CMB MAGAZINE cmba-achc.ca winter 2017 | 51
It's
tough dealing with an unhappy client who
just won't take "Sorry" for an answer. ey
want money! ey want justice! ey want
to be heard!
Fortunately, if you are the Complaints
Officer at your brokerage, you have somewhere
to turn for help with an unresolved grievance. Sounds too good to be true? It
gets better. Although many aren't aware of it, there is an unbiased third party
that frustrated brokers and disgruntled clients can use to resolve a conflict:
the national Ombudsman.
"For 20 years, the Ombudsman for Banking Services and Investments
[OBSI] has served as Canada's trusted, independent financial ombudsman,
acting as an impartial and fair investigator of banking- and investments-
related complaints," says Sarah Bradley, OBSI's Ombudsman and CEO.
As per the Financial Services Commission of Ontario's (FSCO)
recommendation, consumers must first complain to the firm involved.
"But if they remain unsatisfied, they have a right to bring their case to
us if the firm is a member of OBSI," explains Mark Wright, Director,
Communications and Stakeholder Relations. "We get over 5,000 inquiries
each year."
"Mortgages are the number-one banking issue we examine," says Bradley.
"We actually investigate about 300 banking cases each year, and roughly
25 per cent are mortgage-related cases. ere is also a growing number of
complaints about syndicated mortgages."
"In 1996, OBSI only had 18 cases," says Wright. "Twenty years later,
we handle about 600 banking and investment cases each year. We have 47
employees on staff, with six in Quebec and two in B.C."
is national, independent dispute-resolution service is free for
consumers and small businesses. As a non-profit organization, OBSI is
guided by the principle that every complaint deserves a just and prompt
resolution. "People oen just want to be heard and know they were treated
fairly," adds Wright.
If you need unbiased dispute resolution,
there are experts to whom you can refer a
disgruntled client BY SHERI-LYNNE LJUCOVIC
Complaints
Officers,Rejoice!
