UOKiK calls on bank to compensate customers forced to wait for a response to their complaints longer than 30 days, the time granted under the law.
In December 2014 Poland’s Office of Competition and Consumer Protection (UOKiK) opened proceedings against Getin Noble Bank to examine its complaint review procedures and the speed with which it responded to complaints. The proceedings showed that the bank was exceeding the time it is granted under the law to consider complaints.
UOKiK has now issued a decision calling on the bank to pay 100 PLN (ca. 23 EUR) to customers whose complaints were not considered within the legal time limit. The consumer protection Authority has accepted the bank’s commitment to public compensation to remove the effects of its practices and compensate consumers for their losses.
“Taking an excessive amount of time to consider complaints infringes good practices. The Code of Bank Ethics and the provisions contained in the bank’s contracts clearly indicate that a response should be provided within 30 days. The bank was not sticking to that timeframe”, said UOKiK President Marek Niechciał.
Regulating complaint procedures, the Act on the complaint handling procedure by financial service providers and Financial Ombudsman was adopted August 5, 2015.
