Who is the Financial Consumer Advocate?

This person is the spokesperson of the consumers before the respective entity, who knows and resolves objectively and free of charge the complaints that they present against any of the entities supervised by the Financial Superintendency of Colombia. This person should able to act as a conciliator at the request of the same parties within the terms and conditions established in the corresponding regulations.

They act independently of the respective Entity, its administration and government bodies, with full autonomy in the exercise of their duty.

Normativity

The regulations oriented to the special protection of financial consumers can be found in the following provisions:

Law 1328 of 2009 Decree Law 2281 of 2010 Decree
External Circular 015 of 2010

Who is our Defender?

The Assembly of Shareholders of Correcol has designated as Chief Financial Consumer Advocate Mr. José Guillermo Peña G., who ca be contacted at:

Address: Avenida 19 No 114 – 09 of. 502 Bogotá D.C
Telephones: 2 131370
Fax: 2130495
Email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Hours of Operation: Monday to Friday from 9:00 a.m. at 4:00 p.m.

As an alternate Financial Consumer Advocate, Mr. Alejandro Perez Hamilton CC No. 79,142,964 was appointed can be contacted as follows:

Address: Avenida 19 No 114 – 09 of. 502 Bogotá D.C
Telephones: 2 131370
Fax 2 130495
Email  This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Cell phone 3219240479
Office Hours: Monday to Friday from 9:00 a.m. at 4:00 p.m.

What are the functions of the Financial Consumer Advocate?

The main functions of the financial consumer advocate for Correcol are:

1. To respond in a timely and effective manner to financial consumers and to be spokesman of the consumers before the respective institution.
2. This person should know and resolve in an objective manner free of charge for consumers, the complaints that they may present, within the terms and procedures established for this purpose, with regards to a possible breach of the supervised entity of the legal, contractual standards or internal procedures that govern the execution of the services as well as products that they offer or provide, or with respect to the quality of the same.
3. Direct at any time the administrations and the board of directors of the supervised entities with recommendations and proposals related to the services and attention to the consumers. Concerning events that require their attention and that could facilitate better services as well as enhance the relationship between the entity and the financial consumers.
4. Act within Colombia as a conciliator between financial consumers and the respective supervised entity. For this purpose, at the explicit request of any of the parties, the Ombudsman will be informed of the conciliation proceedings on the matters that are susceptible of such way that arise in the development of the activity of the Financial Entity.
5. Provide recommendations to the supervised entity related to services and financial consumer attention, and in general, matters within the scope of the company´s activity
6. Propose to the competent authorities the regulatory modifications that are convenient for the better protection of the rights of financial consumers.
7. They can review the adhesion contracts and issue their concept on them, especially regarding the inclusion of unfair terms.

How to use the service?

The financial consumer must present their complaint or claim directly in the offices of the Financial Consumer Advocate according to information described above or in any Correcol’s offices in the country, by way of e-mail of the Ombudsman or the institutional website, describing the facts and rights that consider violated, indicating name of the consumer, identification number, address and contact telephone number. In case the claim is withdrawn, this should be informed in writing.

Issues excepted from the knowledge and procedure of the Ombudsman:

a. Those that do not correspond or are not directly related to the ordinary course of operations authorized to the entities.
b. Those concerning the labor relationship between the entities and their employees or with respect to their contractors.
c. Those that derive from the condition of shareholder of the entities.
d. Those relating to the recognition of benefits and disability, old-age and survivors' pensions, except in those aspects related to the quality of the service and in the procedures for their recognition.
e. Those that refer to issues that are in judicial process or arbitration
f. Those that have been resolved. Those that correspond to the decision to provide of a service or product.
g. Those that refer to events that occurred three (3) years or more prior to the filing date of the request with the Ombudsman.
h. Those that have the same facts and affect the same parties and they have been subject to prior decision by the Ombudsman.
i. Determine damages, penalties or indemnities, unless they are determined by the law