Upheld: accessibility failure and misinformation regarding product availability complaint against Monzo Bank Limited

Decision detail

Summary

Mr C, who has a sight impairment with light sensitivity, requested a blue debit card from Monzo instead of the standard coral card. Monzo initially stated the blue card was only available with a paid subscription, later correcting this to say it was no longer available. Monzo offered alternative access methods but Mr C preferred a physical card. The ombudsman found that while requiring Monzo to issue a non-standard card may not have been reasonable, Monzo's misinformation and late complaint response constituted service failures. The complaint was upheld and Monzo was directed to pay £80 total compensation (£25 for late response, £55 for misinformation).

The Ombudsman's reasoning

The ombudsman determined that while the FOS cannot rule on Equality Act breaches (only courts can), it can assess fairness and reasonableness. The ombudsman found that asking Monzo to issue a card unavailable to other customers on the same account type may not have been reasonable given cost, practicality, and organisational size. However, Monzo's provision of incorrect information about card availability was a service failure. The ombudsman considered Monzo's early subscription to the accessible cards code as evidence of commitment to accessibility. Since Mr C had closed his account, the focus shifted to compensation for service failures rather than ongoing card provision.

How this compares

Source

Read the original decision on the Financial Ombudsman Service website