Stage One — the Complaint to the Payment-Service Provider
A misunderstanding with a bank or payment-service provider — an incorrectly charged commission, an unfounded deduction, a claim connected with a payment operation — is regulated through a two-stage route, and using the first stage properly is often decisive. The law obliges the provider to maintain adequate and effective procedures for receiving, examining and deciding consumers’ complaints — and those procedures must be available to the consumer free of charge.
The form of the complaint is flexible: oral or written — material or electronic — or, where agreed, on another durable medium. For an oral complaint, the provider must offer submission in writing or, with your consent, record the complaint in audio. The day of receipt is the working day on which you submitted it; a complaint submitted on a non-working day counts as received on the next working day. The provider must confirm receipt on the day of receipt itself.
Examination Deadlines — 15 and 35 Working Days
The decision on the complaint must respond to every issue raised in it — a partial answer is not a full answer. The provider must examine the complaint and adopt a decision no later than 15 working days from receipt. Where causes independent of the provider prevent meeting that deadline, it must communicate to the consumer the justified reason for the delay and the overall deadline — which must not exceed 35 working days from receipt of the complaint. The decision is communicated to the consumer immediately, in the form the consumer chooses — material or electronic.
What the Decision Must Contain — the Information Duty
The decision is not limited to the substance: the provider must include in it information about the possibility of applying to the dispute-resolution commission at the National Bank of Georgia — specifically, that the commission may be addressed no later than 6 months from the day of addressing the provider with the complaint — and the information that the commission examines the dispute free of charge. The same information must be published prominently on the provider’s website and included in the framework contract. This detail matters in practice: if you cannot find this information in the decision, your plan for the next steps cannot be built without it.
Stage Two — the National Bank’s Dispute-Resolution Commission
If the provider failed to satisfy the complaint within the established deadline — including by not answering at all — or satisfied it only partially, the consumer may apply to the dispute-resolution commission at the National Bank. Natural persons hold this right in full; legal entities and organizational formations hold it where they meet the criteria set by a legal act of the National Bank. The commission may be addressed if the value of the dispute does not exceed 100,000 GEL or its equivalent in foreign currency, and the application is made no later than 6 months from the day of the complaint to the provider. The commission examines the dispute free of charge; a court may be addressed without going through the commission.
The procedure before the commission is built on evidence: a party may substantiate its position and submit corresponding evidence; the commission may, on its own initiative, request additional information or evidence — including confidential — in which case the submission deadline must be no less than 5 working days; such a request suspends the running of the statutory deadline for deciding the dispute, which resumes after the information is submitted.
Our Representation — at Both Stages
We represent you through the full complaint cycle: we draft the complaint so that every issue is formulated separately and substantiated — this removes the provider’s room for a partial answer; we fix the day of receipt and monitor the 15- and 35-working-day deadlines; and after studying the decision, where necessary, we prepare the application to the commission within the 6-month window, gather the evidence and conduct your representation at every stage of the examination.
Frequently Asked Questions
Below we answer the most frequently asked questions about complaints to a bank or payment provider and the commission’s examination.
Within how many days must the bank answer a complaint?
A decision is adopted no later than 15 working days from receipt; for independent causes — with a justified notice, but the overall deadline cannot exceed 35 working days. The decision must address every issue raised.
When may I apply to the commission?
When the provider failed to satisfy the complaint within the deadline (including by not answering) or satisfied it partially. The window is no later than 6 months from the day of the complaint to the provider.
What does an application to the commission cost?
The commission examines the dispute free of charge; the provider’s complaint procedure is also free of charge. The commission accepts disputes not exceeding 100,000 GEL (or its equivalent in foreign currency).
May I go directly to court?
Yes — the consumer may apply to a court without applying to the commission. The commission is a free and faster alternative, but not a mandatory stage.
How We Help You on Legal.ge
If a bank or payment provider is not answering your request within the deadline or is rejecting it without grounds — contact us. We will draft a complaint that demands an answer to every question posed, protect the deadlines and, where necessary, bring the case to the National Bank’s dispute-resolution commission with full representation on Legal.ge.