Not upheld: account closure and refund failure complaint against Wise Payments Limited

Decision detail

Summary

Mr B complained that Wise Payments Limited closed his account without explanation and failed to refund a £20 fee he had paid. Wise had previously closed an account opened by Mr B in 2021 after he ignored warnings, and Mr B subsequently attempted to open multiple new accounts which were all deactivated. The ombudsman found Wise acted fairly in closing the account in line with its terms and conditions. Regarding the refund, Wise had attempted payment at least 9 times but the payments failed because Mr B's external bank account was restricted. The ombudsman concluded Wise could not be held responsible for the restrictions imposed by Mr B's bank and therefore did not uphold the complaint.

The Ombudsman's reasoning

The ombudsman found that Wise acted fairly in closing the account in accordance with its terms and conditions, given Mr B's history of ignoring warnings and repeatedly attempting to open new accounts. Regarding the refund, the ombudsman concluded that Wise had made genuine attempts to process the refund but the payments were rejected due to restrictions imposed by Mr B's external bank, which is outside Wise's control. The ombudsman noted that Wise had suggested alternative payment methods, demonstrating willingness to find solutions.

How this compares

Source

Read the original decision on the Financial Ombudsman Service website