Not upheld: service failure and complaint handling complaint against Curve UK Limited

Decision detail

Summary

Mr S complained to Curve UK Limited after experiencing duplicate transaction authorisations from company S that resulted in £96 being held against his account. Although the funds were eventually refunded automatically, Mr S felt Curve provided insufficient support, unclear guidance on what evidence was needed, and delayed responses. Curve acknowledged the frustration and offered £25 compensation, which Mr S rejected and escalated to the FOS. The ombudsman found that Curve processed the authorisations correctly according to card scheme rules and that while service could have been better, the £25 compensation was fair and reasonable, resulting in the complaint not being upheld.

The Ombudsman's reasoning

The ombudsman found that Curve processed the authorisation requests in line with card scheme rules and that Mr S's bank marked the funds as pending. While Curve could have provided clearer guidance about what additional evidence would be acceptable and could have acted more quickly, the ombudsman determined that Curve acted fairly and reasonably within its remit regarding the transactions and authorisations. The ombudsman noted that Curve's decision not to contact company S directly was reasonable given GDPR concerns and the impracticality of doing so for its customer base. The ombudsman acknowledged that complaint handling and process changes are outside the remit of the FOS and are matters for the FCA. The ombudsman concluded that the £25 compensation already paid was fair and reasonable compensation for the service shortcomings.

How this compares

Source

Read the original decision on the Financial Ombudsman Service website