The Role of the Customer Ombudsman as an Element of the Customer Protection System in Banks

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.18778/2391-6478.3.39.05

Keywords:

consumer protection, responsible sales, misselling, Customer Ombudsman, banks

Abstract

The purpose of the article. The purpose of this article is to answer the question: what is the role of the Customer Ombudsman in banks as a voluntary element of the customer protection system?

Methodology. In order to answer this question, in August 2021 a study was conducted using the CAWI method on a sample of 509 consumers. In addition, in-depth, semi-structured interviews were conducted with three Customer Ombudsmen in banks operating in Poland.

Results of the research. In order to guarantee and protect consumer rights, the Office of Competition and Consumer Protection operates in Poland. In addition, the Financial Ombudsman was appointed to provide special protection to customers of financial institutions and to support them in disputes with financial market entities. In addition to state institutions, there are also independent non-governmental organizations established to support and protect consumers.

Despite the supervision of the regulator and the activities of institutions protecting customers against unfair market practices, in the financial industry, including banks, you can still encounter phenomena that are unfair practices, including misselling. In the light of the indicated problem of the industry, some banks decided to take self-regulatory actions. A form of such activities is, among others, the appointment of a Customer Ombudsman at the bank, which is a unit whose task is to represent the client's interests in relations with the bank.

The results of the study indicate that, despite the potential and opportunities created by the function of the Customer Ombudsman in banks, it is not fully used, and the role of the Ombudsman is usually limited to reactive actions taken in response to irregularities that have already taken place and have not been reviewed by other units.

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

References

Akinbami, F. (2011). Financial services and consumer protection after the crisis. International Journal of Bank Marketing, 29(2). https://doi.org/10.1108/02652321111107620
Google Scholar DOI: https://doi.org/10.1108/02652321111107620

Bankier.pl (2019). Jak się pracuje w bankach?
Google Scholar

Bankier.pl (2020). Jak się pracuje w bankach?
Google Scholar

Benston, G.J. (2000). Consumer Protection as Justification for Regulating Financial-Services Firms and Products. Journal of Financial Services Research, 17(3).
Google Scholar DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1008154820305

Bertsch, C., et al. (2020). Bank misconduct and online lending. Journal of Banking and Finance, 116(105822). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbankfin.2020.105822
Google Scholar DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbankfin.2020.105822

Butor-Keler, A. (2017). Misselling a ochrona konsumenta na rynku usług finansowych. Studia Ekonomiczne. Zeszyty Naukowe Uniwersytetu Ekonomicznego w Katowicach, 326.
Google Scholar

Dąbrowska, A. (2015). Ochrona klienta usług ubezpieczeniowych – nowa ustawa o działalności ubezpieczeniowej i reasekuracyjnej oraz ustawa o rozpatrywaniu reklamacji przez podmioty rynku finansowego i o Rzeczniku Finansowym – wybrane zagadnienia. Rozprawy Ubezpieczeniowe, 19(2/2015).
Google Scholar

Ferran, E. (2012). Regulatory lessons from the payment protection insurance mis-selling scandal in the UK. European Business Organization Law Review, 13. https://doi.org/10.1017/S1566752912000171
Google Scholar DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/S1566752912000171

Florek, I. (2017). Ochrona i prawa klientów kanału bancassurance w kontekście ubezpieczeń na życie. Journal of Finance and Financial Law, 2(14). https://doi.org/10.18778/2391-6478.2.14.04
Google Scholar DOI: https://doi.org/10.18778/2391-6478.2.14.04

Franke, G., Mosk, T. and Schnebel, E. (2016). Fair retail banking: How to prevent mis-selling by banks. http://kops.uni-konstanz.de/handle/123456789/40046 [Accessed 03.12.2021].
Google Scholar

Gaganis, C., et al. (2020). Bank profit efficiency and financial consumer protection policies. Journal of Business Research, 118. https://doi.org/10.1016/J.JBUSRES.2020.06.033
Google Scholar DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2020.06.033

Hayes, R.M., Jiang, F., Pan, Y. (2021). Voice of the Customers: Local Trust Culture and Consumer Complaints to the CFPB. Journal of Accounting Research, 59(3). https://doi.org/10.1111/1475-679X.12364
Google Scholar DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/1475-679X.12364

Inderst, R. (2009). Misselling (financial) products: The limits for internal compliance. Economics Letters, 106. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.econlet.2009.09.018
Google Scholar DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.econlet.2009.09.018

Jurkowska-Zeidler, A. (2017). Rzecznik Finansowy: Nowa instytucja ochrony klienta na rynku usług finansowych. Gdańskie Studia Prawnicze, XXXVIII. https://www.ceeol.com/search/article-detail?id=606372 [Accessed: 03.12.2021].
Google Scholar

Kriese, M., Abor, J.Y., Agbloyor, E. (2019). Financial access and economic development: the moderating role of financial consumer protection. International Journal of Managerial Finance, 15(4). https://doi.org/10.1108/IJMF-05-2018-0132
Google Scholar DOI: https://doi.org/10.1108/IJMF-05-2018-0132

Marcinkowska, M. (2011). Ochrona klientów banków poprzez informację. Acta Universitatis Lodziensis. Folia Oeconomica, 247.
Google Scholar

Martysz, C., Rakowski, J. (2021). Misselling consumer awareness study – Circumstances surrounding the occurence of misselling. International Journal of Management, 57(2). http://doi.org/10.2478/ijme-2021-0007
Google Scholar DOI: https://doi.org/10.2478/ijme-2021-0007

Pasiouras, F. (2018). Financial consumer protection and the cost of financial intermediation: Evidence from advanced and developing economies. Management Science, 64(2). https://doi.org/10.287/mnsc.2016.2585
Google Scholar DOI: https://doi.org/10.1287/mnsc.2016.2585

Pisarewicz, P., Kowalewska, E. (2017). Wybrane zagadnienia regulacji prawa bankowego i nadzoru nad rynkiem finansowym w kontekście praktyki ochrony klientów sektora bankowego. Zarządzanie i Finanse, 15(2/1).
Google Scholar

Tosun, P. (2020). Unethical sales practices in retail banking. International Journal of Bank Marketing, 38(6). https://doi.org/10.1108/IJBM-02-2020-0074
Google Scholar DOI: https://doi.org/10.1108/IJBM-02-2020-0074

Trzeciak, K. (2017). Ochrona praw konsumenta w kontekście realizacji tzw. Planów sprzedaży w banku komercyjnym. Journal of Finance and Financial Law, 2(14). https://doi.org/10.18778/2391-6478.2.14.08
Google Scholar DOI: https://doi.org/10.18778/2391-6478.2.14.08

Ustawa z dnia 5 sierpnia 2015 r. o rozpatrywaniu reklamacji przez podmioty rynku finansowego, o Rzeczniku Finansowym i o Funduszu Edukacji Finansowej (2015).
Google Scholar

Wierzbicka, B., Lechicka-Kostuch, M. (2016). Ochrona interesu klienta jako wartość dodana zarządzania bankiem, zgodnie z koncepcją społecznej odpowiedzialności biznesu. Journal of Finance and Financial Law, 3(1). https://doi.org/10.18778/2391-6478.3.1.11
Google Scholar DOI: https://doi.org/10.18778/2391-6478.3.1.11

Wyżykowski, B. (2018). Istotny pogląd Rzecznika Finansowego jako instrument ochrony klientów podmiotów rynku finansowego. Studia Prawa Publicznego, 1(21). https://doi.org/10.14746/SPP.2018.1.21.6
Google Scholar DOI: https://doi.org/10.14746/spp.2018.1.21.6

Zaal, R.O.S., Jeurissen, R.J.M., Groenland, E.A.G. (2019). Organizational Architecture, Ethical Culture, and Perceived Unethical Behavior Towards Customers: Evidence from Wholesale Banking. Journal of Business Ethics, 158.
Google Scholar DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10551-017-3752-7

(www1) Urząd Ochrony Konkurencji i Konsumenta: https://www.uokik.gov.pl/kompetencje_prezesa_uokik.php [dostęp: 16.11.2021].
Google Scholar

(www2) Rzecznik Finansowy: https://rf.gov.pl/o-nas/ [dostęp: 16.11.2021].
Google Scholar

(www3) Federacja Konsumentów: http://www.federacja-konsumentow.org.pl/n,55,1021,22,1,kim-jestesmy-jak-dzialamy.html [dostęp: 16.11.2021].
Google Scholar

(www4) Deklaracja Odpowiedzialnej Sprzedaży: https://odpowiedzialnasprzedaz.pl/ [dostęp: 17.11.2021].
Google Scholar

Published

2023-09-28

How to Cite

Stanek-Kowalczyk, A. (2023). The Role of the Customer Ombudsman as an Element of the Customer Protection System in Banks. Journal of Finance and Financial Law, 3(39), 71–93. https://doi.org/10.18778/2391-6478.3.39.05

Issue

Section

Article

Funding data