Not upheld: service failure - technical issue preventing app access and inadequate initial customer support complaint against Clydesdale Financial Services Limited trading as Barclays Partner Finance

Decision detail

Summary

Mr O complained that Barclays treated him unfairly after a technical issue prevented him from accessing his running-account credit agreement and instalment plan information through the Barclays app from July 2025 onwards. Barclays initially asked Mr O to reinstall the app multiple times without success, but later confirmed the issue was caused by a technical fault with no confirmed resolution timescale. Barclays acknowledged Mr O's mental health conditions and the distress caused by repeated contact, offering £200 compensation which Mr O negotiated into a £289.50 balance reduction (50% of the £579 balance). The ombudsman found that while Barclays could have been more proactive initially, it appropriately handled the complaint after escalation, did not mislead Mr O about resolution prospects, and provided fair compensation through the balance reduction, as Mr O retained alternative means of accessing account information and was able to make all payments.

The Ombudsman's reasoning

The ombudsman accepted that the technical issue caused Mr O ongoing distress and inconvenience, particularly given his mental health conditions, and that Barclays could have been more proactive initially. However, the ombudsman found that: (1) Barclays appropriately acknowledged Mr O's vulnerability and mental health conditions during the 21 August call; (2) Barclays did not promise the issue would be resolved within a reasonable timeframe; (3) Mr O was not pressured into accepting the offer and confidently negotiated the balance reduction; (4) the issue did not prevent Mr O from making payments or accessing key information (alternative phone access was available); (5) the £289.50 balance reduction (approximately 50% of the balance) was fair compensation for the distress, inconvenience, and lack of app access throughout the plan term. The ombudsman applied the FCA Consumer Duty framework and concluded that while Barclays could have done better initially, its response after escalation was appropriate and the remedy offered was fair.

How this compares

Source

Read the original decision on the Financial Ombudsman Service website