Not upheld: promotional offer dispute / alleged discrimination complaint against Monzo Bank Ltd

Decision detail

Summary

Miss F complained that Monzo's refer-a-friend promotion should have paid her £50 instead of the £10 she received, claiming the app showed £50 before crashing. She also alleged discrimination as a disabled person. Monzo's system records, dated and time-stamped, showed she was allocated £10 under the random 'mystery reward' mechanism (£10, £20, or £50), and Monzo had already made a £25 goodwill payment. The ombudsman found Monzo's documented system records more reliable than Miss F's unsupported recollection and found no evidence of discrimination, therefore not upholding the complaint.

The Ombudsman's reasoning

The ombudsman applied the balance of probabilities standard, finding Monzo's dated and time-stamped system records showing a £10 allocation more reliable than Miss F's unsupported recollection. Although Miss F's account of what she saw was honest, the ombudsman determined that as an evidence-based service, greater weight must be given to documented system records. Regarding the discrimination claim, the ombudsman noted that while Courts determine unlawfulness under the Equality Act 2010, the FOS must consider fairness and reasonableness. No specific evidence of discrimination was submitted, and Monzo's actions appeared driven solely by the promotion's terms and operational mechanisms.

How this compares

Source

Read the original decision on the Financial Ombudsman Service website