Customer Advocate

Yes. Macquarie’s internal dispute resolution teams are fully equipped to consider and seek to resolve your complaint. If, however, you are not satisfied with the resolution they propose or you don’t believe your complaint has been resolved fairly, you can request the Customer Advocate to review your dispute.

Yes. The Customer Advocate’s role is to make it easier for our customers by helping to facilitate fair complaint outcomes and minimising the likelihood of future problems. This includes reviewing complaint decisions where you are dissatisfied with the proposed resolution by Macquarie’s internal dispute resolution team or you believe that your complaint has not been managed fairly.   

However, if your complaint has not first been considered by Macquarie’s internal dispute resolution team, then the Customer Advocate will refer your complaint to the relevant internal dispute resolution team to consider and seek to resolve your complaint.

No. You can choose whether to request the Customer Advocate or an external dispute resolution body to review your complaint. We would like the opportunity to assist you in resolving your dispute fairly and promptly, but you are not required to contact the Customer Advocate before lodging a dispute with an external dispute resolution body (such as the Australian Financial Complaints Authority) or taking other action.

Yes. You are not bound by a recommendation or decision of the Customer Advocate, and you may request an external dispute resolution body to review your complaint after it has been considered by the Customer Advocate.

Yes, we are happy to work with both you and any representative of your choice in resolving your dispute. If the person assisting you is a friend or family member we will require them to provide us with an authority from you.

There are some situations where it would not be appropriate for the Customer Advocate to review your complaint.  Should this occur, the Customer Advocate will promptly advise you and let you know the circumstances that have caused this to occur. Examples may include where:

• the complainant is not an individual or small business Australian customer that has been provided financial services by Macquarie Group.
• the complaint is already subject to review by an external dispute resolution body or court;
• the complaint is subject to an independently managed remediation programme or is part of a regulatory (e.g. ASIC) investigation;
• the complaint has already been determined (whether by an external dispute resolution scheme, court or the complainant having already settled the complaint with Macquarie);
• situations that create actual or perceived conflicts of interest (for example, where the complainant is a family member of the Customer Advocate);
• the complainant received an internal dispute resolution final response more than two years prior to contacting the Customer Advocate.

The Australian Bankers’ Association have published guiding principles for Customer Advocates (available here). Macquarie’s Customer Advocate’s mandate is consistent with these guiding principles.