Not upheld: branch service conduct and customer treatment complaint against Nationwide Building Society

Decision detail

Summary

Mr W complained that during a branch visit on 13 December 2025, he was directed to an alternative cashier and another customer pushed in front of him. He also objected to Nationwide handling his complaint via phone call rather than letter as requested. The ombudsman reviewed available phone recordings and found the incident was caused by another customer's actions, not Nationwide staff. The ombudsman concluded that Nationwide did not treat Mr W unfairly and that it was not reasonable to expect staff to intervene in a minor disagreement. The complaint was not upheld, and complaint handling procedures were found to be outside the ombudsman's jurisdiction.

The Ombudsman's reasoning

The ombudsman agreed with the investigator that the incident was caused by another customer's actions rather than Nationwide staff conduct. While Nationwide has a duty to maintain order and ensure a safe environment, the ombudsman did not consider it fair to expect staff to intervene in what appeared to be a relatively minor customer disagreement. The complaint handling process itself falls outside the ombudsman's jurisdiction under FCA DISP rules.

How this compares

Source

Read the original decision on the Financial Ombudsman Service website