Complaint-handling under the Code of Conduct for the Payment Card Industry in Canada

 

As a merchant, you may have questions or feel that your rights under the Code of Conduct for the Payment Card Industry in Canada (the Code) haven’t been respected. First contact your card payment service provider to try to resolve the issue.

Filing a Code-related complaint

As a merchant, you have the right to file a complaint.

Information on filing complaints

Payment card network operators (PCNOs), acquirers, and downstream participants must have a process for handling complaints that is:

• clear
• simple
• transparent
• easy to access
• easy to understand

They must provide you with clear information on how and where to file a complaint that includes:

• contact details
• procedures for filing complaints

They must prominently display summaries of the complaint-handling process on their website.

They must also make sure they have training on the Code in place for applicable employees.

When contacting your card payment service provider, have the following information on hand:

• the full name and address of your merchant account
• your merchant ID
• a copy of the agreement with the card payment service provider
• your most recent statement from the payment card service provider

Timelines for complaint-handling

The Code has set timelines to make sure your complaint is handled in a timely manner.

Your payment card service provider must:

• acknowledge receipt of your complaint within 5 business days
• investigate and address your complaint within 20 business days, 30 business days for PCNOs

If they cannot provide a response within these timeframes, they must inform you of the reason for the delay. They must also inform you of the expected response time.

Final response to complaints

After your payment provider investigates and addresses your complaint, they must give you:

• a summary of the complaint
• the final result of the investigation
• a final decision, including the reasons for the decision
• information on how to escalate your complaint if you’re not satisfied with the outcome. This includes providing you with the complaint-handling form

Role of payment card network operators

PCNOs must investigate all merchant complaints they receive from:

• acquirers
• downstream participants
• the Financial Consumer Agency of Canada (FCAC)
• merchants

They must work towards an appropriate resolution and:

• communicate the outcome of their investigation directly to you within 30 business days of receiving your complaint
• provide a copy of the investigation outcome to the acquirer and downstream participant

Learn how to file a complaint with a payment card network operator.

Filing a complaint with the Financial Consumer Agency of Canada

At any stage of the complaint process, you may file a complaint directly with FCAC.

FCAC does not resolve individual complaints and does not provide redress or compensation.

FCAC may examine a complaint to determine if the issues identified reflect a risk of a PCNO’s non-compliance with Code obligations.

Learn more about how FCAC handles your complaint.

File a complaint with FCAC about a payment card network operator.

Related links

• Code of Conduct for the Payment Card Industry in Canada