The Ombudsman's final decision
Summary: We will not investigate this complaint about a £5 refund for an Oyster card. This is because there is insufficient evidence of injustice.
The complaint
The complainant, whom I refer to as Ms X, says the Authority gave inaccurate information about an Oyster card refund which meant she lost out on £5. Ms X wants the Authority to give her a £5 refund.
The Ombudsman’s role and powers
The Ombudsman investigates complaints about ‘maladministration’ and ‘service failure’, which we call ‘fault’. We must also consider whether any fault has had an adverse impact on the person making the complaint, which we call ‘injustice’. We provide a free service, but must use public money carefully. We do not start an investigation if we decide any injustice is not significant enough to justify our involvement. (Local Government Act 1974, section 24A(6))
How I considered this complaint
I considered information provided by Ms X and the Authority. This includes the complaint correspondence. I also considered the Ombudsman’s Assessment Code.
My assessment
Ms X says the Authority told her she could not get a refund of the £5 administration fee for her Oyster card. Ms X cancelled the card. Ms X says another officer then told her she could have had a refund if she had kept the card for a year. Ms X says she would kept the card for another four months if the Authority had advised her correctly in the first call. The Authority says it has listened to the call and it gave her the correct advice. The Authority has declined to give Ms X £5.
Ms X says the Authority has treated her badly and she wants the refund.
I appreciate Ms X says she was misadvised by the Authority and feels she has been treated unfairly. But, a dispute over £5 does not represent a level of injustice which warrants an investigation.
Final decision
We will not investigate this complaint because there is insufficient evidence of injustice.
Investigator's decision on behalf of the Ombudsman