A number of organizations and resources are available to Canadian consumers who have made a complaint against their insurance company and are not satisfied with the ruling they’ve received. Canadian motorists are in fact well-protected by different bodies that regulate the car insurance industry. These bodies are mandated to ensure that insured motorists are treated in a fair and equitable manner, notably as it concerns how their complaints are treated.
Notify Your Insurer First
If you are dissatisfied with the service provided by your insurance company or insurance broker, notify your insurer or broker first. After all, your insurer wants to keep you as a customer! Generally, your insurer should receive your complaint and take the necessary steps to find a solution that is acceptable to you and to them. After this process, if you feel that you have not been treated fairly despite making a complaint, your next recourse is to contact an independent organization.
Canadian Associations and Organizations
The GIO (General Insurance OmbudService) helps motorists who have an ongoing conflict with their insurance company. The GIO can intervene as a mediator between motorists and their insurers to find a mutually acceptable agreement. Take note however that this organization cannot rule on a complaint regarding car insurance involving an insurance broker.
If you are dissatisfied with services you have received from an insurance broker, and your complaint has not been addressed to your satisfaction, visit the website of the IBAC (Insurance Brokers Association of Canada) for information regarding website addresses of provincial organizations that regulate agents, brokers and claims adjusters.
In Quebec, the AMF (Autorité Des Marchés Financiers) oversees insurance companies, while the CHAD (Chambre de l’Assurance de Dommages) regulates brokers and agents. These two organizations can help you if you have a filed an unresolved complaint regarding car insurance.
