POLICY • Complaint Handling And Dispute Resolution

Purpose of the Policy

The complaint handling and dispute resolution policy ensures that clients of FORT ASSURANCES ET AVANTAGES SOCIAUX INC, a damage insurance brokerage firm, can be assured that any complaint submitted will be received, processed, and responded to within a structured, fair, and free process.

Our complaint handling policy includes receiving complaints, sending an acknowledgment of receipt and notice to the complainant, creating a complaint file, forwarding the file to the Autorité des marchés financiers (the “AMF”) at the complainant’s request, and submitting a complaint report to the AMF.

Complaint and Dispute Resolution Officer

The person responsible for enforcing this policy at FORT ASSURANCES ET AVANTAGES SOCIAUX INC is Manon Racette. She is also responsible for training and informing staff to ensure compliance with this policy.

Definition and Admissibility of a Complaint^[1]

A complaint is defined as the expression of one of the following three elements, which remains unresolved after being reviewed and handled at the competent operational level:

A reproach against the firm or registrant;
The reporting of a potential or actual harm suffered or that could be suffered by a consumer;
A request for corrective measures.

Note: A consumer’s initial dissatisfaction, whether written or verbal, does not constitute a complaint if it is resolved in the normal course of business operations. However, if the consumer remains dissatisfied and their issue must be escalated to the person responsible for complaint handling, as designated in the company’s policy, then it qualifies as a complaint.

A complaint must be recorded in writing in a manner that allows it to be retained. To facilitate this process, the AMF’s official complaint form is available for your use. However, if you wish to submit a complaint verbally, the firm is responsible for documenting it in a way that ensures its retention.

DOWNLOAD HERE : OFFICIAL AMF COMPLAINT FORM (OFFICIEL AMF)^[2]

COMPLAINT HANDLING PROCESS

1. Receiving the Complaint

A complainant who is dissatisfied with the responses or information received regarding their concerns and wishes to file a complaint may do so in writing[3] via one of the following methods:

By mail or in person:

FORT ASSURANCES ET AVANTAGES SOCIAUX INC

Attn : Manon Racette

4, CAR WESTMOUNT BUR. 200

WESTMOUNT,QUÉBEC
H3Z 2S6

By email: mracette@fort.ca

By phone or verbally: Firm’s phone number: 514-374-9944

2. Acknowledgement of Receipt and Notice

An acknowledgment of receipt and notice will be sent to the complainant within five (5) business days.

Note: If the complaint is incomplete, a request for additional information will be sent. The complainant must respond within ten (10) business days, or the complaint may be considered abandoned.

3. Opening a Separate Complaint File

A separate file will be created for each complaint and will include:
a) The complainant’s written complaint;
b) The acknowledgment of receipt and any additional information requests;
c) The outcome of the firm’s internal complaint handling process, including supporting documents;
d) The final, reasoned written response provided to the complainant by the Officer;
e) Any other documents the complainant submitted in connection with the complaint.

4. Processing the Complaint

Once all necessary information has been received, the investigation process begins.

The complaint will be processed within a maximum of 30 days following the receipt of all required documents.

Before this deadline, the Officer will send the complainant a final written and reasoned response. The firm’s decision will then be final.

5. Transferring the File to the AMF ^[4]

If the complainant remains dissatisfied with the final response, they may request that their file be transferred to the AMF through one of the following methods:

Using the AMF COMPLAINT FILE TRANSFER FORM[5]
Submitting a transfer request in any other written format

The complainant’s right to request a transfer expires one (1) year after receiving the final response.

The AMF will review the submitted file and may request additional information or documents if needed. Following the file review, the AMF may offer dispute resolution services at its discretion.