Complaint Handling and Dispute Resolution Policy
Every firm must deal fairly with complaints and disputes brought to its attention and to do so, “ must adopt a policy ”. To find out about the obligations that firms, companies, independent representatives and insurers must comply with, we refer you to the webpage Your complaint examination obligations of the Autorité des marchés financiers (the Authority).
Due to the entry into force of the Regulation respecting complaint processing and dispute resolution in the financial sector on July 1, 2025, the Chambre de l’assurance has produced the article New Regulation on complaint handling and on the practice of certified professionals in order to help certified persons adjust their service to customers.
The complaint handling and dispute resolution policy is the responsibility of the company. We inform you of the adjustments to be expected for three main reasons:
If you are certified and at the head of a firm, you must know the new rules in force to develop your policy and comply with the Regulation;
If you are a certified professional of a firm or insurer, it is important to familiarize yourself with your employer’s policy in order to properly guide clients as needed;
You may need to direct the consumer to the person responsible for handling complaints or to the policy summary available on the company’s website.
Beyond the obligation, why adopt this policy?
The purpose of a complaint handling policy is to establish a uniform, fair and free procedure for the consumer to handle complaints received. It also aims to align the company’s practices in this regard with the Authority’s complaint handling framework.
The policy must include the following:
- how complaints received will be handled;
- measures taken to ensure their implementation, including the designation of the person responsible for handling complaints;
- assistance provided to the complainant throughout the complaint process;
- the assignment of complaints to staff members for handling;
- accountability to executives;
- measures put in place to develop an overview of complaints received.
Then, a summary of this policy must be published on the company’s website and be easily accessible to Internet users. For the essential content to be included in the policy, refer to Sections 5 to 10 and 30 of the Regulation (in French).
The person responsible for complaints
The firm must appoint a person responsible for complaints who “has the authority and skills necessary to perform their duties” and who will be responsible for implementing the policy. This person ensures that the policy is implemented, that the staff responsible for handling complaints have the necessary skills, and supervises their work.
What is a complaint?
A complaint is an expression of dissatisfaction or criticism made by a consumer to a company in relation to a service or product received. Read this article to find out what does not constitute a complaint.
Complaints Register
The firm must document all complaint in a file. Read this article to learn what a complaint file and register should contain.
Business obligations regarding complaint handling
The firm has seven obligations regarding complaint handling:
1. Adopt a complaint handling policy and communicate it internally and externally.
2. Produce and distribute a summary of the policy to consumers, as described by the Authority in Sections 5 to 10 and 30 of the Regulation .
3. Ensure that each complaint is handled fairly.
4. Send an acknowledgment of receipt to the complainant, along with a note informing them of the possibility of having their complaint reviewed by the Authority, or where applicable, by a federation.
When processing a complaint in the normal course of business, the acknowledgment of receipt must contain the following information:
- the complaint identification code;
- the date the complaint was received by the company;
- the estimated timeframe for processing the complaint and the date by which the company must provide a final response;
- how the customer can obtain information about the processing of their complaint;
- a summary of the policy or a hyperlink to it.
For more information, refer to the section “Your complaint examination obligations” on the Authority’s website.
5. If the complainant so requests, forward the complaint file to the Authority.
The Form to request the transfer of a file to the Autorité des marchés financiers , for the use of the complainant, is available on its website.
6. Keep a record of all complaints received for reporting purposes;
7. Submit this complaint report to the Authority , as required.
For more details, see the documents below.
–Your complaint examination obligations | AMF
– New Regulation on complaint handling and on the practice of certified professionals
– ARDFPS, section 103
The translation of this page was done using AI but was reviewed by humans.