Not upheld: Service failures generally complaint against Bank of Scotland plc trading as Halifax

Decision detail

Summary

Mr B complained about his treatment during visits to his Halifax branch, alleging that staff asked intrusive questions about his money, provided unsolicited information about fraud, and spoke to him aggressively and abusively. Mr B also claimed the requests breached the Data Protection Act and caused him harassment and distress. The ombudsman found that Halifax's information requests were required by regulatory obligations to protect customers from fraud and financial crime, that the branch environment was noisy and Mr B had hearing difficulties which likely contributed to miscommunication, and that there was no evidence of aggressive behaviour. The ombudsman also noted that Mr B made rude and inappropriate comments about staff during a phone call. The complaint was not upheld.

The Ombudsman's reasoning

The ombudsman determined that Halifax's information requests were lawful regulatory obligations designed to protect customers from fraud, not allegations of criminal activity. The ombudsman found that what Mr B perceived as aggressive shouting was likely staff attempting to communicate in a noisy branch environment, exacerbated by Mr B's acknowledged hearing difficulties. The ombudsman noted that Mr B himself made rude and inappropriate comments about staff, and that Halifax had already provided compensation for the miscommunication.

How this compares

Source

Read the original decision on the Financial Ombudsman Service website