How to complain

How to complain

As a consumer you have the right to complain against a credit or financial institution in case you are not satisfied with the products or services provided. Although the EBA has no direct competence with regard to complaints against a credit or financial institution, in this section you will find some suggestions on the submission of complaints:

  1. Contact the credit or financial institution
  2. Submit an official complaint
  3. Contact your national competent authority or Ombudsman

1. Contact the credit or financial institution

If you are not satisfied with the products or services provided by a credit or financial institution, you should first contact the customer service department of the respective institution. Contact details are usually available on their websites. For a prompt identification of the problem, it is always advisable to support your claim with relevant documents (i.e. the contract you concluded with the institution or any other document that would help identify the products and services for which you are complaining).

At this stage, credit or financial institutions are usually willing to help consumers in addressing their disappointment. Nevertheless, in case you are not satisfied with the solution proposed, you can still submit an official complaint.

2. Submit an official complaint

Each credit or financial institution shall have in place specific procedures for dealing with complaints, which are usually available on their website. Therefore, you should follow the procedure indicated for the submission of official complaints (preferably in written form). Again, supporting documents will be useful.

3. Contact your national competent authority or Ombudsman

In case you are not satisfied with the response provided by the addressed credit or financial institution, you can refer to either the respective national competent authority or the Ombudsman, when appropriate. To identify your national competent authority, please click on the corresponding country from the list below.

Country National Competent Authorities
Austria Financial Market Authority
Federal Ministry of Labour, Social Affairs and Consumer Protection
Belgium The Financial Services and Markets Authority
Ministry of Economy
Ombudsfin
Ombudsman des assurances
Bulgaria Commission for Consumer Protection
Conciliation commission on dispute payments
Bulgarian National Bank
Financial Supervision Commission
Croatia The Croatian National Bank
Croatian Financial Services Supervisory Agency
Cyprus Central Bank of Cyprus
The competition and consumer protection service of the ministry of commerce, industry and tourism of the republic of Cyprus
Czech Republic The Czech National Bank
Denmark Finanstilsynet
The Danish Complaint Board of Banking Services
 
Estonia The Estonian Financial Supervision Authority (EFSA)
C
onsumer Protection Board
Finland Financial Supervisory Authority
The Finnish Financial Ombudsman's Bureau
Consumer Disputes board
Consumer Advisors
Finnish Communications Regulatory Authority
 
France Autorité de Contrôle Prudentiel et de Résolution (ACPR)
The Autorité des Marchés Financiers (AMF)
Germany Federal Financial Supervisory Authority (BaFin)
Federal Ministry of Finance (BMF)
Federal Ministry of Justice and Consumer Protection (BMJV)
Federal Ministry of Economics and Technology (BMWi)
Greece General Secretariat for Commerce and Consumer Affairs
The Bank of Greece
Hungary Magyar Nemzeti Bank (Central Bank of Hungary) 
Financial Arbitration Board
Iceland The Financial Supervisory Authority
The Complaints Committee on Transactions with Financial Firms
The Consumer Agency
Ireland Financial Services and Pensions Ombudsman
Central Bank of Ireland
Italy Bank of Italy
CONSOB
Italian Competition Authority
Arbitro Bancario Finanziario (ABF)
Latvia Consumer Rights Protection Centre
Ombudsman of the Association of Latvian Commercial Banks
Financial and Capital Market Commission
Lithuania State Consumer Rights Protection Authority
Bank of Lithuania
Luxemburg Commission de Surveillance du Secteur Financier
Malta Malta Financial Services Authority
Netherlands Authoriteit Financiele Markten
De Nederlandsche Bank
Norway Finanstilsynet
Forbrukertilsynet
Finansklagenemnda (The Norwegian Financial Complaints Board)
Poland Komisja Nadzoru Finansowego
Urzad Ochrony Konkurencji i Konsumentow
Rzecznik Finansowy (Polish Financial Ombudsman)
Portugal Banco de Portugal
Romania National Authority for Consumer Protection
Slovakia Ministry of Finance of the Slovak Republic
National Bank of Slovakia
Slovak Trade Inspection
Slovenia Ministry of Economic Development and Technology
Bank of Slovenia
Spain Bank of Spain
Sweden Finansinspektionen
Konsumentverket
Allmanna Reklamationsnamnden
United Kingdom Financial Conduct Authority