Not upheld: account opening difficulties and identity verification technical issues complaint against Revolut Ltd

Decision detail

Summary

Mr C complained that Revolut made it difficult to open an account due to an NFC passport chip reading issue during the KYC process, and was unhappy with the length of time taken to resolve it and Revolut's complaint handling. Revolut acknowledged the technical issue, escalated it to the appropriate team, and after several days the software issue was resolved. Revolut upheld Mr C's complaint and offered £25 compensation. The ombudsman did not uphold the complaint, finding that Revolut responded fairly and reasonably to the technical issue and that the £25 compensation was appropriate, while also noting that complaint handling is outside the FOS's jurisdiction.

The Ombudsman's reasoning

The ombudsman found that while technical issues can occur, Revolut responded appropriately by escalating the matter and working to resolve it. Although resolution took longer than initially advised, Revolut acted quickly upon becoming aware of the issue. The ombudsman assessed that the £25 compensation already paid by Revolut was fair and reasonable given the circumstances, as it recognized the distress and inconvenience caused. The ombudsman also noted that complaint handling itself is not within the FOS's jurisdiction under FCA DISP rules.

How this compares

Source

Read the original decision on the Financial Ombudsman Service website