Allstate Benefits Canada is a marketing name used for Allstate Insurance Company of Canada (“Allstate Benefits”). At Allstate Benefits, we value you as a customer. We have adopted this Complaint Resolution Policy (the “Policy”) to provide a fair, no-cost procedure to resolve complaints from our customers. This Policy sets out our procedures for receiving complaints, delivering acknowledgments of receipt of complaints, creating the complaint file, collecting information about complaints for the purpose of filing periodic reports with provincial insurance regulators, and, in Quebec, transferring complaints files to L’Autorité des marchés financiers (“AMF”).
What Is a Complaint?
A complaint is at least one of the following:
- a reproach or grievance against us;
- the identification of real or potential harm that a customer has suffered or may suffer; or
- a request for remedial action by us.
Informal steps to correct a specific problem are not considered a complaint, provided the problem is resolved as part of our normal activities and the customer has not filed a complaint.
What You Should Do if You Have a Complaint
Contact Your Broker or Us
If you have a complaint, you may want to first contact your insurance broker or agent who may be able to assist you in resolving the complaint.
You may also contact us directly by calling us at 1-844-436-1105, by sending us a fax at 1-844-436-1107, or by writing to us at:
Allstate Insurance Company of Canada
PO Box 8100 Stn T
Ottawa, ON
K1G 3H6
We will send you an acknowledgement of receipt of your complaint. We will examine the complaint and, within thirty (30) business days of receipt of the complaint, prepare and send a written response to you. We may request additional information from you in order to respond to the complaint. We may also require additional time to examine the complaint; if that occurs, you will be notified in writing of how much additional time is required.
If the complaint is found to be justified, we will take appropriate measures to address the complaint and will advise you of those measures. If the complaint is not found to be justified, we will provide you with written reasons for our decision.
Ombudsman Services
If you have a concern you have already tried to resolve with us that remains unresolved, you may reach out to our Ombudsman. Please submit your complaint in writing. This will give our Ombudsman an opportunity to review your issue and begin investigating.
You can reach the Ombudsman through email at ombudsman@helpforyou.ca or by mail at:
Office of the Ombudsman
27 Allstate Parkway Suite 100
Markham, Ontario
L3R 5P8
For additional information, you may call the Ombudsman hotline:
English: 877.7.CONSUMER
French: 866.348.5598
The Ombudsman will conduct a fair and independent review of the complaint and provide recommendations about its resolution. The Ombudsman will send you an acknowledgement of receiving your written complaint. He or she will investigate the complaint and, within thirty (30) business days of receipt of the written complaint, prepare and send you a final written response addressing your concerns, or explaining that more time is necessary and why.
The Ombudsman is the person in charge of applying this Policy. He or she also monitors the training of our employees on their obligations under this Policy. The Ombudsman is also responsible for filing periodic reports with provincial insurance regulators setting out the number and type of complaints received.
In Quebec, the Ombudsman is the respondent with the AMF and the complainant, and is also responsible for transferring the file to the AMF at the complainant’s request.
External Review of Complaint
If you are still not satisfied after the Ombudsman has completed his or her review, you may have the complaint reviewed by the General Insurance OmbudService (“GIO”). The GIO is a Canada-wide external independent body that can assist consumers with most disputes involving complaints about property automobile or business insurance that consumers have been unable to resolve with their insurer. Visit www.giocanada.org for additional information, call toll-free at 1-877-225-0446, or write to the GIO at 10 Milner Business Court, Suite 701 Toronto ON M1B 3C6.
You may also contact the insurance regulatory body in the province where you reside. Links to the regulators’ websites can be found on the GIO website.
(In Québec) If you are not satisfied with the outcome or with our examination of your complaint, you may ask the Ombudsman to transfer the file to the AMF at any time. Once your file is transferred, the AMF will examine it and, if appropriate, recommend dispute resolution services. For questions concerning the examination of complaints in Québec, contact the AMF Information Centre:
Québec City: 418-525-0337
Montréal: 514-395-0337
Toll-Free: 1-877-525-0337
Fax: 418-525-9512 or 514-873-3090
Email: information@lautorite.qc.ca
Date: June 1, 2019