments actually occurred.
Consequently, Finansklagenemnda unanimously rejected the case without deciding whether the bank or the customer holds financial responsibility. The board concluded that the written format could not adequately resolve the evidentiary questions, leaving the matter for the courts to decide if pursued further.
Frequently Asked Questions About the Gdansk Card Dispute
How much money is the Norwegian man demanding back?
The man is demanding nearly 190,000 kroner back, specifically covering 177,966 kroner in card payments, 11,825 kroner in ATM withdrawals, and a 178.25-krone withdrawal fee.
What did the Finansklagenemnda decide regarding the liability?
The board did not assign responsibility to either the bank or the customer. It dismissed the case unanimously because the man’s changing explanations made the sequence of events impossible to verify through written proceedings.
When did the incident take place in Poland?
The events occurred in August last year during a company trip to Gdansk, Poland, where the man visited the strip club and subsequently contacted the card blocking service early the following morning.