We like our customers to be happy. If you’re disappointed with any of our products, or services you’ve received, we’d like an opportunity to put it right. We take your concerns seriously and will do all we can to assist you as quickly as possible.
You’re entitled to make a complaint to us about any aspect of your life insurance, a claim, your experience with us, or with any third party that we have engaged.
This policy details:
- How you can make a complaint;
- How to get assistance;
- How we deal with your complaint;
- Privacy complaints; and
- How to access AFCA when your complaint is not resolved.
How to make a complaint
If you have a concern or complaint, please contact us in the first instance by phone, email or in writing.
Call us 1300 476 030
Email us customer@encompassprotect.com.au
Write to us GPO Box 239, Sydney, NSW 2001
Need assistance to make a complaint?
- If you need assistance to make a complaint, a family member, friend or your financial adviser can do so on your behalf.
- To protect your privacy, you will need to give us your verbal or written confirmation that you have authorised another person to assist you with your complaint. You can amend or withdraw this authorisation at any time.
- If you need assistance due to a speech or hearing impairment, you can use the National Relay Service.
- The Translating and Interpreting Service (TIS National) provides interpreting services to people who do not speak English and to agencies and businesses that need to communicate with their non-English speaking clients. TIS National can be contacted on 131 450 (within Australia) or 03 9268 8332 (outside Australia).
How we deal with complaints
- We commit to acknowledging any complaint within one business day.
- We will work closely with you to investigate, assess and resolve your complaint, as well as keeping you updated along the way.
- Please note that while insurance companies have up to 30 days to respond to complaints (45 days for superannuation complaints and 90 days for death claim complaints under superannuation), we’ll always endeavour to resolve your complaint as soon as possible.
- If we can’t resolve your complaint quickly, we will formally record the details, with your assistance, to ensure that it is correctly understood and progressed through the appropriate channels. This may involve external parties such as the Insurer, the Trustee and/or your Financial Adviser. There is no charge for lodging a complaint.
- We will make an arrangement with you for keeping you regularly informed about the progress of your complaint.
- Your complaint will be handled by someone different from the person or persons whose decision or conduct is the subject of the complaint.
- We will notify you of the name and contact details of the person assigned to liaise with you in relation to your complaint.
- We will only ask for, and rely on, information relevant to the investigation into your complaint and our response to your complaint.
- If we become aware of errors and mistakes in the handling of your complaint, we will address these promptly.
Notifying you about the outcome of your complaint
If we resolve your complaint to your satisfaction by the end of the fifth (5th) business day after it was received by us, then we will consider the matter closed.
If your complaint is not resolved within five business days, or it relates to your hardship, a declined insurance claim, the amount of an insurance claim, or you require a response in writing, then longer time frames may apply.
If we have come to a decision, we will provide a final response to your complaint in writing within 30 calendar days* of receiving your complaint, with the following information:
- our final decision in relation to your complaint and the reasons for that decision • your right to access copies of the documents and information we relied on in assessing your complaint. We will provide you (or your doctor, where appropriate) any requested copies within 10 business days, subject to any legal constraints
- your right to take your complaint to AFCA if you are not satisfied with our decision, and the timeframe within which you must take your complaint to AFCA; and
- contact details for AFCA.
If we are unable to make a decision about your complaint within 30 calendar days*, then before that period expires, we will inform you of:
- the reasons for the delay
- your right to take your complaint to AFCA if you are not satisfied; and
- contact details for AFCA.
Subsequently, or alternatively, you may seek independent legal advice and access any other dispute resolution options that may be available to you.
*If your complaint is about a plan owned by a superannuation trustee, then under superannuation law, the 30 calendar day limit changes to 45 calendar days or 90 calendar days for complaints about death benefits paid from a superannuation fund.
Privacy complaints
We’re committed to a best practice approach in addressing privacy complaints. If you would like to make a complaint about how your personal information has been handled, please contact us.
If you’re unhappy with our response to your complaint, you can lodge your complaint with the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner at:
Phone 1300 363 992
Website www.oaic.gov.au
Email enquiries@oaic.gov.au
How to access Australian Financial Complaints Authority (AFCA)
AFCA is available to customers and third parties who fall within the AFCA Rules and Guidelines. They provide consumers with fair, free and independent dispute resolution for financial complaints.
If our final decision does not resolve your complaint to your satisfaction, or if we do not resolve your complaint within the timeframes required above, you may refer your complaint to AFCA. External dispute resolution determinations made by AFCA are binding on us in accordance with AFCA Rules.
AFCA can be contacted at:
Phone 1800 931 678
Website: www.afca.org.au
Email: info@afca.org.au
Address: GPO Box 3, Melbourne, VIC 3001