Serving you better
Easy and straightforward
Role of the Complaints Officer
Other courses of action
An independent complaints resolution service

These provisions apply to the Web site pages of SSQ, Life Insurance Company Inc.

SERVING YOU BETTER
At SSQ, we understand that as a client, you are entitled to expect your requests to be handled fairly and equitably. And that is precisely why we have an official Complaint Handling and Dispute Resolution Policy.

This policy guides all of our decisions and actions related to handling complaints and gives us an excellent tool to ensure we can provide you with even better service.

EASY AND STRAIGHTFORWARD
Every complaint we receive undergoes an in-depth examination procedure in order to be settled fairly and courteously. Here is an overview of the steps involved.

First
If you have a concern about one of our products or services, you should start by contacting the individual you normally deal with or an SSQ Customer Service representative.

Second
If after this initial step, you haven’t received a satisfactory response, you can request to have your file transferred to a higher level. In this case, a specialist, team leader or supervisor will examine your case and contact you.

Third
In most cases, complaints are settled promptly to the satisfaction of our clients. However, if you are still not satisfied after having gone through the first two steps, you can file a formal complaint with SSQ’s Complaints Officer. Submit your written complaint to the Complaints Officer explaining the reasons why you are not satisfied and how you would like to see the situation resolved. Send your written complaint to the attention of SSQ’s Complaints Officer at:

SSQ, Life Insurance Company Inc. 
2525 Laurier Boulevard
P.O. Box 10500, Station Sainte-Foy
Quebec, Quebec   G1V 4H6
complaints@ssq.ca

ROLE OF THE COMPLAINTS OFFICER
The role of SSQ’s Complaints Officer is to act independently and objectively to investigate all options that could potentially lead to the resolution of a complaint.

Upon receiving your written complaint, SSQ’s Complaints Officer will open a file and send you an acknowledgement of receipt. Your complaint will then be handled within 30 days of receipt of all of the documents or information required to examine the complaint.

Advisors from different company departments may be called upon to assist the Complaints Officer in carrying out a full examination of the complaint. If, upon completing the examination, the Complaints Officer upholds the initial decision, an explanation of the decision-making process and the steps taken to arrive at this decision will be provided. If the Complaints Officer decides that your complaint is justified, appropriate action will be taken to rectify the situation.

In both cases, you will be notified in writing of the final decision taken by the Complaints Officer. 

OTHER COURSES OF ACTION
If you are not satisfied with how your complaint is handled or a decision made by SSQ’s Complaints Officer, you can present your case to a competent regulatory body or association involved in regulating the financial sector.
These organizations will intervene only after you have exhausted all possible recourses with SSQ and after the 30-day time limit for receiving a final response has elapsed. If your complaint is eligible for review by one of these regulatory bodies, SSQ’s Complaints Officer will inform you of this and indicate which organization you should contact.

If you live in Quebec
If you live in Quebec, you can ask the Complaints Officer to transfer your complaint file to the Autorité des marchés financiers. This can be done once the time limit for a final response has elapsed, but no longer than one year after the date you receive your final response from the Complaints Officer.  For information about the options available to you, contact the Autorité des marchés financiers at 1-877-525-0337.

If you live in Ontario
If you live in Ontario, you can find out about the options available to you by contacting the Financial Services Commission of Ontario at 1-800-668-0128.

If you live in another province
As there are no provincial complaint handling laws or regulations currently in place outside Ontario and Quebec, you can refer to the OmbudService For Life & Health Insurance.

Legal recourse
It is important to note that any steps taken with these organizations will not interrupt the statutory period allowed for exercising your rights before a court of competent jurisdiction.

What about confidentiality?
When you file a written complaint with SSQ, our Complaints Officer will open up a file to hold all of the pertinent information gathered relating to your complaint.

Any personal information about you contained in this file will be kept strictly confidential and is protected under the
SSQ Personal Information Protection Policy.

AN INDEPENDENT COMPLAINTS RESOLUTION SERVICE
Finally, regardless of where you live in Canada, you can always refer to the OmbudService For Life & Health Insurance (OLHI). The OLHI offers a voluntary conciliation process. For more information, call 1-866-295-8112 or visit the OLHI Web site at www.olhi.ca.

• Alberta
  Alberta Superintendent of Financial Institutions
• British Columbia
  Financial Institutions Commission
• Manitoba
  Insurance Council of Manitoba
• New Brunswick
  New Brunswick Insurance Board
• Newfoundland and Labrador
  Superintendent of Insurance, Newfoundland and Labrador
• Nova Scotia
  Superintendant of Insurance, Nova Scotia
• Prince Edward Island
  Superintendent of Insurance, Prince Edward Island
• Saskatchewan
  Saskatchewan Financial Services Commission