Not upheld: service failure / inability to remove offensive content from bank statement complaint against Wise Payments Limited

Decision detail

Summary

Miss L complained that her ex-partner included offensive comments when repaying money, which appeared on her bank statement, and requested Wise remove them and block the sender. Wise referred the matter to its extra care team, contacted the ex-partner about the acceptable use policy breach, and paid £80 compensation for poor customer support, but explained it could not modify the transfer data for compliance and audit reasons. The ombudsman found that Wise's actions were appropriate and proportionate, that no further incidents had occurred, and that Wise lacked the technical and regulatory power to alter the bank statement references. The complaint was not upheld, and no further action was ordered.

The Ombudsman's reasoning

The ombudsman accepted that Wise did not have the technical or regulatory power to alter the references on the bank statement as they originated from the transfer itself. The ombudsman found that Wise's actions in contacting the ex-partner and warning them about the acceptable use policy breach were appropriate and proportionate. The ombudsman noted that no further incidents had occurred, suggesting the warning was effective. The ombudsman could not order Wise to alter its processes or block the sender entirely, as the comments related to a dispute between the parties about monies owed. The £80 compensation for poor customer support was deemed appropriate.

How this compares

Source

Read the original decision on the Financial Ombudsman Service website