Complaints procedure

If something goes wrong, we want to hear about it, fix it, and tell you what we did. This page explains exactly how to raise a concern, what happens next, the timelines you can hold us to, and what you can do if you are not satisfied with our answer.

Our commitment in brief

VestAccrue handles every complaint seriously, confidentially and without affecting the quality of service you receive. Raising a complaint never puts your account at a disadvantage, and the person who reviews it is not the person the complaint is about, wherever that is possible. Nothing on this page limits any right you have under Canadian law.

How the process works, step by step

  1. Step 1: Tell us. Send your complaint by email to [email protected] with the subject line "Complaint". Include your full name, the date the issue arose, and a clear description of what happened. You will receive an acknowledgement within one business day confirming who owns your case.
  2. Step 2: Acknowledgement and file opening. Your complaint is recorded in the complaints register with a unique reference number. If information is missing, we ask for it at this stage; you can add anything later by replying to the same thread.
  3. Step 3: Investigation. A staff member independent of the events investigates: they review account records, audit logs, transaction history and correspondence, and may contact you for clarification or supporting documents.
  4. Step 4: Outcome letter. You receive a written final response stating the conclusion, the reasons for it, any remedy offered (correction, compensation or explanation), and your options if you disagree, including external escalation described below.

What you should include, and what not to send

Do include: your account details (name and registered email), dates and amounts, the reference of any relevant transaction, the names of any staff involved, and copies of correspondence. Screenshots help where something was displayed incorrectly.

Do not send: passwords, one-time codes or full payment card numbers, in any message. Genuine complaint handling never requires them. If anyone asking about your complaint requests such details, that is itself a security matter: report it through the same address and note it in your complaint.

Timelines

Our service standards: acknowledgement within 1 business day of receipt; a substantive interim reply within 5 business days where an investigation takes longer; and a final written response within 90 calendar days of receiving a complete complaint file, which is the outer limit under Canadian complaint-handling expectations for regulated financial services. If we cannot meet the deadline for reasons outside our control, we write to you before it expires, explain the delay and give a revised date. Silence is never our answer.

Escalation and external dispute resolution

If our final response does not resolve the matter to your satisfaction, or if the 90-day period expires without a final response, you may escalate. The first external stop is the Ombudsman for Banking Services and Investments (OBSI), Canada's independent dispute resolution service for banking and investment complaints, which reviews complaints free of charge to consumers. Your final response letter from us will state that you may refer the matter to OBSI and from what date. If your complaint concerns matters outside OBSI's mandate, the letter will instead identify the applicable provincial or federal regulator, such as the securities commission of your province or FINTRAC, and you may also raise the matter with them directly. We cooperate fully with any external review, and their process does not require you to accept our conclusion first.

Our commitments to you

  • Transparency: you always know who is handling your case, what stage it is at, and what the deadlines are.
  • Confidentiality: complaint data is seen only by those who need it, and access is logged.
  • Objectivity: investigations are conducted by staff independent of the events complained about, and outcomes are based on records, not relationships.
  • Communication: every reply comes in writing, in English or French as you prefer, and plain jargon-free language.
  • Fair remedy: where we got it wrong, we correct the record and put you back in the position you would have been in, as far as money can do that.
  • No retaliation: complaining changes nothing about the service, pricing or priority your account receives.

Contact for complaints

Complaints and questions about this procedure: [email protected] (subject "Complaint"), or by post to 181 Bay Street, Suite 2100, Toronto, ON M5J 2T3, marked "Complaints, Client Support & Compliance". Support hours: Monday to Friday, 9:00–17:30 ET. Complaints submitted by post are date-stamped on arrival and acknowledged in writing.