Not upheld: credit file reporting accuracy and late payment marker application complaint against Barclays Bank UK PLC trading as Tesco Bank

Decision detail

Summary

Mr A complained about late payment markers applied to his credit file by Tesco Bank in 2025 and 2023, claiming Tesco had assured him that changing his direct debit date would prevent adverse credit file recording. Mr A's April 2025 payment was not received on time due to a reversed direct debit, and Tesco applied a late payment marker. The ombudsman reviewed call recordings and found no evidence that Tesco told Mr A before the payment deadline that no adverse information would be recorded. The only error identified was Tesco's incorrect statement about setting up SMS payment reminders, for which £25 compensation had already been paid. The complaint was not upheld.

The Ombudsman's reasoning

The ombudsman found that Mr A was responsible for ensuring sufficient funds were available for his direct debit collection. There was no evidence that Tesco told Mr A before 23 April 2025 that no adverse information would be recorded if he missed a payment. The call recordings showed no discussion of changing the direct debit date on 1 May 2025, and Tesco had no record of such a request until June 2025, after the missed payment marker had already been applied. As the April 2025 payment was not received on time, Tesco was obliged to record the missed payment on the credit file. The only error was Tesco's incorrect statement about setting up text alerts, which Tesco had already compensated with £25.

How this compares

Source

Read the original decision on the Financial Ombudsman Service website