Partially upheld: breach of confidentiality / delayed investigation complaint against Barclays Bank UK PLC

Decision detail

Summary

Mr B complained that Barclays breached confidentiality by sending a text message to his wife's mobile number revealing a savings account he had opened in his name only as a surprise. The ombudsman found that while Mr B intended to keep the account secret, he had confirmed the contact details (including his wife's number) were correct during the application process, so no confidentiality breach occurred. However, the ombudsman upheld the complaint in part, finding that Barclays failed to investigate and clarify the situation promptly, causing Mr B unnecessary distress and inconvenience. The ombudsman awarded £250 compensation, recognising that Barclays could have resolved the matter sooner and mitigated the distress caused.

The Ombudsman's reasoning

The ombudsman found that Mr B confirmed the contact details (including his wife's mobile number) were correct before finalising his application, even though he may not have given this careful thought. Therefore, no breach of confidentiality occurred. However, Barclays failed to investigate and clarify what had happened promptly, causing Mr B unnecessary distress and inconvenience. The ombudsman recognised that while no error was made in sending the text, Barclays' delayed investigation caused avoidable distress.

How this compares

Source

Read the original decision on the Financial Ombudsman Service website