If you have a problem or complaint at your bank or trust company, you can follow these steps to get help.
Important Note:
Every time you talk to someone, write down their name, the date you talked to them, what they told you, and if some part of the problem was fixed. Keep your papers about the problem. If someone asks you to give them the papers, give them a copy and keep the original paper.
You must do the steps in order (you can’t skip a step).
Step 1
Explain your problem to the staff at your branch. You can ask to talk to a supervisor or a manager of the bank branch.
Step 2
If the branch staff don’t fix your problem, ask them for their brochure about complaints. The brochure has telephone numbers for senior managers or customer care centres. Call the number and explain your problem. Many banks also have their own ombudsman to help customers with complaints.
Step 3
If you still have a problem, you can call an independent ombudsman who doesn’t work for the bank. If your bank account is at RBC Royal Bank, call ADR Chambers at 1-877-307-0014. For all other banks, call the Ombudsman for Banking Services and Investments at 1-888-451-4519. The ombudsman will talk to you and to the bank, and look at your papers about the problem. The ombudsman will decide what is fair and tell the bank to do it.
You can also go to court to get a problem fixed, but it is more expensive. Also, if you go to court, you can’t use the ombudsman.
If you have a problem at a credit union or caisse populaire, ask to speak to the manager. If the manager doesn’t solve your problem, ask what to do about complaints. The provinces have government offices that can help you with a problem after you try to fix it with the credit union or caisse.