All banks, retail associations and federal trust, loan and insurance companies must, by law,
have a complaint-handling process in place for consumers.
If you have a complaint or a problem with a federally regulated financial institution, you can take the
following steps to resolve it.
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Step 1: Local level
First, you should try to resolve the problem directly with the manager or customer service
representative of your financial institution. This would involve dealing with branch staff
or the branch's local representative.
Step 2: Senior level or internal ombudsman
If your complaint cannot be resolved at the branch or local level, it may be referred to a
senior staff member or an internal ombudsman.
Step 3: Third-party review
In most cases, if your complaint has not been resolved to your satisfaction, you can have it reviewed by a
third party. This service is non-binding and is available to any individual or small business with a complaint.
Provincial regulator
In some cases, depending on the type of financial institution you deal with, you may also contact
your provincial regulator. For a list of the regulators in your province, please visit the Other Regulators section
of our Web site or call us toll-free at: 1-866-461-3222.
FCAC
Part of FCAC's role is to ensure that financial institutions have a complaint-handling process in place.
If you are having difficulty finding out about your institution's complaint-handling process or if you
are experiencing delays when using it, call us toll-free at the number above. However, please keep in mind
that FCAC does not provide redress or compensation and that we cannot get involved in individual disputes.
Click here to learn more about how we handle complaints.
The Centre for the Financial Services OmbudsNetwork (CFSON)
For more information on complaint-handling, you may also consult CFSON's Complaint Information Kit.
This kit outlines the basic steps for making a complaint about a financial product or service and gives
tips on what to do at each step. It also provides specific steps for each industry, as well as a sample
letter and a Complaint Organizer. In addition, the kit contains a link to the financial module of
Industry Canada's Complaint Courier, if you wish to make your complaint on-line.
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