Klarna Docs - Consumer Duty

Consumer Duty

What we have been doing to provide good outcomes for our customers

Customer Understanding

  • In March 2023 we updated our rules on advertising credit. We provided additional guidance on prominence requirements, and let many of our partners know about Klarna’s Financial Promotion Rules.
  • Our Buyer’s Protection Policy is being revamped to make it very clear for consumers to understand what is and isn’t covered.
  • All key information such as “cost of credit” and “instalment due dates” are clearly featured in the customer journey at an early stage.
  • We signpost a number of not-for-profit organisations for free, confidential and impartial debt advice across our customer journey and on our website here. And we’re going one step further,integrating a link to access external debt experts through the Money Advice Network.
  • We have worked with Fairer Finance to ensure our Terms & Conditions are clear, simple and easy to understand. Customers can find them here.

Fair Value

We provide value for money. We have no upfront fees and our consequences for late or missed payments are reasonable and reflect the cost of the benefit to the consumers.

We provide fair rates! Klarna consumers receive fair interest rates and loyalty to our products is not penalised (they always get the lowest available rates!). We ensure this through:

  • Affordability assessments
  • No fees, if you pay on time. 
  • No upfront cost
  • Fixed interest rate
  • No risk-based pricing

Smoooth support

  • Klarna’s Customer Support team deals with all payments related queries that your customers may have via - phone, email and chat.
  • Shoppers have access to 24/7 chat support in the app where they can inquire about their purchases. 
  • Klarna has an extensive Customer Services support team and we have specialist teams trained to work with vulnerable customers.
  • At Klarna, we believe everyone using our services has the right to a smoooth experience and to have any concerns resolved quickly and professionally. We value our customers’ opinions because we are always striving to improve and we always appreciate feedback on how they experience our products and services. Complaints and feedback are reviewed and evaluated internally so that we can learn from our mistakes and fix any wider issues. To understand more about how we handle complaints, you can find our Complaints Handling Procedure on our website.
  • Klarna’s Buyer’s Protection Policy supports customers when they have a problem with any purchase made through Klarna. Klarna will pause payments until the issue is solved. If customers have fully or partially paid for a purchase upfront, we’ll refund their payment if the dispute is resolved in their favour. In the event of any refunds, we’ll send the funds to the same source they used to make their payments.
  • In addition we’re partnering with the Money Adviser Network and signposting this within our customer journey to increase awareness of additional debt support services to customers and make it easier for them to engage.
  • We offer a retailer support service with daily support for retailers, as well as training in support-related issues for their customer service.

Superior Product

Klarna knows and understands what our customers want and we have clear marketing rules to ensure our advertising is appropriate for them. Our products are designed to solve real problems that our customers face:

  • App features: When shoppers use Pay Over Time (Financing) they have access to 24/7 chat support in the app where they can inquire about their purchases.
  • Smoooth returns: They can also easily report returns in the app and don't have to wait the usual “5-10 banking days'' to get their refund. This ensures the shopper feels safe and supported throughout their purchase, and even afterwards. We can also offer instant refunds to our well-known customers, giving them even more purchase power and increasing satisfaction.
  • Pay early: Customers can pay any individual payment plan off early, at any time. Or pay it all off at once.

We help our consumers in financial difficulties.

We work to ensure our consumers are unlikely to fall into arrears, and if they do, we are able to offer flexible options for suspending, reducing, waiving or canceling any further interest or charges. We are taking a renewed focus in our forbearance options to ensure we can remain at the forefront of the industry in this regard. Where customers are experiencing financial hardship or need any additional support or help to plan their future payments. Customers can contact our Customer support team here so we can discuss what options are available and find the best solution for them. We have ensured that:

  • Throughout the collections process customers are made aware that they should contact Klarna if they are experiencing Financial Difficulties. This message is reiterated throughout the collections process if a customer continues to miss or not make payments.
  • Klarna Web pages - There is a dedicated page that encourages customers to reach out to Klarna and also contains information relating to external resources such as Citizens Advice and Stepchange etc. 
  • Payment deferrals - Customers can reach out to Klarna and report they need more time to pay and payments would be paused for a limited amount of time (up to 6 months). Additionally, we proactively reach out to customers who have reported Financial Hardship and are coming to the end of their payment pause, offering further support if needed.

Questions?

As you are a trusted partner of Klarna, and to the extent that you are undertaking a regulated activity in the UK for Klarna—or for Klarna’s consumers—you must review your own obligations under the Consumer Duty.  

We value your partnership and support as we work to continuously improve our product offering and deliver on our commitment to supporting good consumer outcomes. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact your Klarna representative or use this link.