What is a Complaint?

In line with the Merriam Webster dictionary, AffinityPlus Credit Union Ltd. defines a complaint as “any form of dissatisfaction, whether oral or written, and whether justified or not, from or on behalf of any member or non-member about the Credit Union’s provision of, or failure to provide, a service or product in a manner perceived by the complainant to be reasonable”.

A complaint may be related to the Credit Union’s products, services, employees, premises or the complaints handling process itself, where a response or resolution is explicitly or implicitly expected”

Section 63 (e) of the By-Laws of AFFINITYPLUS CREDIT UNION LTD. mandates the Supervisory Committee of the Credit Union (Society) to “receive and investigate any complaints made by any member affecting the proper management of the Society”.

The receipt of service is a subjective action and because of this while AffinityPlus staff and officers will make every effort to provide the best quality service and products to members and prospective members, complaints are inevitable.

The policy will not apply to complaints by officers and staff of the credit union including directors, other volunteers and employees, other than in their capacity as members. The policy recognises that matters related to employee relations will be handled under the company’s Human Resources & Collective Bargaining Policies.

Members can email complaints to feedback@affinityplusbb.com or submit a physical letter addressed as follows:

Complaints Manager, AffinityPlus Credit Union Ltd, Fairchild Street, Bridgetown , BB11015

Roles and Responsibilities

To carry out the Policy, various roles and responsibilities have been assigned.

A Complaints Manager whose duty it is to receive complaints forms and to investigate, discuss and wherever possible resolve such complaints. The Chief Operations Officer (COO) of AffinityPlus is assigned the role of Complaints Manager (or their designate)
An Internal Complaints Committee (ICC) whose membership shall not include the Complaints Manager (or designate) above, and whose duty it shall be to investigate, discuss and wherever possible resolve complaints. The CEO, COO and CFO shall constitute the ICC

Procedure for Responding

Where a member/non-member makes a complaint:

They should be given a copy of this Policy & Procedure.
They should be invited to meet a credit union officer in a private room where their concern can be discussed and hopefully resolved.
A written report of the meeting should be documented and signed by the complainant and the officer at the conclusion of the meeting using the established complaints report. A copy of the complaint record should be given to the member along with contact information for Complaints Manager.
Where a complaint is received via electronic medium (Social Media, Website, Email etc.) the recipient will acknowledge the complaint within one business day and provide the complainant with a copy of this Policy and Procedure.
Where the member’s concern following the above steps remains unresolved, the member should be advised that the matter will be escalated to the Manager.
The Manager will acknowledge the complaint in writing within 5 working days and invite the member to meet with the manager to discuss the complaint.
The credit union should seek to resolve the member’s complaint within 4 weeks and advise the member of the anticipated time frame within which it is expected to be resolved and of their right to refer the matter to the Internal Complaints Committee or Supervisory Committee.
The complaint will be investigated by the Manager, who will provide the member with a regular written/verbal update on the progress of the investigation of the complaint at intervals of not greater than 7 days.
Following the Manager’s assessment of the complaint, they shall notify the member of their assessment in writing within 5 business days. This notification should explain that if the Manager’s assessment does not resolve the matter to their satisfaction the matter can be referred to the ICC and that they have a right to be heard by that committee. Complaints forms addressed to the ICC are available in the Forms & Publication section of the website or at any AffinityPlus office.
In the event that the member is not satisfied with the Manager’s assessment of the complaint, it shall be referred to the ICC for investigation. The committee shall notify the member of their assessment in writing within 5 business days of completion of their assessment. This notification should explain that if the committee’s assessment does not resolve the matter to their satisfaction the matter can be referred to the Supervisory Committee.
In the event that the member is not satisfied with the Supervisory Committee’s assessment of the complaint, it shall be referred to the Board of Directors for investigation. The Board shall notify the member of their assessment in writing within 5 business days of completion of their assessment. This notification should inform the member that this is the Credit Union’s final decision in respect of their complaint. They should also be informed that if they remain unsatisfied, they have a right to refer the matter to the Financial Services Commission. The member should be provided with contact details for the Financial Services Commission.
Complaints made against any Manager of the AffinityPlus should be referred directly to the Supervisory Committee for investigation.

Information To Be Provided To The Supervisory Committee

In the event that a complaint is received by the credit union, the Supervisory Committee shall be informed of this at the next meeting following the receipt of the complaint. The Committee shall be updated at each subsequent meeting on the investigation and progress of the complaint.

Policy Access

Download the Complaints Policy & Procedure. Copies can be emailed on request by members.

Policy Review

This Complaints Policy will be reviewed by the Board of Directors on a regular basis and at least annually.