Austruck’s Complaints Policy
June 2010
This outlines how Austruck handles any complaint you wish
to make about an insurance policy we have quoted or issued or the service
we have provided. We strive to ensure that our service commitment to
you is in accordance with the General Insurance Code of Practice (as shown
on the website
www.codeofpractice.com.au )
We have an Internal Dispute Resolution Process in place, which aims to provide clients with a fair resolution to any complaint.
If we are unable to resolve the complaint with you, you are able to refer your complaint to Lloyd’s Australia or our external dispute resolution provider depending on the circumstances relating to your complaint.
If you wish to make a complaint this is the process to follow:
1. Talk to the Austruck underwriter or claims officer who looks after your insurance matters and explain to them what your complaint is about.
2. If they cannot resolve the complaint satisfactorily, they will advise the Austruck Complaints Manager of the details of your complaint and our Complaints Manager will aim to contact you within 24 hours of you making the complaint. If you prefer, you may wish to speak directly to our Complaints Manager. Our Complaints Manager has the necessary authority to deal with the complaint.
Austruck’s Complaints Manager is David Burgess, his contact
details are as follows:
Austruck Insurance Pty Ltd
PO Box 6824
Upper Mount Gravatt
QLD 4122
Email: davidb@austruckin.com.au
Phone: 07 3420 8805
Fax: 07 3420 8899
3. We will respond to the complaint within 15 business days of having received all information necessary to enable us to complete any investigation required. Your complaint may require further information, assessment or investigation to enable our Complaints Manager to investigate your complaint fully. If this is the case and it is likely to delay the process you will be advised and we will agree reasonable alternative timeframes for our response. If we cannot agree we will treat your complaint as a dispute and we will provide information on how you can have your complaint reviewed by a different employee who has appropriate experience, knowledge and authority, this may be a representative of Lloyd’s Australia depending on the circumstances.
4. We will only ask for and take into account relevant information when deciding on your complaint. You will have access to information about you that we have relied on in assessing your complaint and an opportunity to correct any mistakes or inaccuracies. If you wish to review our information relating to your complaint you must advise our Complaints Manager.
5. We will keep you informed of the progress of our response to your complaint.
6. Our Complaints Manager will provide you with our response regarding your complaint and the reasons for that response. If the complaint is not resolved in a manner acceptable to you the Complaints Manager will provide information on how our response can be reviewed.
7. If you tell us you want our response reviewed:
a) We will treat it as a dispute;
b) We will notify you of the name and contact details of the person assigned to liaise with you in relation to the dispute, this may be another employee or a representative of Lloyd’sAustralia depending on the circumstances of your dispute; and
c) We, or Lloyd’s Australia, will respond to the dispute within 15 business days provided all necessary information has been received and any required investigations have been completed.
8. In cases where further information, assessment or investigation is required, reasonable alternative timeframes will be agreed with you by us or Lloyd’s Australia. If agreement cannot be reached, you can report your concerns to the Financial Ombudsman Service.
9. You will be kept you informed of the progress of the review of your dispute at least every 10 business days.
10. You will receive a response to your dispute in writing from us or Lloyd’s Australia giving:
a) Reasons for the decision;
b) Information on how to access available external dispute resolution schemes; and
c) Notification of the timeframe within which you must register your dispute
with the external dispute resolution scheme.
11. If we or Lloyd’s Australia are not able to resolve your complaint to your satisfaction within 45 days (including both the complaint and internal dispute resolution process referred to above) you will be informed of the reasons for the delay and that you may take the complaint or dispute to the appropriate external dispute resolution scheme even if we or Lloyd’s Australia are still considering it (and provided the complaint or dispute is within the scheme’s Terms of Reference). We or Lloyd’s Australia will inform you that you have this right and details of the appropriate External Dispute Resolution scheme before the end of this 45 day period.
12. Lloyd’s Australia can be contacted at the following address:
Lloyds Underwriters’ General Representative in Australia
Suite 2
Level 21 Angel Place
123 Pitt Street
Sydney NSW 2000
If your complaint is regarding a Lloyd’s policy or a claim and Lloyd’s Australia’s response is not acceptable to you then, if you are a retail client, Lloyd’s Australia will refer you to the Financial Ombudsman Service (FOS). Where you are a wholesale client Lloyd’s Australia will refer your dispute to the Policyholder & Market Assistance Department at Lloyd’s. Complaints that cannot be resolved by the Policyholder & Market Assistance Department may be referred to the Financial Ombudsman Service (UK). Further details will be provided at the appropriate stage of the complaints process.
13. Our external dispute resolution scheme is the Financial Ombudsman Service Ltd (FOS) who can be contacted at the following address:
Financial Ombudsman Service Ltd
GPO Box 3
Melbourne VIC 3001
The services of the aforementioned external dispute resolution schemes resolve certain disputes between consumers and insurers. They will provide an independent review at no cost to you and their recommendations on the resolution of a dispute are not binding on you but are binding on us.