How to submit a complaint

There are two ways for dissatisfied customers to submit a complaint: 

• with the banking or insurance professional concerned: industry professionals are required to have mechanisms in place to handle complaints brought by their customers. You can contact them to express your dissatisfaction either orally or in writing. If your complaint does not receive a reply, or if that reply proves unsatisfactory, you can contact an Ombudsman. This procedure provides an option to try and reach an amicable resolution out of court;

• with the ACPR: the ACPR is the competent authority tasked with monitoring the compliance of financial agents (banking institutions and all other financial agents under its supervisory remit) and insurance undertakings with applicable law. Should you consider that the professional concerned has failed to comply with applicable law, you can refer your complaint to the ACPR. Any information that customers bring to the Authority’s attention can help us identify potential bad business practices and guide our supervisory action to protect customers.

How can I file a complaint with a professional?

The ACPR recommends that professionals implement best practices to ensure that their complaint-handling system is more easily accessible, straightforward and efficient, with a view to providing claimants with high-quality answers as promptly as practicable.

Theoretically, complaints must be filed in writing, using a durable medium (letter, email, or online form). If you submit a complaint orally, and the professional concerned cannot resolve the matter immediately to your satisfaction, you will be invited to formalise your complaint in writing.

The complaint-handling system in place and the practical steps to follow to lodge a complaint must be included in a dedicated section of each industry professional’s website. You should also be able to get that information at such professionals’ branches or offices that are open to customers, as well as in the contractual documentation provided by them, as needed.

Once you have lodged a written complaint, the professional receiving it is required to:

• acknowledge receipt of your complaint within 10 working days of your submission;

• reply to you within two months at the latest from the date on which you formally expressed your dissatisfaction in writing (the date on which you sent the first letter/email stating your dissatisfaction, the date on which you filled in an online complaint form…);

• provide you with a clear and substantiated answer, in writing, that is adapted to your specific situation. This reply should also mention the designated Ombudsman who may be called upon in your case, and it should include detailed information about the associated referral procedure.

Regardless of the contact person or service with which you have lodged your complaint, you have the right to refer the matter to a Consumer Ombudsman:

• without delay, as soon as you have received a “definitive” answer to your complaint. In such case, this final answer includes the contact details of the Ombudsman to which you can refer the matter right away;

• in any event, two months after the date on which you sent your written complaint (to clarify, this applies even if your complaint has remained answered, and it also applies in cases where the industry professional concerned has not provided you with a “definitive” answer yet).

Ombudsman procedures are free, confidential and impartial. Lastly, should you not be satisfied with the Ombudsman’s opinion, or should the industry professional concerned refuse to apply the Ombudsman’s recommendation, you retain your right to bring the case before the competent court.

How can I file a complaint with the ACPR?

The ACPR may not intervene in disputes arising between financial agents or insurance undertakings and their customers, as such cases fall outside the Authority’s jurisdiction. However, if you believe that one of the abovementioned industry professionals failed to comply with the law, you can report it to the ACPR.

To that end, you can submit your complaint to the ACPR through the Banque de France channels listed below.

What follow-up action will be taken based on your report?

1. Your report will be investigated. The ACPR uses information brought to its attention by customers to identify potential bad business practices, and therefore to guide its supervisory action. However, ACPR agents are bound by professional secrecy, which prevents them from keeping you informed of measures taken following your report.

2. The Banque de France will send you a reply within 15 days. This reply will include information on the steps you can follow to try and resolve your dispute. Individual answers to complaints are entrusted to the Banque de France, which provides all claimants with general information on the rules applicable to their situation, without providing legal advice or interfering in disputes.

Do you have a general query on regulations and practices applicable in the banking and insurance sectors?

Find detailed information on banking and insurance products and financial investments on the ABE Info Service website (Assurance Banque Épargne Info Service). This website is the result of a joint effort by the ACPR, the AMF (the French Financial Markets Authority) and the Banque de France. It is designed to make information on banking, insurance and financial investment products available to the general public, to provide individuals with guidance in relation to related administrative procedures, and to warn individuals about fraudulent practices carried out by unauthorised entities. This website also offers tips on how to protect yourself from scams.