Not upheld: customer service and support during transaction block; complaint handling complaint against NewDay Ltd trading as Marbles

Decision detail

Summary

Mr G complained that NewDay blocked his credit card transaction at motorway services during evening hours and failed to provide adequate support to unblock it, forcing him to borrow money from family. NewDay maintained the block was a legitimate fraud prevention measure and that it had provided clear instructions on how to contact them. The ombudsman found that while NewDay could have offered more support options, the actual impact was limited because Mr G was able to access funds from family within minutes, and such inconvenience is reasonably expected from security processes. The complaint was not upheld.

The Ombudsman's reasoning

The ombudsman accepted that NewDay can fairly block transactions for fraud prevention and that some frustration and inconvenience is reasonably expected. While acknowledging that NewDay could have provided more support options (such as automated unblocking via text), the ombudsman found that the actual impact was limited because Mr G was able to access funds from family within minutes to resolve the situation. The ombudsman concluded that the level of impact did not exceed what would be reasonably expected from a security process in these circumstances. Regarding the alleged £50 compensation promise, the ombudsman found NewDay only agreed to request compensation if the complaint was successful, not to pay it unconditionally.

How this compares

Source

Read the original decision on the Financial Ombudsman Service website