Making a Complaint
People First Credit Union wants to be regarded by all our Members as efficient and fair in all of its dealings with you.
However, as with any service provider, things may go wrong from time to time. Where you have a complaint about how the Credit Union has dealt with you, please tell us. Complaints are welcomed about anything including:
- a) where the service is unduly slow or inefficient,
- b) where we may have been less than courteous,
- c) where you think we have discriminated against you,
- d) where something has occurred in respect of your account which you are not happy with,
- e) where an application for either membership or a loan has been declined, or
- f) any other matter.
Telling People First CU has two advantages -
- Firstly, any complaint will be investigated fairly and in accordance with our Complaints Policy (a copy of this is available to any member on request, and at no charge).
- Secondly, your complaint may help us improve the service to you and other members. The contact person regarding a complaint is Séan Dunne (People First Complaints Officer).
Channel options to make a complaint or comment:
Members can make a complaint or comment through the following channels;
- In Person - by visiting and speaking to a staff officer in any of our branch offices in Abbeyleix, Athy and Portlaoise including Stradbally sub-office.
- By Phone - by contacting any of PFCU branch offices at 057-8622594 to speak to a member of our staff
- Online - by downloading our member complaint form through our website here.
- By Email - members can send complaint/comment by email to info@peoplefirstcu.ie
- PFCU will acknowledge a member’s complaint on paper or on another durable medium within 5 business days of the date the complaint was received.
- PFCU will respond in writing within 20 business days, to inform the person who made the complaint of PFCU’s complaints process.
- Where the complaint cannot be resolved following an investigation conducted by PFCU’s Complaints Officer, the complaint may then be referred to PFCU’s Complaints Committee to review and assess.
- PFCU’s Complaints Committee will within 40 business days of date of complaint decide on an appropriate outcome or decision to resolve the complaint.
- Where the complaint remains unresolved, PFCU will inform the complainant of their right to refer their complaint to the Board of Directors in accordance with Rule 108 of the Standard Rules of the Credit Union.
- Where the complaint cannot be resolved following investigation of the Complaints officer, the complaint shall then be referred to the Complaints Committee to review and assess.
- The Complaints Committee shall decide on an appropriate outcome/decision to resolve the complaint within 40 business days of date of complaint
- Where a decision is not made by the credit union within this timeframe the credit union shall inform the complainant of what additional time will be required by the credit union to resolve their complaint.
- Where the complaint remains unresolved, the credit union shall inform the complainant of an offer of a right to appeal to the Board of Directors and the complainant shall be informed of their right to refer the matter to the Financial Service and Pension Ombudsman, the credit union must provide contact details of the FSPO to the complainant.
Unresolved complaints procedure
Where People First CU has fully exhausted all options of the complaints handling process and cannot resolve the complaint or where the complainant is not satisfied with the decision or outcome of the credit union, the complainant must be informed by the credit union of their right to refer the complaint to the Financial Services and Pension Ombudsman (FSPO).
The Financial Services and Pensions Ombudsman is a government agency which independently investigates complaints at no charge to the Member. The credit union shall provide the complainant the contact details for this agency, which are as follows.
The Financial Services and Pension Ombudsman,
Lincoln House,
Lincoln Place,
Dublin 2.
Phone: (01) 5677000
Email: info@fspo.ie
Web site: https://www.fspo.ie