Partially upheld: accessibility barriers and failure to provide information about alternative communication methods complaint against Clydesdale Bank Plc trading as Virgin Money

Decision detail

Summary

Mr K complained that Virgin Money refused to accept sensitive personal information by email and failed to adequately support his accessibility needs as a disabled customer located outside the UK. Virgin Money declined email submission for security reasons but offered alternative channels including a secure document upload facility, which it failed to mention initially. The ombudsman found Virgin Money's refusal to accept email was reasonable given security risks and that the secure upload option provided a practical accessible alternative. The £30 compensation offered for the failure to highlight this option was deemed fair and proportionate, and no additional compensation was awarded.

The Ombudsman's reasoning

The ombudsman found that while Virgin Money failed to highlight the secure document upload option initially, it was reasonable for the firm to decline email submission of sensitive documents due to security risks. The secure upload facility provided a practical and accessible alternative that could be used independently and from outside the UK, satisfying reasonable adjustment obligations. The £30 compensation offered was proportionate to the non-financial impact of the one-off service failing, with limited and non-severe consequences.

How this compares

Source

Read the original decision on the Financial Ombudsman Service website