Upheld: Account administration errors complaint against BPO Collections Limited

Decision detail

Summary

Mr C complained that BPO Collections Limited continued to contact him after agreeing to place his accounts on hold, despite being informed of his vulnerable circumstances including his partner's hospitalization and his own health issues. BPO held two accounts in Mr C's name—one in his previous name and one in his updated name following a deed poll change. Although Mr C notified BPO of his name change in April 2021 and BPO confirmed they updated their system, BPO only placed one account on hold in May 2021 and continued pursuing the other account. The ombudsman upheld the complaint, finding that BPO had responsibility to maintain accurate information across all accounts and to link the two accounts using available customer details, and that BPO should have applied the hold to both accounts. BPO was directed to pay £100 compensation for the trouble and upset caused.

The Ombudsman's reasoning

The ombudsman found that BPO, as the administrator of the accounts, bore responsibility for maintaining accurate and up-to-date information across all accounts they managed. Mr C had clearly notified BPO of his name change and BPO confirmed they updated their system without indicating the deed poll was essential or that the update was informal. BPO had sufficient information to link the two accounts and should have applied the hold and vulnerability information to both accounts. The ombudsman rejected BPO's argument that they did not share information across accounts, stating that businesses must sometimes depart from normal processes to treat customers fairly and avoid putting processes over people. BPO's continued contact after agreeing to a hold, when aware of Mr C's vulnerable circumstances, constituted a breach of fair treatment obligations.

How this compares

Source

Read the original decision on the Financial Ombudsman Service website