Customer Advocate
2025-01-06
Customer Advocate
Bank of China Limited, Sydney Branch and Bank of China (Australia) Limited (collectively "BOC") have appointed a Customer Advocate to facilitate fair customer outcomes , minimise the likelihood of future problems and improve customer experience in the complaints handling process. The Australian Banking Association’s guiding principles for Customer Advocates are available at: ausbanking.org.au/resources/.
If you have a complaint about a banking service BOC has provided to you or think we have not met our obligations to you under the Banking Code of Practice , contact us in the first instance. BOC will continue to make best efforts to resolve your complaint via our internal dispute resolution ("IDR") process but if you are not satisfied with BOC's IDR response, you can ask for your dispute to be referred to the Customer Advocate as an alternative review procedure, if you wish. As an alternative review avenue, the Customer Advocate will act as your advocate and undertake a review of your complaint in order to facilitate a fair customer outcome . You will not be charged for assistance provided by the Customer Advocate.
The offer to refer your complaint to the Customer Advocate is an additional avenue to the option that you still have to, and does not prevent you from exercising your right to, access BOC's external dispute resolution scheme, the Australian Financial Complaints Authority ("AFCA"), if your complaint fits within their rules. We are bound to cooperate with AFCA in dealing with your complaint and AFCA decisions are binding on BOC. Please note that the Customer Advocate cannot review any complaint that has been already decided by AFCA.
Lodging a complaint through our internal complaints handling service, Customer Advocate or AFCA is free of charge.
If you choose to escalate your complaint to the Customer Advocate, the total time spent dealing with your complaint must not exceed the relevant maximum IDR timeframe set out in the below table. The total time includes both the IDR process and the Customer Advocate review (noting that time stops running on the date that we send the IDR response to you, and time starts running again from the date that you notify us that you wish to escalate your complaint to the Customer Advocate).
| Complaint type | Maximum timeframes for IDR response |
|---|---|
| Standard complaints | No later than 30 calendar days after receiving the complaint. |
| Credit-related complaints involving default notices | No later than 21 calendar days after receiving the complaint. |
| Credit-related complaints involving hardship notices or requests to postpone enforcement proceedings | No later than 21 calendar days after receiving the complaint. Exceptions apply if the credit provider or lessor does not have sufficient information to make a decision, or if they reach an agreement with the complainant. Insufficient information If the credit provider or lessor does not have sufficient information about a hardship notice to make a decision, they must request the information no later than 21 calendar days after receiving the complaint. The complainant must provide the information within 21 calendar days of receiving the request. Once the credit provider or lessor has received the requested information, the credit provider has a further 21 calendar days to provide an IDR response. If the credit provider or lessor does not receive the requested information within 21 calendar days of requesting the information, the credit provider or lessor has 7 calendar days to provide an IDR response. Agreement reached If agreement is reached about a hardship notice or request to postpone enforcement proceedings, the credit provider or lessor has 30 calendar days to confirm the terms or conditions in writing. |
You can contact the Customer Advocate by:
Telephone: (02) 8871 5888
Email: customeradvocate.au@bankofchina.com
Mail: BOC Customer Advocate, Ground Floor, 140 Sussex Street, Sydney NSW 2000
