Not upheld: service complaint - call handling and customer conduct complaint against Nationwide Building Society

Decision detail

Summary

Miss M complained about how Nationwide handled her call regarding a missing payment to her closed account and about receiving a warning regarding her communication style. The ombudsman reviewed the call recording and found that while there was a misunderstanding about which reference codes could be used, the agent remained professional overall. Although Miss M made critical comments expressing frustration, she did not shout or swear. The ombudsman determined that Nationwide acted reasonably in providing guidance about respectful communication with staff and had taken appropriate steps to locate the payment, ultimately not upholding the complaint.

The Ombudsman's reasoning

The ombudsman found that while there was a misunderstanding about which codes could be used, Nationwide's agent remained polite and professional overall. Although Miss M expressed frustration through critical comments, she did not shout or swear. The ombudsman determined that Nationwide acted reasonably in outlining expectations for respectful communication with staff and did not act unreasonably in issuing guidance on this matter. Nationwide took appropriate steps to locate the payment and provided adequate complaint investigation with referral rights.

How this compares

Source

Read the original decision on the Financial Ombudsman Service website