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 endeavour to resolve your complaint within 24 hours of receiving it.
- If this is not possible, we will refer the matter to a more senior officer who will act as the investigating officer. They will acknowledge your complaint within five working days, advising you when to expect a full response. Also, we will send you a copy of our complaints handling procedure.
- The investigating officer will write to you with a final response or a holding letter within 4 weeks of the complaint. Where a holding response is sent, the investigating officer will write to you with a final response within 8 weeks of the complaint.
- 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.
- If after eight weeks from making your complaint to the Bank, we have not responded to your complaint in full, we will write to you and explain why there has been a delay and we will advise you of when you can expect to receive a reply. You will also be informed that, 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.
Please note that the Financial Ombudsman Service only covers certain business activities undertaken by the London Branch. Mortgages on properties outside the UK are not 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 0845 080 1800.
- Via their website address at www.financial-ombudsman.org.uk