Partially upheld: unfair termination handling, failure to respect communication preferences, inadequate vulnerability management complaint against STARTLINE MOTOR FINANCE LIMITED

Decision detail

Summary

Miss E complained that Startline unfairly terminated her hire purchase agreement, refused her voluntary termination request, and mishandled her vulnerabilities and communication preferences. After experiencing financial difficulties and long-term sickness absence in 2025, Miss E disclosed mental health difficulties and requested written-only communication, but Startline continued telephone contact and terminated the agreement in September 2025. When Miss E requested voluntary termination in November 2025, Startline declined on the basis the agreement had already ended. The ombudsman found the termination and refusal were procedurally fair but upheld the complaint in part due to Startline's failure to respect communication preferences and adequately handle vulnerabilities, awarding £150 compensation.

The Ombudsman's reasoning

The ombudsman found that Startline validly terminated the agreement before Miss E's voluntary termination request in November 2025, making the refusal of that request fair. However, Startline failed to properly handle Miss E's vulnerabilities and communication preferences by continuing telephone contact after she explicitly requested written-only communication due to mental health difficulties. This caused additional distress during an already difficult period.

How this compares

Source

Read the original decision on the Financial Ombudsman Service website