Here are some case studies, which are based on actual complaints received by Financial Dispute Resolution Service and how they were resolved. All identifying information has been removed.
Latest Case studies
Bernadette* purchased a new vacuum cleaner online from a ‘big box’ retailer on ‘buy now, pay later’ terms. She made the first payment of $149.25 on the day of purchase and the remaining payments in each of the following three months. The vacuum was paid for in full before it was due to be delivered.
Arapeta* had been struggling with his financial situation for most of his adult life. He is the sole caregiver for four young children and works when he can fit it in around the children’s needs. He receives the Sole Parent Support benefit and Accommodation Supplement from WINZ and some income from employment when he can get work but his total income from both sources is only enough to meet his family’s day-to-day needs. Whenever he needed money for additional or unexpected items such as vehicle repairs, Christmas and birthday presents for the children or back-to-school expenses, Arapeta borrowed the amount required from a small local lender.
Buying a holiday home is not all about buckets and spades
Andrew and Ben* decided to buy a holiday home that was being built in a tourist hotspot. The Agreement for Sale and Purchase allowed them 10 days to undertake due diligence and finance before confirming the purchase. During this period, they engaged a mortgage broker as well as an accountant and a lawyer. Each of the three advisors were sent information about the property and the couple’s intention to live there part-time along with renting it out at other times.
Michaela* used the services of a financial service provider (FSP) to assist her in restructuring her personal lending. She later sold some significant assets and repaid her lending earlier than expected. She was aware that this would incur an early repayment fee (clawback) to her bank but was not aware that her FSP provider would also charge her a clawback fee for their services if she repaid the loan early.
Small loans can cause big problems
Dorothy* had taken out a series of small cash advance loans from a lender over a period of 12 years. She contacted FDRS as she had fallen behind in her payments and the loan was sent to a debt collector.
FDRS was approached by a Financial Mentor on behalf of their client. The client purchased a vehicle from a dealership in 2022. The client paid a deposit, and the balance was funded by way of a financial arrangement with a financial provider.
A customer agreed to buy an Xbox from an online provider as a present for her nephew. The customer agreed to pay the purchase price in weekly instalments on the understanding that after 12 instalments, the Xbox would be delivered to her. She would pay the rest of the purchase price off while getting to use the Xbox. This means it was a layby sales agreement. Despite the customer having paid all the instalments as agreed, the Xbox was not delivered on time.
Non-disclosure of previous medical conditions
To reduce the cost of their premiums, the customer engaged an insurance advisor to review their policy and upon their advice, changed their provider. Later, they discovered that they were not covered by their new insurance policy due to pre-existing medical conditions. The customer claims they disclosed their conditions to the advisor and believes the application had been altered, with the conditions omitted from the application.
A question of cover – burglary on a building site
The customer was building their own home and had engaged with a financial service provider to ensure that they were protected during the construction of the house. Unfortunately, there was a burglary of the trade-related tools and materials onsite. When the customer proceeded to claim compensation for the burglary, they were informed that the tools and materials had not been part of their cover.
A Customer's complaint concerning the transfer of their Australian superannuation funds to their New Zealand KiwiSaver fund was referred to the Financial Dispute Resolution Service (FDRS). The Customer claims they were misinformed about the process of transferring their funds by cheque when there were other options available that would not have caused significant delays and subsequent monetary loss.
We received a complaint from a customer about a loan company. The customer had taken out a loan in early 2020 and the loan company lodged a caveat on the title of a property owned by this customer. Over the course of the loan, the customer fell behind on repayments.
The customer and her husband had been paying insurance premiums since 2014 for life insurance and funeral costs. They recently found out that they were actually only covered for accident and funeral costs. This is not what their insurance agent had told them they were covered for, and the couple believed they were misled. They wanted the policies to be cancelled and to receive a refund on the funeral cover paid.
A customer had an existing mortgage with his bank. He intended to subdivide his section and approached a mortgage broker to secure a second loan from another lender to complete this work. He signed a Service Agreement which noted that typically there was no cost to the customer for their services as they obtain commission from the lenders, however there were exceptions and fees were listed for such.
Unsafe relationship and unaffordable loan
A customer was in unsafe relationship when, together with his partner, they took out a loan. The customer felt his partner pressured him into applying for the loan but did not say anything to the financial institution about the physical and mental abuse they were experiencing.
A customer fell significantly behind on her loan repayments. She was struggling to make ends meet and concerned about the impact that debt collection would have on her. She contacted a local budgeting service for help.
When is a settlement offer reasonable?
A customer signed up for an account with a Contract for Difference (CFD**) provider. Over a short period of time, she incurred substantial losses. She raised a complaint about how the provider operated and the resulting loss of her deposited funds.
This complaint involved an international money transfer service which had technical issues, resulting in issues processing the transfer of funds.
Commercial Building Insurance Rate Review
This dispute concerned an alleged failure to reassess an insurance premium following the commencement of the policy.
A reasonable opportunity to pay before repossession
In late 2019 Ms C took out a loan and used her car as security for the loan. Only a couple of months later Ms C experienced financial hardship when a fire damaged her home.
A mechanical failure should not leave you out of pocket
When Ms N bought an old car, she took out vehicle insurance against mechanical failures. Shortly thereafter the car’s engine broke and Ms N got a quote to have it replaced.
This case involved the cancellation of online trading and withholding of customer funds for an alleged breach of obligations on the part of the customer.
Simon* made a claim, but it was denied due to pre-existing conditions. Unsatisfied, Simon contacted Financial Dispute Resolution Service (FDRS) to complain about the broker and the advice provided...
Despite a specialist assurance, Laura's insurer declined her gearbox repair claim three times. Laura* found it disappointing that her insurer disagreed with the specialist opinion and declined her claims. She made a complaint to her insurer and they offered $1000 goodwill. Laura did not accept the goodwill offer and got in touch with Financial Dispute Resolution Service...
Kiara* contacted Financial Dispute Resolution Service about a clawback fee being charged...
Years of talk but no communication
The Financial Dispute Resolution Service team received several calls and emails from a customer within a short timeframe. Sean* was extremely frustrated and felt that he has been going around in circles with his insurance broker...
After withdrawing from a training programme and proposed investment, the customers sought a refund...
A couple got in touch with Financial Dispute Resolution Service when their insurer declined their claim for a repair...
Max and Alice* were approached by a financial adviser about their insurance needs. The couple had very little insurance and having just purchased a new home, needed financial advice...
An older couple had been clients of an authorised financial adviser for over 20 years...
A newly wed couple were the owners of a young puppy and they took out pet insurance. At four months of age, the puppy developed a condition, which required a trip to the vet. The examination revealed their young dog needed a costly examination...
Disclosure on both sides is important
A single-parent needed to borrow funds for several expenses and Christmas gifts...
Early Resolution – A Question of Commission Claw Back
We had a call from Mr Jones* who wanted to make a complaint about his adviser...
Disagreement Over Purchase Agreement
Lou* approached Financial Dispute Resolution Service with a complaint concerning one of our members that centred around the interpretation of a particular clause...
The importance of not jumping to conclusions
One of the indicators of a member who might be finding themselves in trouble is an increase in complaints arriving with their...
The Mortgage Broker – lending advice or losses
Jane sought financial advice following her separation from her partner. At the time, Jane had a number of loans with...
Previous Case studies
An animal owner took out an insurance policy for his horse through a New Zealand insurer’s online application. The application was made during a holiday weekend in which he intended to collect the newly purchased horse. However, ....
Mariama had a credit with a mobile phone provider that she no longer used. Her budget adviser contacted the company asking the credit be paid to Mariama’s bank account and the account be closed...
Apology worth its weight in gold
Bob, a customer of an independent financial adviser, came to Financial Dispute Resolution Service with a complaint about his interactions with his adviser. Bob felt that his adviser had misled him about...
Sarah needed help with a whole of life insurance policy against which she had taken out a loan. A financial adviser gave her several options. She chose the option...
Annamaria applied for a life insurance policy. She talked to an insurance agent, answered medical questions and provided general information about her health – including...
A family came to Financial Dispute Resolution Service feeling that their insurance broker had neglected to ensure that their medical insurance cover continued to be adequate, fit for purpose, and financially smart. They discovered...
Exotic currency pairs & geo- political change
An online currency trader with a taste for the exotic was left high and dry when a sudden geopolitical change blew his margins and his broker wanted a top-up...
Sam took out a $10,000 loan with a finance company to help with his struggling business. To secure this loan, Sam’s father, Joseph, provided a guarantee, which was secured by a mortgage on Joseph’s home...
Louie wanted to use his KiwiSaver funds to build a new home. The problem was whether he qualified as a first-time homebuyer...
Homeowner, Builder and Insurer
James contracted a builder to build his new house. Toward the end of the construction, James raised several defects with the builder...
James, a tourist to New Zealand was asked to pay a refundable bond for a car rental. If the car was returned undamaged, the bond would be refunded. James made the payment on his credit card...
Tom’s dream of buying his first-home was stalled when the advice he took went wrong – and there was no documentation to back him up...
Jeannie took out a $3,000 loan to help ease the stress of a difficult financial period. Based on her good payment history, a year later she received a text saying she was approved for a loan top-up...
Robert took out a short-term loan and wanted to pay it back in full six months later. It was then that he looked at the loan paperwork and saw that he had been charged a loan processing fee, a broker fee...
Trading online and forced liquidation
Margaret claimed she suffered a loss of over $30,000 USD while trading via an online foreign exchange trading platform. She complained that an order was incorrectly closed by a “forced liquidation”...