Life Insurance Complaint Management Process 

If you have a complaint about Apia Life’s products, staff, handling of a complaint or the service Apia Life has provided (including obligations under the Life Insurance Code of Practice, please contact Apia Life to let them know your concerns. Apia Life will do all they can to resolve your complaint as quickly as possible. 

Contact the Apia Life team

The first thing you can do is let Apia Life know what has occurred. You can: 

One of Apia Life’s customer service consultants may be able to resolve the issue immediately or within 5 business days. If not, the next step is talking with the Internal Dispute Resolution team.

Contact the Internal Dispute Resolution (IDR) team

If our Apia Life customer service consultant cannot resolve your complaint within 5 business days, they will escalate your complaint to the IDR team. You may also contact the IDR team directly.: 

You can: 

To help the IDR team deal with your complaint quickly, please include the following information: 

  • The word 'Complaint' in the heading or subject line 
  • Your name and contact details, including your daytime phone number and email address 
  • Details of your complaint  
  • Copies of any relevant documents 
  • Your desired outcome 

Apia Life recommends you keep a copy of your complaint and original documents for your records. 

The IDR team will acknowledge receipt of your complaint in writing within 1 business day or as soon as practicable. They will also make an arrangement with you for keeping you regularly informed about the progress of your complaint. Apia Life will always aim to resolve your complaint as quickly as possible. If the IDR team is unable to resolve your complaint within the maximum timeframe (30 days), they will inform you of the reasons for the delay and let you know when to expect a response to your complaint.  

If you are unhappy with the delay or response to your complaint, you can escalate your complaint to the Australian Financial Complaints Authority (AFCA) as outlined below.

Contact the Australian Financial Complaints Authority (AFCA)

AFCA provides fair and independent financial services complaint resolution that is free to consumers. If your complaint has not been resolved to your complete satisfaction, you can lodge a complaint with AFCA: 

Website: www.afca.org.au 
Email: info@afca.org.au 
Telephone: 1800 931 678 (free call) 
In writing: Australian Financial Complaints Authority, GPO Box 3, Melbourne VIC 3001 

Time limits may apply to complaints to AFCA, so you should act promptly or otherwise consult the AFCA website to find out if and when the time limit relevant to your circumstances may expire. 

Do you need assistance to make a complaint?

  • If you are deaf or have a hearing or speech impairment you may like to use the National Relay Service (NRS). The NRS can be contacted on 1300 555 727. 
  • The Translating and Interpreting Service (TIS National) provides interpreting services to people who do not speak English and to agencies and businesses that need to communicate with their non-English speaking clients. TIS National can be contacted on 13 14 50. 
  • You can also authorise someone to make a complaint on your behalf. You will need to confirm your authority in writing. You can amend or withdraw this authorisation at any time. 
  • Please let Apia Life know if you need additional assistance to make a complaint and they will let you know the options available. Apia Life always aims to accommodate any request to make it easy for you to lodge a complaint.  

Our Funeral Insurance products are issued by the insurer, TAL Life Limited. All complaints relating to these products will be handled by TAL in accordance with TAL’s complaint management process. For more information, TAL’s Public Complaints Policy can be downloaded in PDF in the following languages: