Not upheld: incorrect eligibility advice and failure to offer best interest rates complaint against Barclays Bank UK PLC

Decision detail

Summary

Mr D, a longstanding Barclays customer, complained that the bank incorrectly told him he was ineligible for a Premier account, causing him to miss out on higher savings interest rates. During August 2022 phone calls about the discontinuation of his Platinum account, Mr D received conflicting information from different agents about Premier account eligibility. Although Barclays' formal complaint response of 4 September 2022 stated he 'may' be eligible and provided instructions to check, Mr D did not follow up. The ombudsman found that while some confusion occurred, Barclays' September 2022 letter provided a clear opportunity for Mr D to verify his eligibility, and his failure to contact the bank until November 2024 meant Barclays could not be held responsible for the lost interest. The complaint was not upheld.

The Ombudsman's reasoning

The ombudsman found that while there was probably some confusion between Barclays staff and Mr D regarding Premier account eligibility, with the agent likely referring to the commercial decision to discontinue Platinum accounts rather than Mr D's personal eligibility, the complaint response of 4 September 2022 provided clear guidance that Mr D 'may' be eligible for a Premier account and instructed him how to check. This letter post-dated the earlier conflicting phone conversations and gave Mr D a further opportunity to verify his eligibility. The ombudsman concluded that Mr D's failure to contact Barclays between September 2022 and November 2024, despite the September 2024 reminder messages, meant Barclays could not be held responsible for the lost interest. The ombudsman noted that the savings account Mr D eventually opened was not exclusive to Premier customers, so he could have explored other options earlier if he had taken action.

How this compares

Source

Read the original decision on the Financial Ombudsman Service website