Not upheld: payment handling error and poor customer service complaint against Bank of Scotland plc, trading as Halifax

Decision detail

Summary

Mrs A complained to Halifax about a payment made from her married name account that was received by the business showing her maiden name instead, causing confusion, shipment delays, and reputational concerns. She also complained about poor customer service when discussing the matter with Halifax. Halifax acknowledged poor service and offered £75 compensation but could not identify how the maiden name was disclosed and found no evidence of its responsibility. The ombudsman upheld Halifax's position, finding no evidence that Halifax caused the maiden name to appear on the payment and determining that the £75 compensation for service failures was fair and reasonable.

The Ombudsman's reasoning

The ombudsman concluded it would only be fair to require Halifax to do more if it had made a mistake causing the maiden name to be used. Having considered all evidence, the ombudsman found no reason to doubt Halifax's position that it could not account for the maiden name appearing on the payment and that this matter was outside Halifax's control. Therefore, Halifax could not be held responsible for impacts caused by matters outside its control. The £75 compensation for customer service mistakes was deemed fair and reasonable.

How this compares

Source

Read the original decision on the Financial Ombudsman Service website