How to complain about companies or people

If your complaint concerns a product or service you have purchased, you should first raise your complaint with the business or person who provided you with the goods or services you are complaining about.

If you cannot resolve the problem with them, or if your complaint is about misconduct or illegal activity by a company or person, then ASIC may be one of a number of government and non-government organisations able to help you.

Your complaint and who can help
How to complain to ASIC
More information (PDFs and links)

Your complaint and who can help

Type of complaint:

Financial scams
Financial service, advice or product
Companies
Consumer credit
Consumer goods, non-financial services, residential tenancy
Prices, competition, unfair market practices, product safety, franchises, advertising and debt collection in relation to non-financial services
Financial management of banks, other financial institutions, superannuation funds or insurance companies
Your employer, wages and conditions

Financial scams
Scams involving a financial product, such as: financial products and services promising returns that are too good to be true phone investment scams pyramid marketing schemes involving a financial product	WHO CAN HELP: Lodge a complaint with ASIC MORE INFORMATION How to report a financial scam (FIDO website) Protect yourself from scams (FIDO website)
If your complaint is about: Scams involving consumer goods and services Pyramid marketing schemes not involving a financial product.	WHO CAN HELP: State government consumer bodies
Some scams use the language of 'financial investments', but they are outside ASIC's responsibilities because they involve sales offers for non-financial consumer goods and services, such as: Money transfer schemes offering you fake jobs or 'working from home' opportunities Nigerian' advance fee scams asking for your help to transfer money out of a country Lottery scams, telling you 'out of the blue' that you've won a prize in an international lottery Phishing - fake bank emails asking you for your account details.	WHO CAN HELP: ACCC's SCAMwatch.
Financial service, advice or product
Financial services complaints include those about financial advice or products such as: superannuation managed funds insurance credit deposit accounts.	MORE INFORMATION: 'You can complain' A step-by-step guide to solving problems with financial products and services. If you can’t resolve your complaint with the firm, take it to an independent complaint scheme.
Companies
For complaints about alleged misconduct or illegal activity concerning: how company directors and officers manage their companies incorrect or late release of company information to the market raising money from the public a company continuing to trade while unable to pay its debts how company administrators, liquidators or auditors perform their duties misleading or deceptive conduct to do with borrowing money, and a takeover or company restructure.	WHO CAN HELP: Lodge a complaint with ASIC
A business that is not a registered company (i.e. it does not have an ACN), for example, about unpaid debts.	State government consumer bodies
Consumer credit
For complaints about: consumer credit including loans, credit cards, store cards and mortgages (but not credit for business purposes) consumer leases (but not leases for business or investment assets) mortgage or finance brokers who provide credit assistance in relation to consumer credit or consumer leases debt collection in relation to consumer credit (i.e. loans and credit cards).	WHO CAN HELP: External Dispute Resolution Schemes (FOS or COSL) If your complaint is about a credit provider or credit assistance provider you will have to talk to them first to explain the problem. If you are unhappy with their response you can then make a formal complaint with an independent External Dispute Resolution Scheme. If alleged misconduct or illegal activity may have occurred lodge a complaint with ASIC. Note: ASIC may refer you back to the credit provider, credit assistance provider or External Dispute Resolution Scheme if you have not contacted them first.
Consumer goods, non-financial services, residential tenancy
For complaints about: consumer goods non-financial services residential tenancy.	WHO CAN HELP: State government consumer bodies
Prices, competition, unfair market practices, product safety, franchises, advertising and debt collection in relation to non-financial services
For complaints about: prices competition unfair market practices product safety franchises advertising debt collection in relation to non-financial services (i.e. phone and utility bills or bills for professional or trades services).	WHO CAN HELP: Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) State government consumer bodies
Financial management of banks, other financial institutions, superannuation funds or insurance companies
For complaints about financial managment of: banks other financial institutions superannuation funds insurance companies.	WHO CAN HELP: Australian Prudential Regulation Authority (APRA).
Your employer, wages and conditions
For complaints, questions or concerns about: your employer your wages your employment conditions.	WHO CAN HELP: Fair Work (Commonwealth Government).

How to complain to ASIC

Before you begin, gather together documents or letters about your complaint. You may need to refer to them to answer some of the questions in the complaint form.

Making your complaint online

Fill in our online complaint form and send your complaint to us electronically. You will be able to view, save and print a copy of your completed complaint.

If for any reason you are unable to finish your complaint in a single session you can resume your complaint at a later time.

Our online form will run as a secure internet session to ensure the confidentiality of your information.

Sending your complaint via mail, fax or email
You can also print our complaint form and send your complaint to us.

Post your form to

ASIC Complaints
Australian Securities and Investments Commission
GPO Box 9827
Your Capital City

Fax it to us

Email -

infoline@asic.gov.au

Speaking to ASIC
Phone 1300 300 630
(international +61 3 5177 3777)

If you need a translator, call the Telephone Interpreter Service on 131 450. They will call ASIC for you.

Do you have a question?
If you need more information, you may want to ask us a question online or phone us on 1300 300 630.

What will happen with your complaint?
We record your complaint and look carefully at what you have told us. We aim to understand the facts and to see if the law has been broken. ASIC can only act if the law has been broken.

We weigh every complaint we receive against four basic questions:

What legal action can we take?
Is the evidence likely to be sufficient?
Which complaint is the most urgent and serious?
If we succeed, will people behave better in the future?

We often receive complaints from consumers who want help getting their money back. Even if we believe there has been misconduct, we generally won't be able to recover money for you. Often you will need to get your own professional advice.

Your complaint counts
Your complaint:

Tells us which people and what problems are giving trouble to consumers, investors and creditors
Suggest targets for surveillance and inspections
Helps us select cases for possible criminal or civil action
Guides us on the warning and advice we give.

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More information

Download PDFs:	Useful links:
How ASIC deals with your complaint Dealing with debt (your rights and responsibilities) Debt collection guideline	You can complain - Guide to complaining about a financial service or product Complaining about ASIC decisions or officers How to report a financial scam Industry Codes of Practice Whistleblowing

ASIC Website: Printed 09/07/2010

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