Not upheld: Service failures generally complaint against Santander UK Plc

Decision detail

Summary

Mr P complained about difficulties opening a current account with Santander, including rejection of identification documents and lack of notification when the application was closed. He also complained about a phone call on 1 December where the call handler would not transfer him to the original complaint handler. The ombudsman found that Santander's identification verification requirements were reasonable and necessary for regulatory compliance, and that the firm applied its policies fairly. The call handler remained professional throughout. Although the process caused inconvenience, no unfair treatment or mistakes were identified, and Mr P suffered no financial impact. The complaint was not upheld.

The Ombudsman's reasoning

The ombudsman found that Santander's requirement for in-branch identification verification was reasonable and necessary to comply with regulatory obligations for customer identification checks. While the application process caused inconvenience and Santander failed to notify Mr P when the application was closed, these issues did not constitute unfair treatment or mistakes in applying Santander's policies. The call handler on 1 December remained professional and polite throughout, and was correct in explaining that calls are not transferred to individual complaint handlers. The ombudsman noted that Mr P suffered inconvenience but no financial impact, and that some level of inconvenience is unavoidable in everyday life.

How this compares

Source

Read the original decision on the Financial Ombudsman Service website