Customer complaints and escalation

Proper handling of complaints is mandatory for all platforms that offer one of Adyen's financial services.

A complaint is an expression of dissatisfaction with an Adyen product or service being offered by the platform. A complaint includes the following key elements:

• It expresses dissatisfaction, not a question or request for assistance.
• It is submitted by the customer or their authorized representative, such as an attorney.
• It concerns a product or service provided by Adyen.
• It highlights the negative impact the product or service has had on the customer.

A complaint is not a customer service question or inquiry, either verbal or written, that includes a request to the platform for information and assistance related to a process or product. For example, the following are not complaints:

• Requests to change an address.
• Inquiries regarding account details.
• Questions about a product's availability in specific locations or requests for general information.
• Questions related to technical assistance (such as error messages) or issues interacting with Adyen's platform or a third-party platform integrated with Adyen's services.
• Requests for a refund of fees or a chargeback.

However, if any customer request concerning any of the above matters alleges unfair treatment or expresses dissatisfaction, this should be treated as a complaint.

Complaint handling process

The platform must operate a complaints handling process that includes the following features:

• Access to complaint handling: Provide users with an easily identifiable and accessible way to submit complaints.

• Complaint channels: Receive complaints through all available customer support channels. The platform can require complaints to be submitted through a complaints form. A link to this form should be provided in customer support channels where a user has raised a complaint.

• Guidance on complaint handling: Provide clear guidance and information to users on how the platform will work to resolve complaints. This includes:

  • The platform's acknowledgement of the complaint (within the timelines listed below).
  • Communicating the ultimate deadline for resolving the complaint (within the timelines listed below).
  • Providing regular updates on the investigation of the complaint. If the complaint has not been resolved within the specified timelines, the platform must notify the customer of the anticipated timeframe for resolving the complaint.
  • The platform must investigate the complaint and take all actions deemed necessary to address the complaint in a timely manner, in accordance with the timelines as outlined below.
  • For any regulatory and legal complaints, Adyen will be involved in the resolution and work with the platform .
  • (For EU and UK Only) All complaints must have a final determination of either “Upheld” or “Not upheld” before they can be closed.
    • “Upheld” means that the platform agrees that there have been failings and that the customer's complaint is justified in whole or in part.
    • "Not Upheld" means that the platform has not identified any failings and does not agree that the customer's complaint is justified.

• Complaint resolution timelines: Adyen expects the platform to:

  • Acknowledge all user complaints within 5 business days;
  • Resolve them within 15 business days from the complaint submission date; and
  • Notify users if complaints will take longer than 15 business days to resolve.

• Complaints’ recordkeeping: The platform must maintain records relating to all complaints and responses for five years from the date of the termination of the Adyen Service and the user's account closure, unless the platform ’s own data retention requirements stipulate a longer time period. Such records must be maintained in a durable and accessible format (e.g., in the form of a log).

• (Only for UK and Ireland) Additional elements: The platform ’s complaints resolution process must contain the following additional elements:

  • The platform ’s acknowledgement of the complaint must state that the user may be entitled to raise the complaint with the relevant financial ombudsman in the user’s jurisdiction (in Ireland, the Financial Services and Pensions Ombudsman and in the UK, the Financial Ombudsman Service) where the user is not satisfied with the platform ’s/Adyen’s final response to the complaint or the complaint has not been resolved within 15 working days. The acknowledgement should also include the contact details of the relevant ombudsman, as follows:

    Ireland
    Address: Lincoln House, Lincoln Place, Dublin 2, D02 VH29.
    Phone: +353 1 567 7000
    Email: info@fspo.ie

    UK
    Website: www.financial-ombudsman.org.uk
    Online complaint form: https://help.financial-ombudsman.org.uk/help
    Mail: The Financial Ombudsman Service Exchange Tower, London, E14 9SR
    Phone: 0800 023 4 567 (free), 0300 123 9 123, weekdays from 8:00am–5:00pm (GMT). If you are not located in the UK, call +44 20 7964 0500.

  • You have 6 months to make a complaint after we send you a final response

  • The platform must provide the user making the complaint with a point of contact in relation to the complaint.

  • The platform must provide the user making the complaint with regular updates on the investigation of the complaint, at intervals of maximum 15 business days (starting on the date the complaint was received).

  • Where the complaint has not been resolved within 35 working days, the platform must notify the user of the anticipated timeframe for resolving the complaint and that the customer may be entitled to refer the complaint to the relevant ombudsman (providing again the above contact details for the relevant ombudsman).

  • Within 5 working days of the platform concluding its investigation of the complaint, the platform must notify the user of

    • the decision in relation to the complaint (including the reasons for the decision);
    • if applicable, the terms of any offer or settlement made; and
    • that the user may be entitled to refer their complaint to the relevant ombudsman if they are not satisfied with the platform’s conclusion; and again provide the above contact details of the relevant ombudsman.

• (UK Only) Providing additional information: If Adyen receives any complaint directly from BACS and requires your platform to provide any information for Adyen to respond to the complaint, your platform must provide this within two business days.

When to escalate a complaint to Adyen

There are different types of complaints relevant to Adyen’s services that the platform may encounter being in the first and second line support for the user

The platform is required to forward user complaints to Adyen so Adyen can assist the platform with preparing the response:

• The platform has received and acknowledged the complaint and is unable to substantively resolve the issue without Adyen's input.
• Adyen has a responsibility to handle and resolve the complaint in accordance with the criteria outlined in the table below.
• (UK only) Adyen does not consider that any complaints about the payment services made available to users should be forwarded to Adyen under the DISP 1.7 complaints and forwarding rules.

Escalation procedure

1. Provide the information via the Adyen complaints web form as soon as possible, but no later than two business days after the complaint is received.
2. Adyen's Support Team forward the complaint to the relevant team based on the criteria in the table.
3. If Adyen's Support Team needs further information from the platform to prepare a response, the platform must provide such required information to Adyen within 2 business days.
4. Once Adyen has prepared the final response, this will be sent to the platform, and the platform must provide this response to the user in line with the complaints handling timelines in the Compliance Guidelines.

Types of complaints to escalate

See also