Not upheld: service complaint - disputed payments, communication difficulties, alleged disrespectful treatment complaint against HSBC UK Bank plc trading as First Direct

Decision detail

Summary

Mr H complained that First Direct treated him disrespectfully when he tried to report two unrecognised payments from his account (£79.99 and £29.94) and that the bank deliberately told him it could not hear him during telephone calls to avoid taking action. First Direct experienced persistent audio issues across multiple calls and suggested Mr H contact its Disputes Team or try alternative devices/connections. The ombudsman found the audio problems were genuine technical issues, not deliberate deception, and that First Direct was entitled to seek further information before processing refunds or chargebacks. The complaint was not upheld, and the £50 compensation already paid was deemed appropriate.

The Ombudsman's reasoning

The ombudsman found that the audio issues experienced during calls were genuine technical problems rather than deliberate deception by First Direct. The persistence of these problems across multiple calls and several staff members made it unlikely that all staff were working together to deceive Mr H. First Direct was entitled to seek further information from Mr H through its Disputes Team before taking action such as refunding payments, cancelling continuous payment authorities, or raising chargeback requests, as there may have been valid explanations for the payments. Mr H failed to respond to enquiries during the live chat and did not attempt to contact First Direct using alternative devices or connections as suggested. The £50 compensation already offered was deemed fair and reasonable.

How this compares

Source

Read the original decision on the Financial Ombudsman Service website