Not upheld: Debt collection practices complaint against Glow Financial Services Limited (trading as Samsung Finance (Glow))

Decision detail

Summary

Mr O purchased a phone in July 2023 using a fixed sum loan from Glow with a final balloon payment of £494.70. In October 2025, after contacting Glow about buying a new phone, he purchased a replacement directly from Samsung using a credit card and trade-in scheme, receiving a £367 discount. When Glow pursued him for the outstanding balance on the original loan, Mr O claimed he had been told the balance would be cleared as part of the new purchase. The ombudsman found no evidence supporting Mr O's claim that Glow representatives made such assurances, noting that Mr O had used Samsung's separate trade-in scheme rather than the Flex scheme promoted by Glow. The ombudsman concluded Glow acted fairly in seeking repayment and reporting missed payments, and did not uphold the complaint.

The Ombudsman's reasoning

The ombudsman applied the balance of probabilities standard, finding that without telephone recordings or written communications, it would be unfair to conclude Glow provided misleading information. The ombudsman noted that the Flex lounge link provided by Glow made no mention of additional trade-in value, and Mr O actually used a separate Samsung trade-in scheme. The ombudsman found it economically implausible that Glow would have agreed to waive approximately £500 in addition to the £367 trade-in discount, as this would have represented an unreasonable loss. Glow's actions in pursuing the debt and reporting missed payments were found to be fair and reasonable.

How this compares

Source

Read the original decision on the Financial Ombudsman Service website