Not upheld: poor service - failure to respond to initial enquiry complaint against Santander UK plc

Decision detail

Summary

A, a sole trader with a Santander business current account, wrote to Santander on 17 February 2025 requesting information about opening a client account. The letter was delivered but Santander could not trace it and did not respond. A sent a follow-up letter on 17 March 2025, and Santander responded on 20 March 2025 apologising for the delay and confirming it does not offer client accounts. A complained that the delay prevented him from sourcing alternative banking arrangements before a deadline set by a prospective client. The ombudsman found that Santander's response clearly stated it does not offer client accounts and that A would have had time to seek alternatives. The ombudsman concluded Santander acted fairly and reasonably and did not uphold the complaint.

The Ombudsman's reasoning

Although Santander appears to have misplaced the initial letter, this was a one-off incident. Upon receiving the follow-up letter, Santander responded promptly, apologised for the delay, and provided accurate information that it does not offer client accounts. The ombudsman found that Santander's 20 March response clearly stated it does not offer the type of account A enquired about, which would have given A time to seek alternative arrangements. The ombudsman concluded that Santander acted fairly and reasonably in the circumstances and was not required to do anything further.

How this compares

Source

Read the original decision on the Financial Ombudsman Service website