OTTAWA, August 14, 2006 - The Financial Consumer Agency of
Canada (FCAC) announced
today that it experienced technical difficulties with its e-mail system during
the period June 16, 2006 to
July 25, 2006.
Canadians who tried to contact FCAC during that period through the "Contact
Us" page of the Agency's Web site,
using the "General Inquiries" Internet-based contact system, did not receive a
reply. The technical difficulties
prevented the Agency's Consumer Contact Centre from receiving e-mails sent by
consumers using this method.
However, the other tools consumers can use to contact the Agency electronically,
such as FCAC's e-mail address
at info@fcac.gc.ca and the Internet-based publication request
system, were not affected.
"We apologize to consumers who used our Internet-based contact system during
this period and did not
receive a response. We regret any inconvenience this may have caused. Consumer
concerns and requests for
information are very important to us, and we invite those affected to contact us
again now that the problem
has been fixed," said FCAC Commissioner Bill Knight. "Canadians from across the
country can also contact
us Monday to Friday, from 8:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. (EST), at our toll-free telephone
number: 1-866-461-3222," Knight added.
Our consumer contact officers are there to respond to consumer complaints or
inquiries, or help consumers
find the right organization that can do so if their situation does not fall
under our mandate or area of expertise."
FCAC ensures compliance with the consumer protection laws, codes of conduct
and public commitments that
apply to banks and federally incorporated trust, loan and insurance companies.
FCAC also provides consumers
with accurate and objective information about financial products and services,
and informs Canadians of their
rights and responsibilities when dealing with federally regulated financial
institutions.
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Media contacts:
Martine Bélanger
Communications Officer
613-941-8982
belanger.martine@fcac.gc.ca
John Kane
Manager, External Communications
613-941-8988
kane.john@fcac.gc.ca
