It is the aspiration of your credit union that a complaint against the credit union will be resolved in a fair and equitable manner. In order that this is accomplished the following is the procedure, which you should follow in order to have your complaint/dispute, in your capacity as a member, settled. For a full description of this procedure, please see Rule 160 of the Standard Rules of the Credit Union.

Please download the Member's Complaint Policy Here

Step 1

The complainant discusses the complaint with a designated officer of the credit union who will, where possible, resolve the complaint. The designated officer/s is/are:

Amanda Richards (for Stage One)

The designated officer or customer services agent will investigate your complaint and endeavour to send a final response to you within 50 days of receipt of your complaint. We will provide the complainant an update at intervals not exceeding 20 days. If we are unable to provide you with a final response within this time we will send you an update as to what timeframe the complaint will be resolved.

If more than 50 days from the date of your complaint has past and you haven’t received a final response, or you are dissatisfied with the final response you have received or at any stage of the process you can write to either:

Financial Services Ombudsman
3rd Floor, Lincoln House
Lincoln Place
Dublin 2

For more information please visit the website link http://www.financialombudsman.ie/ and read the guide ''Making a Complaint/Query''

Financial Ombudsman Service
South Quay Plaza
183 Marsh Wall
London
E14 9SR

For more information please visit the website link http://www.financial-ombudsman.org.uk/consumer/complaints.htm and read the guide ''Your Complaint and the Ombudsman''

You must refer your complaint to the Financial Ombudsman within 6 months of the date on the final response.

If the complaint is not resolved to the satisfaction of the complainant:

Step 2

The complainant completes the “Complaints Form” (please ask any staff member for one), which is pre-addressed to a specific officer. The complainant will have the right to be heard by this officer who will investigate, discuss and, wherever possible, resolve the complaint.

The designated officer/s is/are: Martina Cotter CEO (for Stage Two)

If the complaint is not resolved to the satisfaction of the complainant:

Step 3

The complainant should forward a copy of the “Complaints Form to the secretary of the credit union who will forward it to a complaints committee. The complainant will have the right to be heard by the committee, which will investigate and, wherever possible, resolve the complaint.

If the complaint is not resolved to the satisfaction of the complainant:

Step 4

The complainant should request the secretary of the credit union to forward the Complaints Form to the board of directors or the credit union which will investigate, discuss and wherever possible, resolve the complaint. The complainant will have the right to be heard by the board.

If the complaint is not resolved to the satisfaction of the complainant:

Step 5

The complainant should request the secretary of the credit union to forward the complaint to the Chief Executive Officer of the Irish League of Credit Unions. The complaints committee of the league will investigate discuss and, wherever possible, resolve the complaint.

If the complaint is not resolved to the satisfaction of the complainant:

Step 6

The matter in dispute may be referred at the discretion of the complainant to Arbitration. A decision by the arbitrator shall be binding and conclusive on all parties without appeal.

For further information about arbitration, please refer to Rule 159(3) (h) of the Rules of the Credit Union . Under step 6 above, a matter in dispute may be referred at the discretion of the complainant to arbitration under the Arbitration Acts by a single arbitrator to be agreed between the board of directors of the credit union and the complainant, or failing agreement on such appointment the arbitrator shall be the Registrar or a person appointed by him.

In accordance with the Credit Union Act, 1997 (the Act), and because the Rules of the credit union give directions as to the manner in which disputes are to be decided, every dispute to which the credit union is a party shall be decided in that manner. Thus a dispute by a member against the credit union under a contract constituted by the Rules of the credit union may not normally be referred to the courts and must be dealt with in accordance with the procedure overleaf. Where no decision is made on a dispute within 50 days from the date on which the Complaints Form is submitted to the Credit Union, any party to the dispute may apply to the District Court, which may hear and determine the matter in dispute.

An application for the enforcement of a decision made under the scheme may be made to the District Court. As an alternative to availing of this scheme, the complaining member and the credit union may by consent refer a dispute to the Registrar who shall hear and decide the dispute. If a dispute is referred to the Registrar in this way, it will not be heard under this scheme.

The Member Complaints Procedure is drawn up in accordance with the Rules and the Act. It is a standard scheme for all credit unions in the Republic of Ireland affiliated to the Irish League of Credit Unions and applies to the credit union following registration of its amended Rules under the Act. It will be appreciated this guide only contains the principal features of the scheme and is not intended as a full legal analysis nor should it be relied on as such. Full details of the Scheme are contained in Rule 159 of the Rules of the credit union, a copy of which will be available to the member on request from the credit union. The legal basis for the scheme is contained in Part VIII of the Act.