As the trade body representing electronic money issuers and payment service providers, the EMA is committed to the highest standard of care in the provision of financial services. To this end, the EMA has formulated the EMA Customer Charter.
[box]While the EMA does not itself have contact with the users of financial products, most of its current members provide their services directly to merchants and consumers. The EMA has therefore set a number of key commitments, which members who display the EMA logo must adhere to in their dealings with customers.[/box]
Treating customers fairly – key commitments
Each member of the Electronic Money Association, which is regulated to provide a payment service, undertakes that:
- Customers can be confident that they are dealing with a firm where fair treatment of customers is central to its corporate culture;
- Products and services marketed to consumers are designed to meet the needs of identified consumer groups and are targeted accordingly;
- Customers are provided with clear information about the products and services provided, including fees and other charges, and are kept appropriately informed before, during and after the point of sale;
- Customers are given the opportunity to ask questions about the firm’s products and services both before and after they become customers;
- Customers are given reasonable notice of changes to the firm’s terms and conditions, including fees and charges;
- Customers are provided with products which perform as they have been led to expect by the firm and the associated service is of an acceptable standard and as they have been led to expect;
- Customers’ personal information is treated as private and confidential and the firm operates secure and reliable payment systems;
- Customers will not face unreasonable post-sale barriers to submitting a complaint or making a claim;
- Complaints will be handled sympathetically, as quickly as reasonably possible and in accordance with the regulatory requirements;
- Customers who are not satisfied with the firm’s response to a complaint can take their case to the competent Financial Ombudsman, or independent arbitration service; and
- Staff are trained and managed in ways, which promote fair treatment of customers and the firm
Complaints regarding the provision of specific services by individual members should be directed to member firms themselves, who have a complaints process in place to deal with such complaints.
For general enquiries about the EMA Customer Charter, as well as any comments about members who display the EMA logo but do not adhere to the commitments, you can call the Electronic Money Association on 020 8399 2066 or e-mail thaer.sabri@e-ma.org.