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Banking & FinanceAustralia
AFCA Banking & Credit Complaint (Australia)
When a bank or lender in Australia takes money you did not authorise, lends you credit you could never afford, charges the wrong fees, or leaves you unable to meet repayments, you have a free and powerful route to a remedy — internal dispute resolution, then the Australian Financial Complaints Authority. Our template builds the complaint: it sets the 30-day IDR clock under ASIC Regulatory Guide 271, grounds the complaint in the ePayments Code or the National Credit Code, frames a hardship notice where you cannot keep up repayments, and sets out the free, binding path to AFCA.
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Banking and Credit Complaint
Internal Dispute Resolution Complaint — With The Path To AFCA · 11 June 2026
Nathan J. Pereira
17 Rosella Street, Carindale QLD 4152
0408 226 714
nathan.pereira@email.com.au
11 June 2026
Meridian Mutual Bank
Internal Dispute Resolution / Complaints
COMPLAINT — UNAUTHORISED TRANSACTION
Meridian Mutual Bank · Acct 062-114 88307712
Dear Meridian Mutual Bank,
I make a formal complaint about a transaction or savings account I hold with you, concerning an unauthorised or mistaken transaction. I ask you to deal with this complaint under your internal dispute resolution (IDR) process and to give me a written response. If the complaint is not resolved to my satisfaction, I may refer it to the Australian Financial Complaints Authority (AFCA), the free and independent external dispute resolution scheme of which you are a member. This letter sets out my complaint, supports the IDR process, and does not replace any AFCA complaint form I may later lodge.
I make a formal complaint about a transaction or savings account I hold with you, concerning an unauthorised or mistaken transaction. I ask you to deal with this complaint under your internal dispute resolution (IDR) process and to give me a written response. If the complaint is not resolved to my satisfaction, I may refer it to the Australian Financial Complaints Authority (AFCA), the free and independent external dispute resolution scheme of which you are a member. This letter sets out my complaint, supports the IDR process, and does not replace any AFCA complaint form I may later lodge.
1.
THE COMPLAINT
Financial firm: Meridian Mutual Bank
Product: a transaction or savings account
Account / reference: Acct 062-114 88307712
What my complaint is about: an unauthorised or mistaken transaction
First raised with you on: 17 May 2026
What happened: Between 14 and 16 May 2026, six payments totalling $3,180 were taken from my everyday account to an online merchant I have never used. I was at work and had my card with me the whole time. I reported the transactions to your contact centre on 17 May 2026 and asked for them to be reversed. Your staff said the transactions were "verified by passcode" and declined to refund them, but I never received or entered any one-time code for these payments.
Product: a transaction or savings account
Account / reference: Acct 062-114 88307712
What my complaint is about: an unauthorised or mistaken transaction
First raised with you on: 17 May 2026
What happened: Between 14 and 16 May 2026, six payments totalling $3,180 were taken from my everyday account to an online merchant I have never used. I was at work and had my card with me the whole time. I reported the transactions to your contact centre on 17 May 2026 and asked for them to be reversed. Your staff said the transactions were "verified by passcode" and declined to refund them, but I never received or entered any one-time code for these payments.
2.
WHAT I ASK
Reverse the six unauthorised transactions totalling $3,180, refund any related fees or interest, and confirm that my account is secured. I did not authorise these payments and the ePayments Code makes me not liable for them.
3.
GROUNDS OF COMPLAINT
The basis of my complaint: A customer is not liable for an unauthorised electronic transaction where it occurred without their knowledge and they did not act fraudulently or breach the passcode rules. The ePayments Code governs liability for unauthorised and mistaken electronic transactions, and the firm must investigate and, where the Code applies, reimburse the amount.
I rely on the ePayments Code: this was an unauthorised or mistaken electronic transaction that I did not authorise and did not contribute to, so I am not liable for it and ask that the amount be reimbursed.
How this applies to me: The transactions were made without my knowledge while I had possession of my card. I did not disclose my passcode or one-time codes to anyone, and I received no SMS code for any of these six payments. Under the ePayments Code I am not liable for unauthorised transactions in these circumstances, and your "verified by passcode" explanation does not match the absence of any code being sent to my phone.
I rely on the ePayments Code: this was an unauthorised or mistaken electronic transaction that I did not authorise and did not contribute to, so I am not liable for it and ask that the amount be reimbursed.
How this applies to me: The transactions were made without my knowledge while I had possession of my card. I did not disclose my passcode or one-time codes to anyone, and I received no SMS code for any of these six payments. Under the ePayments Code I am not liable for unauthorised transactions in these circumstances, and your "verified by passcode" explanation does not match the absence of any code being sent to my phone.
4.
INTERNAL DISPUTE RESOLUTION
A financial firm must give a final response to a complaint through its internal dispute resolution (IDR) process within 30 days, in line with ASIC Regulatory Guide 271. I raised this complaint on 17 May 2026, so a final response is due by 16 June 2026.
I have received your IDR response and it does not resolve my complaint, so I am entitled to refer the matter to AFCA.
IDR history: I reported the matter by phone on 17 May 2026 and again in writing on 24 May 2026. On 2 June 2026 your contact centre told me the claim was declined because the payments were "verified", but I have not received a written final response setting out the reasons or my right to go to AFCA.
I have received your IDR response and it does not resolve my complaint, so I am entitled to refer the matter to AFCA.
IDR history: I reported the matter by phone on 17 May 2026 and again in writing on 24 May 2026. On 2 June 2026 your contact centre told me the claim was declined because the payments were "verified", but I have not received a written final response setting out the reasons or my right to go to AFCA.
5.
FINANCIAL HARDSHIP
This complaint is not made on the ground of financial hardship. If my circumstances change, I may give a separate hardship notice under section 72 of the National Credit Code asking you to vary the contract.
6.
ESCALATION TO AFCA
The loss or compensation I claim: The $3,180 taken, plus any fees or interest charged as a result, and a small amount for the time and stress of pursuing this over four weeks.
If you do not resolve this complaint, I may lodge it with the Australian Financial Complaints Authority (AFCA). AFCA is free for complainants, independent, and its determination is binding on the firm if I accept it. A complaint to AFCA must be made within 2 years of your final IDR response (or within 6 years of when I first became aware of the loss), and AFCA can consider claims up to its monetary limit and award compensation up to its cap.
I intend to take this matter to AFCA if it is not resolved through your IDR process, and I ask you to give me your final response in writing so that my AFCA time limit is preserved.
Further detail: Please provide your final IDR response in writing within 30 days of my original report so that my two-year AFCA time limit is preserved.
If you do not resolve this complaint, I may lodge it with the Australian Financial Complaints Authority (AFCA). AFCA is free for complainants, independent, and its determination is binding on the firm if I accept it. A complaint to AFCA must be made within 2 years of your final IDR response (or within 6 years of when I first became aware of the loss), and AFCA can consider claims up to its monetary limit and award compensation up to its cap.
I intend to take this matter to AFCA if it is not resolved through your IDR process, and I ask you to give me your final response in writing so that my AFCA time limit is preserved.
Further detail: Please provide your final IDR response in writing within 30 days of my original report so that my two-year AFCA time limit is preserved.
7.
RESPONSE REQUESTED
Please acknowledge this complaint in writing, tell me the name of the person handling it, and give me your final response through your internal dispute resolution process. If anything further is needed to resolve it, contact me using the details above.
YOURS FAITHFULLY,
Nathan J. Pereira
Complainant
Date: ____________________
COMPLAINANT
Nathan J. Pereira
Date: ____________________
Available as a print-ready PDF or an editable Microsoft Word (.docx) file.
What Is an AFCA Banking Complaint?
Every bank, credit union and licensed lender in Australia must handle complaints through an <strong>internal dispute resolution (IDR)</strong> process and must belong to the <strong>Australian Financial Complaints Authority (AFCA)</strong>. A banking complaint starts with the firm: under <strong>ASIC Regulatory Guide 271</strong> it must give a final IDR response within <strong>30 days</strong>. If it does not, or the response does not resolve the problem, you can take the complaint to AFCA — an independent external dispute resolution scheme that is <strong>free</strong> for consumers and whose determination is <strong>binding on the firm</strong> if you accept it.
The complaint is grounded in the law that protects banking customers. An <strong>unauthorised or mistaken transaction</strong> is governed by the <strong>ePayments Code</strong>, under which you are generally not liable for a payment made without your knowledge that you did not contribute to. A credit problem engages the <strong>National Credit Code</strong> (Schedule 1 to the National Consumer Credit Protection Act 2009): responsible-lending obligations for credit that should never have been given, the hardship provisions for repayments, and the rules on fees and interest. Naming the right Code is what moves a complaint from "I am unhappy" to "you have not met your obligations".
If you cannot keep up repayments, the strongest tool is a <strong>hardship notice</strong> under section 72 of the National Credit Code. It imposes a legal duty on the lender to consider varying the contract — a pause, reduced payments, or an extended term — and to respond within the statutory period; it cannot simply ignore it. And AFCA itself carries weight: it can consider claims up to its monetary limit (currently over $1.26 million) and award compensation up to its cap, with a strict deadline of <strong>2 years</strong> from the firm's final IDR response. The template threads all of this — the Code, the IDR clock, the hardship notice and the AFCA pathway — into one letter.
What's Covered in This Template
A complete banking complaint — the firm, the problem, the legal grounds, the IDR clock, a hardship notice and the AFCA pathway.
Product & Problem Aware
Account, loan, card or mortgage; unauthorised transaction, hardship, irresponsible lending, fees, a declined claim or an error — the grounds rebuild around what you choose.
The Firm as Recipient
Addressed to the bank or lender's internal dispute resolution team — the first, mandatory step before AFCA.
The Outcome You Want
A reversal, a refund, a repayment variation or a correction — stated clearly so the firm knows what would resolve it.
Expert: Grounds in Law
Grounds the complaint in the ePayments Code for unauthorised transactions or the National Credit Code for credit problems, tied to your facts.
Expert: The 30-Day IDR Clock
Records the date you complained, the 30-day deadline under ASIC RG 271, and whether the response was late, absent or unsatisfactory — establishing that IDR is exhausted.
Expert: Hardship Notice
Frames a section 72 hardship notice with the cause and a realistic repayment proposal — triggering the lender's duty to consider varying the loan.
Expert: Escalation to AFCA
Sets out the free, independent, binding AFCA pathway, the 2-year deadline, and the compensation you claim — preserving your rights.
Australian Letter Format
Complainant letterhead, the firm as recipient, a subject line and a single complainant signature — ready to send and to support an AFCA complaint.
How to Create Your Banking Complaint
Five steps from a banking problem to a complaint that opens the path to AFCA.
- 1
Identify the Firm and the Product
Enter the bank or lender, the account, loan or card, and the reference number so the firm can find your file.
- 2
Describe the Problem and the Outcome
Set out the facts — dates, amounts, what the firm did — and say exactly what would resolve it.
- 3
Ground the Complaint in Law (Expert)
Choose whether it is an unauthorised transaction (ePayments Code) or a credit problem (National Credit Code), and tie the facts to the obligation the firm did not meet.
- 4
Set the IDR Clock and Hardship (Expert)
Record when you complained and the 30-day deadline, and — if you cannot keep up repayments — frame a section 72 hardship notice with a realistic proposal.
- 5
Send and Preserve the AFCA Path
Send the complaint to the firm's IDR team, ask for a written final response, and note the 2-year AFCA deadline so the free, binding pathway stays open.
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Legal Considerations
Banking and credit complaints in Australia run on a mandatory IDR step and a free, binding external scheme.
This template provides general information for banking and credit customers in Australia and is not legal advice. For a complex dispute, a large loss, or a complaint involving guarantees, default or possession of a home, get advice — financial counsellors (free, on 1800 007 007) and community legal centres assist with banking and credit disputes across Australia.
Reviewed for Australian law
Internal Dispute Resolution — the 30-Day Step
Before AFCA will consider a complaint, the firm must have had a chance to resolve it through <strong>internal dispute resolution</strong>. Under <strong>ASIC Regulatory Guide 271</strong>, a financial firm must give a final IDR response within <strong>30 days</strong>; it can delay only where the complaint is genuinely complex, and must then send an IDR delay notification telling you of your right to go to AFCA. Recording the date you complained and the 30-day deadline is what establishes that IDR is exhausted and your AFCA pathway is open.
The ePayments Code and the National Credit Code
An <strong>unauthorised or mistaken electronic transaction</strong> is governed by the <strong>ePayments Code</strong> — you are generally not liable for a payment made without your knowledge that you did not contribute to, and the firm must investigate and reimburse where the Code applies. A credit problem engages the <strong>National Credit Code</strong> (Schedule 1 to the National Consumer Credit Protection Act 2009 (Cth)): responsible-lending obligations mean credit must not be unsuitable, and section 72 lets a borrower in difficulty give a hardship notice the lender must consider.
AFCA — Free, Independent and Binding
The <strong>Australian Financial Complaints Authority</strong> resolves banking and credit complaints at <strong>no cost</strong> to consumers, and its determination is <strong>binding on the financial firm</strong> if the complainant accepts it. AFCA can consider claims up to its monetary limit (over $1.26 million) and award compensation up to its cap. A complaint must be lodged within <strong>2 years</strong> of the firm's final IDR response, or within 6 years of becoming aware of the loss — so asking for the final response in writing protects the deadline.
Related Australian Templates
If your complaint is about an insurer rather than a bank, our insurance claim dispute letter follows the same IDR-then-AFCA route for general insurance. For a superannuation death benefit decision, our super death benefit objection sets out the trustee objection and the 28-day AFCA path. For a Centrelink overpayment use our Centrelink debt dispute letter, and to recover a plain money debt our statement of claim for a debt or Australian demand letter is the right tool.
Frequently Asked Questions
Make the Complaint That Opens the Door to AFCA
Create your banking complaint in minutes: grounded in the right Code, with the 30-day IDR clock, a hardship notice where you need it, and the free, binding AFCA pathway — in formal Australian format. Download the PDF free, or unlock Expert for the full grounds, IDR, hardship and AFCA sections.
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