The Customer Dispute Resolution Office

If you can’t resolve a complaint through your broker or Economical directly, the Customer Dispute Resolution Office works to resolve complaints in a fair and impartial manner.

The role of the Customer Dispute Resolution Office is to carefully and objectively review complaints as a neutral third party, working with you and other departments to gather additional information to better understand your concerns. Our independent investigation will assess if fair practices and processes have been applied and determine what, if any, resolution we can offer.

Once we have completed a review of your complaint, you'll receive an explanation of the final decision in writing, usually within 30 business days. If we’re unable to meet that deadline, we’ll let you know why and when you can expect a response.

Our goal is to work with you to resolve your complaints in a fair and impartial manner. We'll shed light on any misconceptions, help clarify final decisions made by the company, and, in the event of an error, help facilitate the correction with the necessary business teams. If a resolution is still not achieved, we’ll provide you with the next steps to take in the complaint process.

If you are a customer located in Quebec, please visit our Summary of the Complaint Processing and Dispute Resolution Procedure in Quebec for details on how Economical’s Customer Dispute Resolution Office handles complaints in the province.

Details to Include for the Customer Dispute Resolution Office

To properly investigate your concerns, it’s important that we collect the details of your complaint. Please include the following information:

  • The reason you feel your concerns have not been resolved after speaking with your broker and a company representative (see steps 1 and 2 for filing a complaint)
  • Documentation or information that you'd like the Customer Dispute Resolution Office to review
  • What you would like to see happen with your request (your desired outcome)
  • Summary of your complaint
  • List of unresolved concerns

When the Customer Dispute Resolution Office can't help

Some issues are outside the scope of the Customer Dispute Resolution Office:

  • The cost of insurance and rates (outside of Alberta)
  • The availability of insurance coverage
  • Disputes about the value of a loss, including the extent of repairs required (automobile damage or home repairs), that require handling through an appraisal and dispute resolution process set out by law or as outlined within the respective Insurance Act for your province
  • Litigated or legal matters that do not fall within the mandate of the Customer Dispute Resolution Office, including matters that have been or are currently before the courts

Customer Dispute Resolution Office Contact

Please note that our Customer Dispute Resolution Office can only review your complaint if you have attempted to resolve the matter with your broker and a company representative (see steps one and two for filing a complaint).

Please submit this online form to contact the Customer Dispute Resolution Office:

Submit a complaint

If you prefer, you can also reach out to the Customer Dispute Resolution Office by:

Mail

Customer Dispute Resolution Office
111 Westmount Road South
P.O. Box 2000
Waterloo, ON N2L 2L6

Unresolved Complaints

If you’re not satisfied with the Customer Dispute Resolution Office's final decision, there are regulatory and industry bodies outside of your insurer that can help you pursue further review of your complaint.

Financial Consumer Agency of Canada (FCAC)

The Financial Consumer Agency of Canada supervises all federally regulated financial institutions, which includes federally regulated insurance companies, for compliance with federal consumer protection laws, including the requirement to have a complaint-handling process in place. FCAC does not resolve individual complaints. If you have a problem with a financial product or service, you may file a complaint with Definity Insurance Company.

If you are not satisfied with how your complaint has been handled, you can escalate the complaint to the following third-party complaints body: The General Insurance OmbudService (GIO) 1-877-225-0446 | www.giocanada.org 

The General Insurance OmbudService (GIO) is a national independent dispute resolution service for Canadian consumers of insurance.

If you want to know your rights or need information about Definity Insurance Company’s complaint-handling process, you may contact FCAC by online form, mail, or telephone. FCAC uses information from consumer enquiries to support its mandate. 

Web site: www.canada.ca/fcac

Online form: https://www.canada.ca/en/financial-consumer-agency/corporate/contact-us.html

Phone:
For service in English: 1-866-461-FCAC (3222)
For service in French: 1-866-461-ACFC (2232)
For calls from outside Canada: 613-960-4666

Teletypewriter (TTY): 1-866-914-6097 / 613-947-7771 

Video Relay Service: FCAC welcomes Video Relay Service (VRS) calls. You do not need to authorize the relay service operator to communicate with FCAC. Visit https://srvcanadavrs.ca/en/ to learn more.

Mailing address:
Financial Consumer Agency of Canada
427 Laurier Avenue West, 5th Floor
Ottawa ON K1R 7Y2