Complaints procedure

Our commitment before you begin

Every complaint is read by a person, acknowledged quickly, investigated honestly and answered in plain language. Complaining has no effect on your standing as a member, your access to services, or the speed of your withdrawals, and we do not close a complaint just because it is inconvenient. The Client Support & Compliance department owns the process end to end.

The process, stage by stage

Stage 1: You raise it

Send your complaint by email to [email protected] with "Complaint" in the subject line, or raise it with your personal manager, who must pass it on the same day. State what happened, when, and what outcome you consider fair.

Stage 2: Acknowledgement and case number

Within one business day you receive an acknowledgement with a case number and the name of the officer handling your complaint. From this point you always have one named contact, and quoting the case number in any email keeps everything attached to the same file.

Stage 3: Investigation

The officer gathers the facts from account records, platform logs and staff accounts, contacts anyone involved, and where the facts are disputed tells you what the records show. Investigations that need more than five business days earn you a holding update explaining what is still being checked and when the next update will arrive.

Stage 4: The outcome letter

You receive a written outcome: what we found, what we decided, why, and what we will do about it. Where we got something wrong, we say so and put it right, including correcting account effects such as wrong fees or delayed withdrawals. Where we believe the platform acted correctly, we explain the reasoning rather than hiding behind policy language.

Stage 5: Review, if you disagree

If the outcome does not satisfy you, reply within 14 days asking for a review. A senior manager who was not part of the original decision re-examines the file and issues a final response, normally within a further ten business days.

What we need from you

Include your full name and registered email, dates and amounts where relevant, the names of any staff you dealt with, and any screenshots or reference codes that show the issue. Please do not include full card numbers, passwords, one-time codes or scans of whole identity documents in complaint emails; we will request specific documents securely if the investigation needs them. One thread per issue keeps the investigation fast.

Timelines at a glance

Acknowledgement within one business day; substantive investigation response within five business days for standard matters; holding updates at least every five business days for longer cases; final response after a requested review within ten business days. These are commitments we measure ourselves against, not aspirations. If a deadline is going to be missed, you hear it from us first, with the reason.

If we cannot resolve it: external options

If you have completed our internal process and remain dissatisfied, options exist outside Suretiform. New Zealand's dispute resolution scheme covering financial service providers, and the Financial Markets Authority as the relevant regulator, can receive complaints about financial services conduct, and we will provide any information they require. We are also required to tell you that approaching these bodies does not remove your ordinary legal rights. We deliberately do not publish deep links to external organisations; their contact details are easy to find on their official websites, and quoting your outcome letter is the fastest way in.

What we commit to in every complaint

• Transparency: you see the reasoning, not just the conclusion, and where records contradict our first answer we correct the answer.
• Confidentiality: complaint data is seen only by those handling it, and complaining never marks your account.
• Objectivity: the person deciding was not the person complained about, and reviews go one level up.
• Communication: one named officer, realistic deadlines, proactive updates, and no silence as a strategy.
• Fairness: outcomes correct real harm without requiring you to fight for it, and systemic findings change the platform, not just your case.
• Records: the full file is retained so any later external review sees exactly what we saw.

Contact for complaints

Email [email protected], subject line "Complaint", or write to Client Support & Compliance, Level 14, 120 Albert Street, Auckland CBD, Auckland 1010. Phone complaints taken during Monday to Friday, 9:00–17:30 NZST are transcribed into the same process, and you receive the written acknowledgement either way.