Complaints procedure.

1. Why we have this procedure

Titan Development Consultants (Pty) Ltd, trading as TitanDC (FSP 8972), wants to hear when something has gone wrong. A complaint tells us where our advice, service or administration has fallen short, and the law requires us to handle it fairly, promptly and consistently. This procedure sets out what a complaint is, how to make one, what we will do, how long it will take, and where to go if you are not satisfied with our answer. It is published on our website and given to clients on request.

2. What counts as a complaint

A complaint is any expression of dissatisfaction by a client, a prospective client or a person acting on their behalf, about our advice, our service, a product we arranged, the way we handled a claim or a previous complaint, or any conduct that may have caused the person prejudice or harm, whether or not it is in writing and whether or not the person uses the word "complaint". A general enquiry, a request for information or a claim notification is not a complaint unless the person says they are dissatisfied.

For record-keeping we classify each complaint under one of the categories in the Code: (a) the design of a product; (b) information given about a product or service; (c) advice; (d) service, including administration and claims handling; (e) the handling of a previous complaint; or (f) other.

3. How to complain

Please give us your name and contact details, your policy or reference number, what happened and when, the people involved, and what you would like us to do about it. Attach any documents that support the complaint. If you need help to put the complaint in writing, a member of staff will write it down for you and read it back to confirm it. Complaints are free of charge.

4. What we will do

5. Who handles complaints

A person who is the subject of a complaint does not decide it. Staff are trained on this procedure at induction and annually, and are expected to treat complainants with courtesy and without any adverse consequence for having complained.

6. External escalation

You may approach an ombud at any time, but they will normally expect you to have given us the opportunity to resolve the complaint first. Complaints must generally be lodged with the FAIS Ombud within six months of our final response, and the NFO applies its own time limits.

Complaints about our advice or intermediary services (the recommendation we made, the information we gave, or the way we arranged your product):

Complaints about an insurer's decision, a claim outcome or policy terms (short-term, long-term and credit insurance):

Medical scheme complaints may be referred to the Council for Medical Schemes (www.medicalschemes.co.za, 0861 123 267). Concerns about our conduct as a licensed provider may be raised with the FSCA:

7. Records, reporting and review

• Every complaint is recorded in the complaints register (Annexure A) with the date received, the complainant, the category, a summary, the person handling it, each step taken with dates, the outcome, any redress given, and the date closed. Records are kept for at least five years.
• Rejected and upheld complaints, and complaints referred to an ombud, are reported to the key individuals monthly and to the compliance officers quarterly. Trends are used to fix root causes, which may include training, changes to processes, or feedback to a product supplier.
• Reportable complaints are reported to the FSCA and to product suppliers where a binder or outsourcing agreement or the Policyholder Protection Rules require it.
• This procedure is reviewed at least annually and whenever the Code, the Policyholder Protection Rules or the ombud arrangements change.

Version control

Annexure A: Complaints register

Record every complaint, whether or not it is upheld. Key dates are the acknowledgement, the final response and closure. Category codes are those in section 2.

The blank register template is included in the PDF version of this document.