Upheld: service failure and call misdirection complaint against National Westminster Bank PLC

Decision detail

Summary

Mr N complained to NW after being unable to reach the Credit Card Fraud Team whilst abroad. NW provided him with the number for Credit Card Services (stated as 24/7 available) via webchat on 6 June 2025, but when Mr N called at 7.00am on 7 June 2025, his call was misdirected to the Credit Card Fraud Team, which was closed and only operates 8.00am-10.00pm. Mr N was not provided with the Fraud Team's opening hours during the initial webchat, resulting in a wasted call and inconvenience. NW initially offered £30 compensation, then £50 additional compensation, which Mr N rejected as insufficient. The ombudsman upheld the complaint, finding the misdirection caused justified distress and inconvenience, and determined that the total compensation of £80 (£30 + £50) was fair, though the ombudsman rejected Mr N's claim that the information provided was incorrect.

The Ombudsman's reasoning

The ombudsman found that whilst NW provided the correct number and opening hours for Credit Card Services (24/7), the actual error was that Mr N's call was misdirected to the Credit Card Fraud Team despite dialling the Credit Card Services number. The ombudsman could not determine why this misdirection occurred but acknowledged it caused Mr N inconvenience and wasted call costs. The ombudsman rejected Mr N's characterization that the information provided was incorrect, as the Credit Card Services details were accurate. However, the ombudsman found that the misdirection and lack of opening hours information for the Fraud Team during the initial webchat justified compensation for the distress and inconvenience caused.

How this compares

Source

Read the original decision on the Financial Ombudsman Service website