How to make a complaint

You can submit a complaint to the FSPO if you are a consumer, which means:

  1. a private individual - eg a personal policy holder/account holder
or, subject to certain turnover limitations:
 
  1. a limited company
  2. a Sole Trader
  3. a Trust
  4. a Club
  5. a Charity
  6. a Partnership

and you are:

  • a customer of the financial service provider,
  • a person to whom the provider has offered the service, or
  • a person who has sought a financial service from the provider

You can also make a complaint if you are:

  • a surviving dependant of a consumer
  • a legal personal representative of a deceased consumer
  • a widow, widower or surviving spouse or civil partner of a deceased consumer
  • any person who is contractually entitled to benefit from a long-term financial service
  • an employee or a former employee entitled to benefit from an income continuance plan
  • a consumer who was, in relation to a credit agreement, a customer of the financial service provider in a case where a credit servicing firm undertakes credit servicing in respect of the credit agreement concerned

You can complain to the FSPO if you believe you have suffered financial loss because of poor administration under your pension scheme. A pension scheme includes:

  • Occupational pension schemes
  • Personal retirement savings accounts (PRSAs)
  • Trust retirement annuity contracts (Trust RACs)

An occupational pension scheme is one associated with employment.

You can make complaint if you are:

  • a member, an external member or a former member of a pension scheme
  • a surviving dependant of a member who has died
  • a person claiming to be a member or a surviving dependant of a member who has died
  • a contributor to a PRSA
  • a personal representative of a member or contributor who has died
  • a widow or widower or surviving spouse or civil partner of a member or contributor who has died.
  • a person with an entitlement under a scheme

You can make a complaint against a financial services provider or a pensions provider.

What is a financial services provider?

A financial services provider is a business that provides financial services - such as banking, savings, insurance, loans or stockbroking.

Financial services providers include:

  • banks
  • building societies
  • insurance companies
  • credit unions
  • credit intermediaries
  • stockbrokers
  • health insurance companies
  • money lenders
  • bureaux de change
  • hire purchase providers
  • mortgage brokers, insurance brokers and other intermediaries.
  • pawnbroker

To operate in Ireland, most financial service providers must be registered with, or authorised by, the Central Bank of Ireland.

We also accept complaints against certain bodies authorised by the Competition and Consumer Protection Commission.

What is a pensions provider?

A pensions provider can be an organisation or person(s) involved in the running of your pension scheme.

Pensions providers include:

  • employers who offer occupational pension schemes, PRSAs and Trust RACs
  • trustees, administrators, consultants, managers, insurance companies of occupational pension schemes, PRSAs and Trust RACs
  • government departments or state bodies running pension schemes for their employees

You cannot make a complaint to the FSPO about social welfare pensions. These should be referred to the Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection.

Before making a complaint to the FSPO, you should give your provider a chance to sort out the problem. The provider should deal with your complaint through its complaint handling process. This is called an internal dispute resolution process (IDR process).

Contact your provider

Deal with them in the way you are most comfortable: face-to-face, over the phone, by email or in a letter. You should speak or write to either the person you usually deal with or the complaints manager.

What information should you give them?

  1. Make it very clear that you are making a complaint. Explain your problem and complaint. Provide detailed information, including:
    • relevant dates, places and times
    • details of any phone conversations and meetings (e.g. who was involved, when they took place and what was said)
    • copies of relevant documents, such as contracts, statements, emails, letters, invoices and receipts.
  2. Explain what you would like them to do to resolve your complaint.

Dealing with the provider

Be persistent. If nothing happens, call the provider to check on the progress of your complaint. If you don't get an answer within 40 working days, let us know.

It's important to keep copies of all letters, emails and statements you send and receive. You should also note down details of meetings and phone calls (e.g. who was involved, when they took place and what was said).

If you later decide to send the complaint on to us, we'll need all this information.

When the Provider's internal dispute resolution process is finished, it should issue a final response to you.

What is a final response?

A final response sets out what the provider has done to investigate your complaint through its internal complaint handling process. This process is called an internal dispute resolution process (IDR process).

They issue this response if they cannot resolve your complaint, the response will advise you to contact the FSPO as your next step, if you remain unhappy.

If you are having difficulty getting the final response, please let us know.

Before making a complaint to the FSPO, you should give your provider a chance to sort out the problem. The provider should deal with your complaint through its complaint handling process. This is called an internal dispute resolution process (IDR process).

When the Provider's internal dispute resolution process is finished you can complain to us if you aren't satisfied with its final response.

Get in touch to find out more

To make a complaint, you'll need to send us some details

  1. Complete our complaint form. Choose from 3 ways to do this:
        a. Use our online complaint form.
        b. Download a printable complaint form - and then post it to us.     c. Phone us at +353 1 567 7000 and we'll post one to you.

  2. Please also send us the final response from your provider.

    What is a final response?

    A final response sets out what the provider has done to investigate your complaint through its internal complaint handling process. This process is called an internal dispute resolution process (IDR-process).

    They issue this response if they cannot resolve your complaint, The response will advise you to contact the FSPO as your next step, if you remain unhappy.

    If you are having difficulty getting the final response, please let us know.

  3. You may submit any other information you think is relevant to your complaint. Please only send copies of your information, not the original documents.

Please note that it is always open to you to seek independent legal and/or financial advice about your complaint but you don't need to. We deal with all complaints in the same way, whether or not you are represented by a legal or financial advisor. If you choose to use an adviser, we are not responsible for any of your legal or financial expenses. You will need to agree these directly with your adviser.