Not upheld: switch incentive eligibility and communication failure complaint against THE CO-OPERATIVE BANK P.L.C.
Financial Ombudsman decision DRN-6053046 of 2026-04-16T00:00:00+00:00. switch incentive eligibility and communication failure complaint against THE CO-OPERATIVE BANK P.L.C.. Outcome: Not upheld.
Decision detail
| Reference | DRN-6053046 |
|---|---|
| Decision date | 2026-04-16T00:00:00+00:00 |
| Firm | THE CO-OPERATIVE BANK P.L.C. |
| Product | Current account |
| Claim type | switch incentive eligibility and communication failure |
| Outcome | Not upheld |
| Remedy | £75 compensation for distress and inconvenience caused by the Co-operative Bank's agents failing to be sufficiently clear in their explanations of why Ms T did not qualify for the switch incentive. |
Summary
Ms T complained that the Co-operative Bank failed to pay her a £100 switch incentive despite repeatedly telling her she had qualified for it. The bank ultimately refused payment, citing a term that excluded customers who had previously benefited from a current account switch offer since 1 November 2022. Ms T argued she had only received a Friends and Family incentive, not a switch offer. The ombudsman found that Ms T's 2023 'recommended payment' did constitute a benefit from a previous switch offer because it required her to switch an account, making her ineligible for the 2025 incentive. However, the ombudsman upheld a complaint about the bank's agents failing to communicate this clearly, and awarded £75 compensation for the distress and inconvenience caused.
The Ombudsman's reasoning
The ombudsman examined the switch incentive's eligibility criteria, specifically paragraph 1.4 which excludes customers who have previously benefited from a Co-operative Bank current account switch offer since 1 November 2022. The ombudsman found that Ms T's 'recommended payment' in 2023 constituted a benefit from a previous switch offer because it required her to switch an account to a new Co-operative Bank account. Although the 'recommender payment' did not require a switch, the 'recommended payment' did, meaning Ms T was ineligible for the 2025 switch incentive. However, the ombudsman acknowledged that the Co-operative Bank's agents failed to communicate this clearly to Ms T when she repeatedly inquired about her eligibility.
How this compares
| Group | Decisions | Uphold rate |
|---|---|---|
| THE CO-OPERATIVE BANK P.L.C., all decisions | 86 | 16% |
| Current account, all decisions | 45,590 | 19% |
Source
Read the original decision on the Financial Ombudsman Service website