Not upheld: failure to protect from financial harm, delayed refunds, miscommunication complaint against Revolut Ltd

Decision detail

Summary

Mr H complained that Revolut allowed hundreds of transactions to overseas gambling companies and failed to protect him as a vulnerable customer. He also complained about misinformation received and delays in obtaining refunds, which caused distress while he was homeless and in A&E. Revolut refunded the transactions within 15 days and offered £150 compensation. The ombudsman found the complaint not upheld, determining that Revolut could not have detected the gambling transactions due to disguised merchant codes and multiple platforms, and that the £150 compensation was fair for the miscommunication and service shortfalls identified.

The Ombudsman's reasoning

The ombudsman found that while Revolut provided some misinformation and could have been more helpful in identifying all disputed transactions given Mr H's vulnerabilities, the firm was not at fault for allowing the gambling transactions (due to disguised merchant codes and multiple platforms), nor for any unreasonable delay in refunds (15 days is acceptable). The £150 compensation offered was proportionate to the service shortfalls in communication and customer service during the investigation.

How this compares

Source

Read the original decision on the Financial Ombudsman Service website