Fidelity Wealth Complaint Process

Filing a complaint with us

As a regulated entity, Fidelity Wealth follows the Canadian Investment Regulatory Organization’s (CIRO) rules for handling a complaint. Fidelity Wealth appointed a Designated Complaints Officer who acts in a supervisory capacity over the firm’s complaint process and may at times be actively involved in the investigation of complaints. Complaints are handled by qualified staff of Fidelity Wealth Compliance Department.

Complaints or inquiries on the resolution of a complaint may be addressed to:

Fidelity Wealth ULC
Designated Complaints Officer
483 Bay Street, Suite 300
Toronto, Ontario M5G 2N7

Email: FWCompliance@fidelity.ca

You may want to consider using a method other than email for sensitive information.

The complaint

Your complaint should first be explained to us. We aim to solve most problems quickly. We are responsible for monitoring the actions of our representatives with the goal of ensuring that they are in compliance with the legislation, rules and guidelines governing their activities.

Some problems can be easily solved by a phone call. Some matters can be resolved through your Wealth Advisor or a member of the Client Service team.

No matter which way you choose to report your complaint, tell us:

what went wrong
when it happened
what you expect (e.g., money back, an apology, account correction)

We will acknowledge your complaint

We will acknowledge your complaint in writing, as soon as possible, typically within 5 business days of receiving your complaint. Within the acknowledgement, you will be provided the name and contact information of the individual responsible for handling your complaint as well as a copy of CIRO’s “An Investor’s Guide to making a Complaint” brochure.

We may ask you to provide clarification or more information to help us resolve your complaint.

Help us resolve your complaint sooner

Make your complaint as soon as possible.
Reply promptly if we ask you for more information.
Keep copies of all relevant documents, such as letters, emails and notes of conversations with us and/or with your Wealth Advisor.

Our decision

We normally provide our decision in writing, within 90 days of receiving a complaint.

It will include:

a summary of the complaint
the results of our investigation
our decision to make an offer to resolve the complaint or deny it, and an explanation of our decision

If you are not satisfied with our decision, ou may be eligible for the independent dispute resolution service offered by the Ombudsman for Banking Services and Investments (OBSI). See below for further information on OBSI.

Delays

If we cannot provide you with our decision within 90 days, we will:

inform you of the delay
explain why our decision is delayed, and
give you a new date for our decision

A word about legal advice

You always have the right to go to a lawyer or seek other ways of resolving your dispute at any time. A lawyer can advise you of your options. There are time limits for taking legal action. Delays could limit your options and legal rights later.

If you are a Quebec resident

With respect to any client complaint from a resident in Quebec, we will comply with sections 168.1.1 to 168.1.3 of the Securities Act (Quebec). At any point in time, you may request that we forward a copy of your complaint file to the Autorité des marchés financiers, which will examine your complaint and may, if it considers it appropriate, act as a mediator if both you and we agree.

OBSI

You may be eligible for OBSI's free and independent dispute resolution service if:

we do not provide our decision within 90 days after you made your complaint, or
you are not satisfied with our decision

OBSI can recommend compensation of up to $350,000.

OBSI's service is available to clients of our firm. This does not restrict your ability to take a complaint to a dispute resolution service of your choosing at your own expense, or to bring an action in court. As mentioned above, eep in mind there are time limits for taking legal action.

Who can use OBSI

You have the right to use OBSI's service if:

your complaint relates to a trading or advising activity of our firm or by one of our representatives
you brought your complaint to us within 6 years from the time that you first knew, or ought to have known, about the event that caused the complaint, and
you file your complaint with OBSI according to its time limits below

Time limits

If we do not provide you with our decision within 90 days, you can take your complaint to OBSI any time after the 90-day period has ended.
If you are not satisfied with our decision, you have up to 180 days after we provide you with our decision to take your complaint to OBSI.

Filing a complaint with OBSI

Contact OBSI

Email: ombudsman@obsi.ca

Telephone: 1-888-451-4519 or 416-287-2877 in Toronto

OBSI will investigate

OBSI works confidentially and in an informal manner. It is not like going to court, and you do not need a lawyer.

During its investigation, OBSI may interview you and representatives of our firm. We are required to cooperate in OBSI's investigations.

Information OBSI needs to help you

OBSI can help you best if you promptly provide all relevant information, including:

your name and contact information
our firm's name and contact information
the names and contact information of any of our representatives who have been involved in your complaint
details of your complaint
all relevant documents, including any correspondence and notes of discussions with us

OBSI will provide its recommendations

Once OBSI has completed its investigation, it will provide its recommendations to you and us. OBSI's recommendations are not binding on you or us.

OBSI can recommend compensation of up to $350,000. If your claim is higher, you will have to agree to that limit on any compensation you seek through OBSI. If you want to recover more than $350,000, you may want to consider another option, such as legal action, to resolve your complaint.

For more information about OBSI, visit www.obsi.ca