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Bank customers go online to complain
11 December 2008 |
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| Complaints by consumers to the Banking and Financial Services Ombudsman jumped up 22 per cent in 2007–08 to 7,911 new cases, apparently largely driven by the availability of the online complaints channel. Almost 4,000 complaints were lodged online during the year, up 21.7 per cent on the number from the previous year, which was 45 per cent up on the year before.While the chief ombudsman Colin Neave blamed "global financial turmoil" for the significant increase, the numbers don't seem to unequivocally back that theory up. The ombudsman said in his statement that "there has been a considerable increase of 152 per cent in disputes about managed investments and a 55 per cent rise in financial planning disputes". However those big increases came off very low bases. There were only 257 complaints about financial planners and just 126 complaints about managed investments during the year.The product group collecting the most complaints was consumer finance, dominated by unauthorised credit card transaction disputes, with 1,842 cases, up 7.7 per cent. Housing finance came second with 767 cases relating to variable rate home loans, up 26.7 per cent and 169 cases related to fixed rate loans, up 62.7 per cent. There were 795 complaints relating to payment systems, mostly ATMs, up 2.3 per cent and 687 complaints related to deposit accounts, down 3.6 per cent. Of the 7,497 cases closed or finalised during the year, 1,578 were discontinued by the consumer, mostly prior to the BFSO referring the matter to the financial institution.Ninety-three per cent of the 4,332 cases where an outcome was determined were resolved by the member institution without involvement by BFSO. That such a high percentage of cases can be resolved early by institutions after a complaint has been registered highlights the easy online route consumers can take to working out problems with their bank. |
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| Source : The Sheet |
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| 31 December 2008 | - Strange legal action will be fought says ANZ |
| | - Rates to plunge to two per cent |
| | - Legal actions mounting up for ANZ |
| | - Dodgy cash back deals anger consumers |
| | - Card contracts can't be understood |
| | - Airfares down  Take a break says government |
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| 30 December 2008 | - Mortgage stress for sub-prime lender's customers |
| | - Banks pushing card debt |
| | - Westpac/BT investment fund frozen |
| | - Big trouble ahead for property trusts |
| | - ANZ signing up car dealers |
| | - ANZ Bank fined by US government |
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| 29 December 2008 | - Wizard borrowers to get lower interest rates |
| | - NAB to speed up transfers |
| | - Baby bonus test creates confusion |
| | - Aussies become bargain hunters |
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| 24 December 2008 | - Up market retail boom |
| | - St George customers get 'worldÂs best' service |
| | - Bendigo mums and dads invest more |
| | - Bank fee take goes up |
| | - ANZ cuts back on services for wealthy customers |
| | - Reward for information on ATM bandits |
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| 23 December 2008 | - Sydney property investors getting eight per cent |
| | - Rate cuts come too late for the repossessed |
| | - Money moving back to markets |
| | - Confidence in super evaporates |
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| 22 December 2008 | - Banks tighten up on lending |
| | - Banks support greenhouse plan |
| | - ANZ chases car loan partners |
| | - Rent goes up, property prices go down |
| | - Banks not passing on rate cuts to farmers |
| | - Bad personal loans dog CommBank |
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| 19 December 2008 | - Pay off credit card debts first |
| | - More ATMs for BankWest and Commonwealth customers |
| | - Confidence in Commonwealth Bank crashes |
| | - Charity gift cards growing in popularity |
| | - Card debt down but markets still destroying wealth |
| | - Aussie ponzi scheme eats $100 million |
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| 11 December 2008 | - Guarantee fails to bring bank costs down |
| | - Citibank collects complaints |
| | - Aussies reject shares for bank deposits |
| | - ATMs to display fees up front |
| | - Adelaide lures investors |
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| 10 December 2008 | - Rams faces action over 'unreasonable' exit fees |
| | - No action on excessive exec salaries |
| | - Next big rate cut due in February |
| | - Keep repayments high to bring interest costs down |
| | - Cash advances go up |
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| 09 December 2008 | - Mortgage market contracts, mortgage stress grows |
| | - Challenger comes back to the mortgage market |
| | - Banks back in business thanks to guarantee |
| | - Banks axe more staff |
| | - Aussies reject saving to spend up big |
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| 08 December 2008 | - Cards and mortgages soak up bonus payments |
| | - Big banks 'unconcerned' about mortgage defaults |
| | - Rate cuts not flowing through to home sales |
| | - Members Equity Credit Unions to take on banks |
| | - ANZ sacks 800 managers |
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| 05 December 2008 | - Sydney property slump continues |
| | - OneLend takes over City Pacific mortgage network |
| | - Members Equity passes on full rate cut |
| | - Commbank chief takes over as banker's chair |
| | - ANZ warns shareholders on share sales |
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| 04 December 2008 | - Rate rises blamed for poor economy |
| | - Profits down in finance sector |
| | - Members Equity profit down, exec pay up |
| | - Forty thousand caught by fixed rate mortgages |
| | - Card rates starting to come down |
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| 03 December 2008 | - RBA cuts again, more cuts to come |
| | - Homeowners $565/month better off |
| | - CBA, NAB pass on full rate cut |
| | - Banks hold onto big margins |
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| 02 December 2008 | - St George customers get 2,700 ATMs |
| | - No application needed for Visa gift card |
| | - Five per cent mortgage rates coming soon |
| | - Exec bonuses to be scrutinised |
| | - Banks issue card fraud warning for xmas shoppers |
| | - RBA cuts cash rate by 1 percent. |
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| 01 December 2008 | - Sydney buyers slugged by stamp duty |
| | - Melbourne auction sales slump |
| | - Investors rush to bank deposits |
| | - Debt cards recommended for young people |
| | - Big rate cuts due this week |
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