Partially upheld: payment error, service failure, and incorrect advice complaint against Revolut Ltd

Decision detail

Summary

Ms L complained that Revolut sent a £1,000 payment to the wrong recipient due to a system error and provided poor service when attempting to recall the payment. The ombudsman found the payment was validly sent to an account Ms L had selected, not a system error, but Revolut failed to initiate the recall within required timeframes and gave Ms L incorrect information suggesting the funds would likely be recovered. Although the funds had been spent and could not be recovered regardless of Revolut's actions, the ombudsman partially upheld the complaint, ordering Revolut to pay an additional £75 compensation for the service failures and misleading advice, in addition to the £75 already paid.

The Ombudsman's reasoning

The ombudsman found that while Ms L selected an existing payee, the evidence did not demonstrate a system error occurred. The payment was validly sent to the account Ms L selected. However, Revolut failed to initiate the payment recall within the required two working days and submitted an incorrect category code, causing delays. Although these delays did not ultimately affect the outcome (the funds had already been spent), Revolut provided incorrect and conflicting information to Ms L during multiple contacts, misleading her about the likelihood of fund recovery and causing distress. The £75 already paid was appropriate for the procedural delays, but an additional £75 was warranted for the poor service and incorrect advice.

How this compares

Source

Read the original decision on the Financial Ombudsman Service website