Customer Relations
Treating customers fairly
At Piraeus Bank we aim to treat all our customers fairly and we fully support the Financial Services Authority's (FSA) Treating Customers Fairly (TCF) initiative. The FSA expects successful implementation of TCF to result in six key outcomes for customers:
- Customers will deal with firms where the fair treatment of customers is a key part of the corporate culture.
- The products that are marketed are designed to meet customer needs.
- Customers receive clear information and are kept suitably informed before, during and after the point of sale.
- Customers receive suitable advice that takes into account their personal circumstances.
- Customers receive the product performance they have been led to expect and the service is of an acceptable standard.
- Customers should not face unreasonable post-sale barriers if they want to change product, switch provider, submit a claim or make a complaint.
These outcomes have been embedded into our customer facing processes and internal procedures.
Complaints handling procedure
Whilst we endeavour to maintain high service standards and treat customers fairly misunderstandings or delays in processing information can be frustrating. Should you feel that we have failed to achieve an acceptable standard, we would like to know about it. To ensure that every complaint is considered fully and in a professional manner, we operate a complaints handling procedure, as follows:
- You should initially approach the account officer responsible for providing the service. This can be done in person, by letter, by telephone or by email. You should give full details of the complaint. The account officer will send you a written acknowledgement providing early reassurance that he/she has received the complaint and is dealing with it, and keep you informed thereafter of the progress of the measures being taken for the complaint’s resolution.
- A copy of the internal complaint handling procedures will be sent to you if the complaint remains unresolved within one business day of the complaint.
- Should the complaint not be resolved to your satisfaction within one business day, we will refer the matter to a more senior officer who will act as the investigating officer.
- By the end of eight weeks after the receipt of the complaint, the investigating officer will send you a final response or a written response which explains why the bank is still not in a position to make a final response and indicates when it expects to be able to provide one. If you are dissatisfied with the delay, you may refer your complaint to the Financial Ombudsman Service and we will send you a copy of the Financial Ombudsman Service's leaflet.
- In the unlikely event that you remain dissatisfied with the investigating officer's final response you will be advised that you have exhausted our internal complaints procedure and that you may have the right to ask the Financial Ombudsman Service to adjudicate. We will provide you with a copy of the Financial Ombudsman Service's explanatory leaflet with our final response.
- If, after eight weeks from the final response, we don't hear from you, we will consider the complaint closed. This does not affect your right to approach the Financial Ombudsman Service within 6 months.
Please note that the Financial Ombudsman Service only covers certain business activities undertaken by the London Branch. Mortgages on properties outside the UK may not be covered, and that the Financial Ombudsman Service may refuse to deal with your complaint if you delay bringing it to their attention for more than 6 months from the time the Bank issued its final response to you.
The ways in which you can contact the Financial Ombudsman Service are detailed below:
- In writing to the Financial Ombudsman Service, South Quay Plaza, 183 Marsh Wall, London, E14 9SR.
- By telephone on +44 (0)845 080 1800.
- Via their website address at www.financial-ombudsman.org.uk