Not upheld: Account administration errors complaint against Frasers Group Financial Services Limited trading as Frasers Plus

Decision detail

Summary

Mr H purchased an item from Frasers Plus intending to select a three-month interest-free repayment option but the purchase defaulted to a 36-month interest-bearing plan, resulting in a failed payment and £12 late fee. Mr H complained that the checkout process did not make clear that purchases would default to an interest-bearing plan unless customers took action to select an interest-free option. Frasers Plus removed the fee and adjusted the plan as a gesture of goodwill, but Mr H remained dissatisfied with how the repayment options were presented. The ombudsman found that Frasers Plus had provided sufficient information through drop-down menus, customer letters, and post-purchase communications, and therefore did not uphold the complaint.

The Ombudsman's reasoning

The ombudsman was satisfied that Frasers Plus provided sufficient information about payment plan options and default terms through multiple channels: drop-down menus on the website (which contained clear information about the default interest-bearing plan), a December 2024 letter to all customers explaining the process, and a post-purchase text message offering the option to select an instalment plan. Although the drop-down sections were optional, the ombudsman found the information within them to be clear and accessible. The ombudsman concluded that the information was sufficiently prominent and not misleading or unclear.

How this compares

Source

Read the original decision on the Financial Ombudsman Service website