Not upheld: Service failures generally complaint against Bank of Scotland plc trading as Halifax

Decision detail

Summary

Mr K complained to the Financial Ombudsman Service about poor customer service from Halifax when attempting to raise a chargeback. His app failed, forcing him to use a chat facility with delayed responses, and he was directed to a closed disputes department on two occasions. Halifax upheld his complaint and offered £150 compensation, which Mr K rejected, requesting approximately £300 and a written apology. The ombudsman found that while Halifax caused distress and inconvenience, the £150 compensation was fair because Halifax had no record of Mr K's support needs at the time of the incident and therefore could not have been expected to make reasonable adjustments. The ombudsman rejected Mr K's request for additional compensation and a further apology.

The Ombudsman's reasoning

The ombudsman acknowledged that Halifax caused Mr K distress and inconvenience through the failed app, delayed chat responses, and being directed to a closed department twice. However, since Halifax had no record of Mr K's support needs at the time of the incident, they could not have been expected to make reasonable adjustments. The complaint handler's conduct during the resolution process was respectful and appropriate. The £150 compensation offered was proportionate to the distress and inconvenience suffered, and an additional written apology was not necessary as Halifax had already apologised in their final response letter and during phone calls.

How this compares

Source

Read the original decision on the Financial Ombudsman Service website