Man who complained about NatWest Pride decorations told he can use online banking instead
NatWest told the customer to stick to online banking. (Getty)
NatWest told the customer to stick to online banking. (Getty)
A customer who complained about a Pride campaign at his local branch of NatWest has had his complaint rejected and been told he can bank online or send someone else to the bank on his behalf.
Details of a complaint about the banking group from last July revealed that the customer, known only as Mr J in documents, tried to make his local branch remove Pride-related materials, which he said he found offensive.
Mr J claimed that Pride Month items inside the branch caused him emotional distress, based on his religion and disabilities. The bank refused to take down the decorations, pointing out that he could have done his banking online rather than at the branch.
According to an article in The Telegraph, the details of which were confirmed by NatWest as accurate, in an email to PinkNews, the complainant escalated the issue by contacting the Financial Ombudsman Service in November, claiming that the bank had violated the 2010 Equality Act by refusing to make adjustments for him.
However, the ombudsman ruled in favour of NatWest, saying the bank had a right to display pro-LGBTQ+ items in branches.
“NatWest is a bank that has chosen to display Pride materials along with other paraphernalia at certain times of the year,” wrote Danielle Padden in her judgement. “As a service, we wouldn’t be able to tell them not to do that, as they are entitled to celebrate and raise awareness to the communities they service.”
She went on to say that, if the branch’s right to display the materials offended Mr J, NatWest provided “alternative methods of banking,” such as online banking, ATMs or the Post Office.
Claiming that he needed to visit the bank in person, he was told he could appoint a third party to visit the branch on his behalf.
Last year, NatWest was ranked as one of the UK’s most-inclusive employers by LGBTQ+ charity Stonewall.
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