A few days ago in a chat with a COP about a chargeback, when they asked for a ton of extra (in my opinion irrelevant) information, I said ‘it is ok, leave it, any other bank would refund first and reclaim later if the chargeback was lost’. End of discussion as far as I am concerned - it was a low value chargeback and my time is more valuable than to spend getting everything they wanted.
Without my knowledge they have generated an official complaint and given me a final response that they are unable to uphold ‘my’ complaint.
Now, let’s remember I didn’t make a complaint, nor want to make one. They are refusing to withdraw ‘my’ complaint. So I asked them to make it a formal complaint that they are making complaints on my behalf without my knowledge - and they totally ignored the request. So they create complaints when I don’t make them, and refuse to make them when I do request them. What kind of a crazy system is that? They also refuse to escalate.
I’m not asking for advice of what to do next, just venting. I currently have my salary paid in and a chunky house deposit held with them, I will just vote with my wallet instead of taking it further. It just seems crazy how right they can get some things and how wrong they can get others.
Hmm, it does sound like a bit of a mess but I have some sympathy with Monzo. All too often, customers get messed about and, because their dissatisfaction is not registered as a complaint, their issue never gets escalated, investigated, or resolved.
So, I can kind of see how this might happen, and why monzo might have a low threshold for deeming something a complaint.
But… if you’ve basically accepted their view, said you’re not interested in pursuing it, it seems like an odd move to contact you again later to pour salt in old wounds.
I know you’re not asking for advise per se but you should consider complaining to the FCA anyway. If those are the kind of games they play then maybe a formal complaint costing them £550 might make them think twice
A conversation I was having about getting refunded for the original Plus, was turned into a complaint without me asking. First I knew of it was a message saying my complaint was being investigated.
My “complaint” was upheld and I got my fees refunded and £20 on top, so I didn’t take it any further. Thought it a bit strange at the time though.
I can only assume they generate a complaint automatically whenever anyone indicates any kind of dissatisfaction in order to comply with FCA/TCF rules as closely as possible:
any oral or written expression of dissatisfaction, whether justified or not, from, or on behalf of, a person about the provision of, or failure to provide, a financial service, claims management service or a redress determination, which:
(a) alleges that the complainant has suffered (or may suffer) financial loss, material distress or material inconvenience; and
It is exactly this.
I work for a large telecommunications company, and we have to open a complaint on our system whenever a customer expresses dissatisfaction. A customer doesn’t have to specify they wish to open a complaint.
This is to ensure we are compliant with Ofcom complaint handling and recording.
I assume it’s similar for banking.
8 Likes
phildawson
(Sorry, I will have to escalate this.)
9
I had Monzo create a few on my behalf before. No idea on how they decide on the amounts but I’ve had these deposits.
phildawson
(Sorry, I will have to escalate this.)
10
I like the idea of this being taken further to the ombudsman so you want to make a complaint about a bank not creating a complaint about them making a complaint on your behalf.
Wouldn’t it be great if you could raise your complaint in app, without needing to speak to human person, pick your level of compensation, get paid out, close your complaint, job done.
You don’t have to say the words “I want to make a complaint” for it to be raised as a complaint, and that’s industry practice, and definitely happens with other banks.
Any payments takes into account distress and inconvenience, and there will be a formula behind what is paid and when.
It does sound a bit bizarre in the OPs circumstances but it depends what was said between the OP and the COP. If you complain that they’re asking for information that you think is irrelevant or that they’re not doing what’s expected, then they may have taken that as a serious complaint (as they should actually).
Maybe, when a complaint is created in this way, perhaps it would help to send a message along the lines of “We understand that you have expressed dissatisfaction with our service or product. In order to fully comply with FCA guidelines, we are required to raise this as a complaint on your behalf.”
An interesting point, I work for an insurance company and my team manage the complaint system and I know we don’t make a distinction been the person asking or us raising it.
Complaints have to fit into root cause codes and they are fed back to the FCA.
A lot of the time an FCA regulated business may raise a complaint without you actually realising it. As long as it is fully resolved by the third business day of being opened then it is usually done under the more informal route rather than the more formal FRL letters
does not compute…
“Here have £50 and please go away”