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.

CountryNational Competent Authorities 
AustriaFinancial Market Authority
Federal Ministry of Labour, Social Affairs and Consumer Protection
 
BelgiumThe Financial Services and Markets Authority
Ministry of Economy
Ombudsfin
Ombudsman des assurances
 
BulgariaCommission for Consumer Protection
Conciliation commission on dispute payments
Bulgarian National Bank
Financial Supervision Commission
 
CroatiaThe Croatian National Bank
Croatian Financial Services Supervisory Agency
 
CyprusCentral Bank of Cyprus
The competition and consumer protection service of the ministry of commerce, industry and tourism of the republic of Cyprus
 
Czech RepublicThe Czech National Bank 
DenmarkFinanstilsynet
The Danish Complaint Board of Banking Services
 
EstoniaThe Estonian Financial Supervision Authority (EFSA)
Consumer Protection Board
 
FinlandFinancial Supervisory Authority
The Finnish Financial Ombudsman's Bureau
Consumer Disputes board
Consumer Advisors
Finnish Communications Regulatory Authority
 
FranceAutorité de Contrôle Prudentiel et de Résolution (ACPR)
The Autorité des Marchés Financiers (AMF)
 
GermanyFederal Financial Supervisory Authority (BaFin)
Federal Ministry of Finance (BMF)
Federal Ministry of Justice and Consumer Protection (BMJV)
Federal Ministry of Economics and Technology (BMWi)
 
GreeceGeneral Secretariat for Commerce and Consumer Affairs
The Bank of Greece
 
HungaryMagyar Nemzeti Bank (Central Bank of Hungary) 
Financial Arbitration Board
 
IcelandThe Financial Supervisory Authority
The Complaints Committee on Transactions with Financial Firms
The Consumer Agency
 
IrelandFinancial Services and Pensions Ombudsman
Central Bank of Ireland
 
ItalyBank of Italy
CONSOB
Italian Competition Authority
Arbitro Bancario Finanziario (ABF)
 
LatviaConsumer Rights Protection Centre
Ombudsman of the Association of Latvian Commercial Banks
Financial and Capital Market Commission
 
LithuaniaState Consumer Rights Protection Authority
Bank of Lithuania
 
LuxemburgCommission de Surveillance du Secteur Financier 
MaltaMalta Financial Services Authority 
NetherlandsAuthoriteit Financiele Markten
De Nederlandsche Bank
 
NorwayFinanstilsynet
Forbrukertilsynet
Finansklagenemnda (The Norwegian Financial Complaints Board)
 
PolandKomisja Nadzoru Finansowego
Urzad Ochrony Konkurencji i Konsumentow
Rzecznik Finansowy (Polish Financial Ombudsman)
 
PortugalBanco de Portugal 
RomaniaNational Authority for Consumer Protection 
SlovakiaMinistry of Finance of the Slovak Republic
National Bank of Slovakia
Slovak Trade Inspection
 
SloveniaMinistry of Economic Development and Technology
Bank of Slovenia
 
SpainBank of Spain 
SwedenFinansinspektionen
Konsumentverket
Allmanna Reklamationsnamnden
 
United KingdomFinancial Conduct Authority