Customer Complaint Handling Procedures

At Equitable¹, we take pride in our service and are committed to providing you with the best customer experience that we can. If you have a complaint or concern, please follow our easy 3-step Customer Complaint Handling Procedures (CCHP) so that we can work with you to resolve it as quickly and efficiently as possible.

Step 1: Talk to Your Business Unit Representative

Many complaints can be resolved at the first point of contact. If you have a complaint, talk to the representative of the business unit that you have been dealing with. If the business unit representative is not able to resolve your complaint to your satisfaction, your complaint can be referred to that individual’s manager, who has the authority to resolve, in a timely manner, the majority of complaints that arise. You can reach your business unit representative by:

Step 2: Contact the Business Unit Head

If the business unit representative or that individual’s Manager is not able to resolve your complaint within 14 calendar days following the date on which we first received your complaint, we will automatically escalate it to the Business Unit Head (or delegate).  Also, if your complaint is not resolved to your satisfaction in Step 1, you can escalate it to the Business Unit Head by:

For Equitable Bank/Trust, EQ Bank and Concentra Bank/Trust:

Step 3: Write to the Dispute Resolution Office (DRO)

If the Business Unit Head (or delegate) is not able to resolve the complaint to your satisfaction, you can escalate it to Equitable’s Dispute Resolution Office. Working closely with both customers and Equitable’s relevant business units, the DRO independently conducts a full investigation of customer complaints, subject to certain limitations, and is committed to providing an impartial review to help customers and Equitable reach a fair, reasonable and transparent resolution. If your complaint has not been resolved within the first two steps of our CCHP, you may wish to submit your complaint in writing to the DRO. The DRO is headed by Equitable’s Chief Compliance Officer.

You will receive an acknowledgement of your written complaint within 48 hours of it being received. If your complaint is within the DRO’s mandate and has been through the first two steps of the CCHP, a full investigation will be undertaken. Most investigations are concluded within 2 - 4 weeks and you will be provided with a final resolution/recommendation in writing. Any recommendations made are non-binding and parties are free to accept or reject them and pursue other options for resolution.

Some matters fall outside of the DRO’s mandate and include, for example: credit granting policies/lending decisions; matters of policy such as interest rates, service fees and account closures; issues that are in litigation or have been decided by the courts; and transactions for which Equitable records no longer exist (typically after six or seven years).

The DRO is also the final step in the complaint handling process for our customers who have products and services that are offered or sold by our partners and affiliates. Please refer to our EQ Bank website at www.eqbank.ca/legal/customer-complaint-handling-procedures for the complaint handling procedures for each of our partners and affiliates. 

For Equitable Bank HELOC customers only: If you wish to dispute a transaction or entry made with your Equitable Bank Visa Access Card and you have been through Equitable’s 3-step CCHP, and are not satisfied with the resolution, you may also contact the Equitable Bank Visa Access Card issuer, Peoples Trust Company, at 1-855-683-2881 or refer to their complaint handling process, which can be found at www.peoplestrust.com/en/about-us/resolving-your-concerns.

Additional Resources - External Agencies

If you require further information or are still not satisfied after receiving our Dispute Resolution Office’s decision, the following external agencies can provide you with information and a further review of your complaint.

Ombudsman for Banking Services and Investments (OBSI)

If you are not satisfied with the final recommendation made by our Dispute Resolution Office, you can refer your complaint to the OBSI, an independent external complaints body, for further review. If you choose to contact the OBSI, please do so within 180 calendar days from the date you received a response from Equitable’s Dispute Resolution Office. You may also contact OBSI if it has been more than 56 calendar days from the day you made the complaint to Equitable and you have yet to receive a final response.

Financial Consumer Agency of Canada (FCAC)

The FCAC supervises federally regulated financial institutions to ensure they comply with federal consumer protection laws and voluntary codes of conduct and public commitments. For example, financial institutions must provide consumers with information about fees, interest rates and complaint-handling procedures. If you have a complaint regarding a potential violation of a consumer provision, voluntary code of conduct or public commitment, you may, at any time, contact the FCAC. Please note that the FCAC does not become involved in matters of redress or compensation.

Equitable has adopted a number of Voluntary Codes of Conduct and Public Commitments that are designed to protect consumers. Please refer to www.equitablebank.ca for further information.

Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada (OPC)

The OPC oversees compliance with Canada's privacy laws and you may contact the OPC at any time with a privacy complaint.