Not upheld: Service failures generally complaint against Saffron Building Society
Financial Ombudsman decision DRN-3230823 of 2022-06-22T00:00:00+00:00. Service failures generally complaint against Saffron Building Society. Outcome: Not upheld.
Decision detail
| Reference | DRN-3230823 |
|---|---|
| Decision date | 2022-06-22T00:00:00+00:00 |
| Firm | Saffron Building Society |
| Product | Savings / ISA |
| Claim type | Service failures generally |
| Outcome | Not upheld |
| Remedy | None. No compensation ordered. |
Summary
Mr T, a long-standing member of Saffron Building Society, did not receive the AGM pack for the April 2020 meeting and missed his opportunity to vote. He contacted Saffron on 28 April, one day before the AGM, requesting compensation and assurances. Saffron responded that they had sent the pack on 24 March via a third-party mailing company to the correct address, and the third party confirmed no mailing errors. The ombudsman found that Saffron had fulfilled their obligations and that post delivery was outside their control, so the complaint was not upheld and no compensation was awarded.
The Ombudsman's reasoning
The ombudsman determined that Saffron Building Society had fulfilled their obligation by sending the AGM pack on time to the correct address via a reputable third party. Once post has been sent, it is outside the business's control and unfair to hold them responsible for delivery failures. The third party confirmed no errors occurred on their part. Saffron's customer service responses, while concise, were not unreasonable or rude. No compensation was warranted as Saffron had done nothing wrong.
How this compares
| Group | Decisions | Uphold rate |
|---|---|---|
| Saffron Building Society, all decisions | 29 | 26% |
| Service failures generally, all decisions | 32,767 | 33% |
| Savings / ISA, all decisions | 7,604 | 22% |
Source
Read the original decision on the Financial Ombudsman Service website