Partially upheld: Account administration errors complaint against Alphabet (GB) Limited

Decision detail

Summary

Mr and Mrs M complained about Alphabet's delay in sending them information about penalty charge notices incurred in a hired car and administrative errors in handling correspondence. Alphabet had sent notices to multiple addresses and incorrectly told Mrs M no further notices had been received when it had actually received another one. The ombudsman upheld the complaint in part, finding the £611 refund for administrative errors was fair and reasonable, and ordering an additional £24 administration fee refund. However, the ombudsman rejected the request to waive all penalty charges, as the customers remained responsible for charges resulting from their use of the vehicle under the hire agreement terms.

The Ombudsman's reasoning

The ombudsman found it was fair and reasonable for Alphabet to use the address stated in the hire agreement for correspondence, as there was no evidence the customers requested a different address. Alphabet's administrative errors in sending notices and providing incorrect information in October 2017 justified the £611 refund and £24 administration fee refund. However, the customers remained responsible for the penalty charges themselves as these resulted from their use of the vehicle, not Alphabet's actions. The ombudsman was not persuaded it would be fair to require Alphabet to waive the other charges.

How this compares

Source

Read the original decision on the Financial Ombudsman Service website