Not upheld: service quality, technical issues with mobile banking app, policy on phone payments complaint against Nationwide Building Society

Decision detail

Summary

Mr S complained about technical problems with Nationwide Building Society's mobile banking app that prevented him from making payments, and about Nationwide's refusal to make a payment over the phone when the app was unavailable. He also objected to behavioural warnings issued by Nationwide and felt the firm did not consider his vulnerability. The ombudsman found that while Mr S did experience technical problems evidenced by error messages, these were limited to app access and he had alternative ways to access his account and make payments. Nationwide's policy on phone payments was reasonable and alternative payment methods were available. The behavioural warnings were issued with context. The complaint was not upheld, though Nationwide's £15 offer for a long hold time was acknowledged as appropriate.

The Ombudsman's reasoning

The ombudsman acknowledged that Mr S experienced technical problems with the app, as evidenced by error messages, but found that these issues were limited to app access rather than account access generally. Since Mr S had alternative ways to access his account and services (such as online banking), the inconvenience did not warrant compensation. Regarding the phone payment request, the ombudsman found Nationwide's policy reasonable and noted that alternative payment methods were available to Mr S. The behavioural warnings were issued with context and Nationwide was entitled to take such action. The £15 offer for the long hold time was considered a helpful gesture.

How this compares

Source

Read the original decision on the Financial Ombudsman Service website