If you believe that your home insurance policy was mis-sold, or if you are unsatisfied with your insurance provider, you may wish to make a complaint. In this case you are advised to make the complaint to your insurance provider first. If they are AFS (AUSTRALIAN FINANCIAL SERVICES) regulated they should have published an Financial Services Guide (FSG) 'complaints procedure' on their website, or have a product disclosure document or leaflet available detailing the correct procedure. They should investigate your complaint thoroughly and make enquiries as appropriate.
If you make your complaint in person or by telephone, note down the name of the person with whom you spoke, as well as the date and time of your call or consultation. If you do not hear back within three weeks time, follow up your phone call or consultation with a letter detailing your complaint: keep copies of the complaint letters that you send for future reference.
If you are unhappy with the response you receive, you can use an independent complaint system. You can contact the Financial Ombudsman Service (FOS) within six months of the final response that you receive from your insurance provider. The FOS is contactable at:
> Insurance Council of Australia www.insurancecouncil.com.au
> The Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) www.asic.gov.au
> The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) www.accc.gov.au
> Financial Ombudsman Service (FOS) www.fos.org.au
