Not upheld: account opening requirements and customer service complaint against Bank of Ireland (UK) Plc trading as Post Office Financial Services

Decision detail

Summary

Mrs S complained that Bank of Ireland prevented her from opening a fixed rate savings account by requiring a linked current account and asking about savings goals, and that it failed to locate call recordings. She sought compensation for lost interest and inconvenience. Bank of Ireland maintained that the linked account requirement was in its terms and conditions and that savings goals questions were optional. The FOS investigator and ombudsman reviewed the subsequently obtained call recordings and found that Mrs S had not been given incorrect information about the linked account requirement. The ombudsman upheld Bank of Ireland's position that the requirement was legitimate, the application process was fairly applied, and no mistake had been made, therefore rejecting Mrs S's complaint.

The Ombudsman's reasoning

The ombudsman found that the linked current account requirement was clearly stated in Bank of Ireland's terms and conditions and was a legitimate requirement. The call recordings showed that Mrs S was not given incorrect information about this requirement, and she did not ask the staff about whether a linked account was necessary. The ombudsman determined that Bank of Ireland's application process, including questions about savings goals, was within its discretion and was fairly applied. The ombudsman concluded that no mistake or unreasonable conduct occurred.

How this compares

Source

Read the original decision on the Financial Ombudsman Service website