Not upheld: Service failures generally complaint against Nationwide Building Society
Financial Ombudsman decision DRN-6238528 of 2026-07-07T00:00:00+00:00. Service failures generally complaint against Nationwide Building Society. Outcome: Not upheld.
Decision detail
| Reference | DRN-6238528 |
|---|---|
| Decision date | 2026-07-07T00:00:00+00:00 |
| Firm | Nationwide Building Society |
| Product | Current account |
| Claim type | Service failures generally |
| Outcome | Not upheld |
| Remedy | None |
Summary
Mr A switched his bank account to Nationwide to claim a £175 switch incentive but did not receive it. Nationwide rejected his complaint because he opened a FlexBasic account, which was not one of the three eligible account types (FlexDirect, FlexAccount, or FlexPlus). Mr A argued the eligibility criteria were not made clear. The ombudsman found the criteria were sufficiently clear and that Mr A simply did not meet them by opening an ineligible account type, so the complaint was not upheld.
The Ombudsman's reasoning
The ombudsman found that whilst a warning from Nationwide's eligibility checker when Mr A selected the FlexBasic account might have been helpful, the criteria for the switch incentive were clear. Mr A did not meet the eligibility criteria as he did not open one of the three specified account types. Nationwide therefore did not act unfairly in refusing to pay the incentive.
How this compares
| Group | Decisions | Uphold rate |
|---|---|---|
| Nationwide Building Society, all decisions | 13,302 | 21% |
| Service failures generally, all decisions | 34,229 | 32% |
| Current account, all decisions | 48,691 | 19% |
Source
Read the original decision on the Financial Ombudsman Service website