We'll do our best to sort things out
RESOLVING DISPUTES
We hope it won’t happen
We take special pride in providing you with friendly and professional service. Which means we’d be especially concerned if you ever became unhappy with B&E – or decided to make a complaint.
For this reason, we’ve established a comprehensive Internal Dispute Resolution Scheme (IDRS).
Internal Dispute Resolution Scheme
This scheme is free, and is designed to:
a) Provide you with a quick and effective way to resolve any concern or complaint you wish to raise
and
b) Ensure you maintain a high level of confidence and satisfaction with B&E
After the IDRS: the next stage
In circumstances where your complaint has not been resolved to your satisfaction, you then have the option of our External Dispute Resolution Scheme.
This means your complaint will be heard by an independent scheme called the Financial Co-Operative Dispute Resolution Scheme (FCDRS). The FCDRS will consider all related issues (for example, any relevant laws) then make a determination.
The FCDRS has the authority to resolve the complaint. As such, B&E will be bound by its decision – although you may not be.
To contact the Financial Co-Operative Dispute Resolution Scheme, please write to:
The Ombudsman
FCDRS
Clayfield QLD 4011
You can also make contact by calling 1300 780 808 (for the cost of a local call) or via email at ombudsman@fcdrs.org.au. Naturally, if you decide to utilise the FCDRS, it is free of charge.
You are not bound by the decision
Please note you are not necessarily bound by the determination of the FCDRS – and you can take the matter to court if you wish. Alternatively, you may wish to contact the Small Claims Tribunal or the Office of Consumer Affairs.
Unauthorised or disputed card transactions
Should you be complaining about an unauthorised or disputed transaction via a card we’ve issued, then the complaint will be governed by the Electronic Funds Transfer Code of Conduct.
As part of our Internal Dispute Resolution Scheme, we will collect information from you about the transaction(s) in question. After investigating any transactions, we will attempt to resolve the issue and then advise you accordingly.
All other provisions of our Internal Dispute Resolution Scheme are also available to you. These include escalation of the complaint to our Senior Manager, or if required, the utilisation of our External Dispute Resolution Scheme.
Are all complaints covered by the above?
Not necessarily. It’s possible a complaint you make is not covered by – or relevant to – our Internal Dispute Resolution Scheme. For example, it might be regarding a commercial judgement or decision we have made about lending or security – or about our general interest rate policy. However, you can be sure B&E staff will do their best to respond to any concern that you might have.
Non-B&E products and services
It’s also possible you might have an issue regarding a product or service we arrange through an external organisation. Examples would be:
• insurance via CGU or SWANN
• financial planning via Quadrant Superannuation
If you make a complaint about non-B&E products or services, we’ll do our very best to resolve the issue for you.
However, please be aware it may be beyond our control.
In such cases we’ll provide appropriate contact details for you to directly approach the other party.
Please give us your feedback
Finally, we’re always interested in receiving feedback from you. So if you have any queries or concerns in relation to any B&E products or services, please let us know. contact us
If you have a concern or complaint
The following steps are a general guide. They outline some effective ways you can raise an issue; how we’ll respond; and what you can expect to achieve:
Please phone or call into your B&E branch and provide us with details of your concern or complaint. It helps at this stage if you also provide any relevant documentation or evidence.
Alternatively, write to your Branch Manager about your concern or complaint. In a case where you write to us, we will respond to you in writing.
Our branch staff will discuss the issue with you and as required, will complete an investigation to resolve the issue. This will be done as soon as possible following receipt of your advice.
We may ask you to provide other relevant or supporting information to help us resolve your concern or complaint.
(‘Relevant or supporting’ information is anything that can help us make a decision about the issue.)
If the concern or complaint is not resolved to your satisfaction by staff at the branch, please ask to speak to your Branch Manager. He or she will then endeavour to resolve the issue for you.
If it can’t be resolved to your satisfaction at the branch, details will be forwarded to a B&E Senior Manager with overall responsibility for our Internal Dispute Resolution Scheme (IDRS).
This Senior Manager will review the circumstances involving the complaint, and provide you with a written response (sometimes called a ‘determination’).
If all relevant information has been received from you, we’ll do our very best to complete the preceding steps within 21 days.
If we can’t complete the steps within 21 days, we’ll advise you as soon as we can. Our Senior Manager will contact you should further time (or information) be required.
Unless there are exceptional circumstances, we will complete the investigation within 45 days of receipt. If we are unable to resolve the complaint within this time we will:
• inform you of the reasons for the delay
• provide you with monthly updates regarding progress of your complaint
• specify a date when a decision can be reasonably expected.
We would expect that in most cases, this process will deal with the matter fully and to your satisfaction. However, in the unlikely event that it doesn’t get resolved by the IDRS, you have the option of another stage. This takes the form of an external review.