Not upheld: Service failures generally complaint against National Savings and Investments (NS&I)

Decision detail

Summary

Mr C, representing the estate of Mrs C who died in March 2025, complained about NS&I's bereavement administration processes. He objected to being sent duplicate paperwork, requests for a death certificate despite providing a Grant of Probate, an unsolicited cash-in form, and a change in prize payment method from bank transfer to post. NS&I investigated and awarded £30 compensation for incorrect opening hours information but otherwise maintained its processes were appropriate. The ombudsman found NS&I acted within its terms and conditions and treated the estate fairly, noting that businesses are entitled to determine their own processes and that inconvenience alone does not constitute an error.

The Ombudsman's reasoning

The ombudsman acknowledged the limits of the FOS remit, noting that businesses are entitled to make commercial decisions about their processes and services. While sympathetic to Mr C's inconvenience, the ombudsman found that NS&I acted within its terms and conditions and treated the estate fairly. The only identifiable error was incorrect opening hours information, for which NS&I had already provided compensation. The ombudsman could not require NS&I to alter its bereavement procedures as this falls outside the FOS's power to demand changes to business practices.

How this compares

Source

Read the original decision on the Financial Ombudsman Service website