Complaint-handling under the Code of Conduct for the Payment Card Industry in Canada
As a merchant, you may have questions or feel that your rights under the Code of Conduct for the Payment Card Industry in Canada (the Code) haven’t been respected. First contact your card payment service provider to try to resolve the issue.
Filing a Code-related complaint
As a merchant, you have the right to file a complaint.
Information on filing complaints
Payment card network operators (PCNOs), acquirers, and downstream participants must have a process for handling complaints that is:
- clear
- simple
- transparent
- easy to access
- easy to understand
They must provide you with clear information on how and where to file a complaint that includes:
- contact details
- procedures for filing complaints
They must prominently display summaries of the complaint-handling process on their website.
They must also make sure they have training on the Code in place for applicable employees.
When contacting your card payment service provider, have the following information on hand:
- the full name and address of your merchant account
- your merchant ID
- a copy of the agreement with the card payment service provider
- your most recent statement from the payment card service provider
Timelines for complaint-handling
The Code has set timelines to make sure your complaint is handled in a timely manner.
Your payment card service provider must:
- acknowledge receipt of your complaint within 5 business days
- investigate and address your complaint within 20 business days, 30 business days for PCNOs
If they cannot provide a response within these timeframes, they must inform you of the reason for the delay. They must also inform you of the expected response time.
Final response to complaints
After your payment provider investigates and addresses your complaint, they must give you:
- a summary of the complaint
- the final result of the investigation
- a final decision, including the reasons for the decision
- information on how to escalate your complaint if you’re not satisfied with the outcome. This includes providing you with the complaint-handling form
Role of payment card network operators
PCNOs must investigate all merchant complaints they receive from:
- acquirers
- downstream participants
- the Financial Consumer Agency of Canada (FCAC)
- merchants
They must work towards an appropriate resolution and:
- communicate the outcome of their investigation directly to you within 30 business days of receiving your complaint
- provide a copy of the investigation outcome to the acquirer and downstream participant
Learn how to file a complaint with a payment card network operator.
Merchants can contact FCAC for information or questions regarding the complaint-handling process under the Code.
FCAC may examine a complaint to determine if the issues identified reflect a risk of a PCNO’s non-compliance with Code obligations.
Contact the Financial Consumer Agency of Canada.