Not upheld: Service failures generally complaint against LRUK (Retail) Ltd trading as La Redoute

Decision detail

Summary

Miss M complained that LRUK treated her unfairly when she attempted to place an order in January 2026 while her credit facility was in arrears due to financial difficulties. Although she offered to pay upfront with a debit card, LRUK cancelled her orders citing their policy against accepting new orders on accounts in arrears. Miss M was refunded and eventually completed her purchase through a separate account. The ombudsman found that LRUK's policy was reasonable as it prevents consumers from accumulating further debt, and that their handling of the complaint process was appropriate. The complaint was not upheld.

The Ombudsman's reasoning

The ombudsman found that LRUK acted reasonably in refusing new orders on an account in arrears, as this policy helps prevent consumers from getting into further debt. While sympathising with Miss M's frustration at paying upfront, the ombudsman accepted LRUK's explanation for the refusal. The language 'allowed' the order through was found to be explanatory rather than intentionally distressing, and LRUK's complaints process explanation was appropriate.

How this compares

Source

Read the original decision on the Financial Ombudsman Service website