Not upheld: Complaints handling failures complaint against Nationwide Building Society

Decision detail

Summary

Miss J complained that Nationwide Building Society unfairly declined her applications for FlexDirect, FlexAccount or FlexPlus accounts (which qualified for a switching incentive) and instead offered her a FlexBasic account without transparent explanation. She also complained about poor complaint handling. The ombudsman found that Nationwide had discretion in account offerings, that Miss J was not eligible for the accounts she wanted based on available data, and that the £50 compensation and apology already provided for poor complaint handling were fair and proportionate. The complaint was not upheld.

The Ombudsman's reasoning

The ombudsman found that businesses have discretion in deciding which accounts to offer customers based on eligibility criteria. The available information indicated that Miss J's applications were not fully submitted and that she was not eligible for the accounts she wanted. At the relevant time, there was no requirement for Nationwide to provide reasons for account decisions. While Nationwide's complaint handling service was acknowledged to have fallen short, the £50 compensation and apology were considered proportionate to the impact.

How this compares

Source

Read the original decision on the Financial Ombudsman Service website