Customer Care
Customer Care
Underwriting Agencies of Australia | Customer care
Vulnerability Support, Financial Hardship, Family Violence
You can read our Family Violence Customer Support Policy here.
If you notify us of (or we identify) a vulnerability, financial hardship or family violence, we will provide you with our insurer’s contact details and the National Debt Helpline’s telephone number (listed below).
Part 9 (Supporting customers experiencing vulnerability) and Part 10 (Financial Hardship) of the General Code of Practice (GICOP) applies.
Financial hardship
We’re committed to supporting customers facing financial hardship. Financial hardship involves an inability of the customer to pay a debt, rather than an unwillingness to do so. Financial hardship may arise from a variety of situations and may be for a limited duration or long term.
If you’re having trouble paying a financial obligation to UAA, please contact us to talk about your situation. We’ll provide you with our insurer’s contact details and Financial Hardship Guide (below). They can work out a plan with you, and may be able to assist by:
- offering instalment payments, put recovery action on hold, deduct an excess etc.
The support that is provided does not include support with paying any insurance policy premiums.
National Debt Helpline
The National Debt Helpline provides confidential financial counselling resources that can provide advice to Australians in every state and territory: 1800 007 007
Our Insurer's Contact Details
QBE Insurance (Australia) Limited
Financial Hardship Support Team
Email: hardshipsupport@qbe.com
Telephone: 1300 902 417
Post: PO Box 84 Lismore, NSW 2480
Website: QBE Financial Hardship Support
QBE Financial Hardship Application Form
QBE Complaints Team
Email: complaints@qbe.com
Telephone: 1300 650 503
Post: Customer Relations, GPO Box 219, Parramatta, NSW 2124
Website: QBE Complaints and Feedback
UAA’s complaints contact details:
Email: complaints@uaa.com.au
Telephone: +61 2 4925 6666
Post: Complaints, Suite C202, 19A Honeysuckle Drive, Newcastle NSW 2300
Translator service
If you require a translator please contact us for access to one of our interpreter services.
Hearing impairment
If you have a hearing or speech impairment, contact us through the National Relay Service (NRS) by calling the numbers below, or go to the NRS website for other access options.
Voice Relay number: 1300 555 727
TTY number: 133 677
Fast Tracking of Urgent Claims
If an event, such as a natural disaster, has meant you have to make a claim under your policy and resulted in you being in urgent financial need of benefits under that policy, please let us know. We might be able to speed up our assessment to give you a decision on your claim or pay an advance amount to assist ease your financial need.
Dispute Resolution / Complaints
You can read our Complaints and Dispute Resolution Policy here.
What is a Complaint?
A complaint is an expression of dissatisfaction made to or about us, related to our products, services, staff, or the handling of a complaint, where a response or resolution is explicitly or implicitly expected, or legally required.
UAA is committed to meeting and exceeding our clients’ expectations whenever possible and would like to know if your expectations haven’t been met. You are entitled to make a complaint about any aspect of your relationship with UAA including the conduct of its agents. We manage complaints according to GICOP and ASIC’s regulations. UAA will attempt in good faith to resolve any complaint/dispute in a fair, transparent and timely manner.
How we will handle your complaint
We aim to acknowledge receipt of your complaint by either telephone, email, social media channels or letter within 1 business day and advise the name and contact details of the person assigned to your complaint. Where required, UAA will refer your complaint to the insurer who will manage the complaint from then. UAA and the insurer will try to resolve the complaint within 30 calendar days.
What to do if you have a complaint
If you wish to lodge a complaint regarding any aspect of our service, please contact us:
Email: complaints@uaa.com.au
Telephone: +61 2 4925 6666
Post: Complaints
Suite C202, 19A Honeysuckle Drive, Newcastle NSW 2300
Alternatively, you can contact the insurer directly:
QBE Insurance (Australia) Limited
Complaints Team
Email: complaints@qbe.com
Telephone: 1300 650 503
Post: Customer Relations, GPO Box 219, Parramatta, NSW 2124
Website: QBE Complaints and Feedback
Australian Financial Complaints Authority (AFCA)
AFCA is an independent national scheme for consumers, free of charge and aimed at resolving disputes between the insured and their insurance intermediary or insurer. AFCA cannot hear all complaints, and AFCA will advise you if the complaint falls within its Rules.
If we do not resolve your complaint to your satisfaction, or if we have not resolved your complaint within 30 calendar days, you can submit your complaint to AFCA.
AFCA’s contact details are:
Telephone: 1800 931 678
Email: info@afca.org.au
Post: Australian Financial Complaints Authority
GPO Box 3, Melbourne VIC 3001
Website: www.afca.org.au
Privacy Complaints
You can read the Privacy Policy here.
If you wish to gain access to your Personal Information, want us to correct or update it, have a complaint about how we have handled your Personal Information or any other query relating to our privacy policy, please contact our Privacy Officer:
Telephone: +61 2 4925 6666
Email: privacyofficer@uaa.com.au
Post: Privacy Officer
Suite C202, 19A Honeysuckle Drive, Newcastle NSW 2300
The Insurance Council of Australia (ICA)
The ICA developed the General Insurance Code of Practice (GICOP), which is a voluntary self-regulatory code. GICOP sets out the standards that general insurers must meet when providing services to consumers. QBE, the insurer for the insurance products referred to on this website, is a signatory to GICOP. You can read about the ICA and GICOP on the website – ICA.
Code Governance Committee (CGC)
The CGC is an independent body that monitors and enforces insurers’ compliance with GICOP. For more information on the CGC go to insurancecode.org.au. GICOP is intended to be a positive influence across all aspects of the general insurance industry including product disclosure, claims handling and investigations, relationships with people who are experiencing vulnerability and reporting obligations.
Promoting GICOP
We are committed to promoting, reviewing and improving GICOP.
- The Insurance Council of Australia is responsible for promoting the Code to customers and to industry participants that have not yet adopted the Code.
- The Insurance Council of Australia will work with the Code Governance Committee, the Australian Securities and Investments Commission, relevant regulators and other stakeholders to encourage all general insurers and other industry participants conducting business in Australia to adopt the Code.
- We will work with the Insurance Council of Australia to promote and champion the Code.
- We will:
a. provide information about the Code and the Code Governance Committee on our websites, and in our Retail Insurance Product Information. We will also provide this information in other places we consider it appropriate to do so;
b. work with the Insurance Council of Australia to provide general information to help you access insurance products;
c. work with the Insurance Council of Australia to initiate programs to promote insurance, financial literacy and the insurance industry; and
d. support the Insurance Council of Australia’s initiatives aimed at education on general insurance.
Product, Design and Distribution Obligations (PDDO)
You can read our PDDO Policy here.
UAA distributes any retail insurance products according to the insurer’s Target Market Determination (TMD) via intermediaries (i.e. insurance brokers). A TMD is a written document that describes the class of consumers that comprises the target market for a financial product and matters relevant to the product’s distribution and review. A copy of the TMD can be found on our Products page.
Confirmation of Transaction for Claims
Under the law if you are a *Retail Client you are entitled to confirmation information (the Confirmation) when QBE accepts or settles a claim made by you under this insurance coverage (the Transaction).
UAA has established a facility, on behalf of QBE, under which you can send an email to us at claims@uaa.com.au requesting the Confirmation. We will provide the Confirmation to you as soon as reasonably practicable.
We will assume that you agree to the use of the facility to obtain the Confirmation, unless you advise us that you do not agree to the use of the facility and that you wish to obtain the Confirmation in another way.
Cash Settlement Fact Sheet (CSFS)
If you are a *Retail Client, we will give you a CSFS at the time we make you the cash settlement offer. A CSFS is required:
- if we offer you a cash payment to settle part or all of a general insurance claim, if there are other legally available options to settle the claim (e.g. repair or replacement).
Definition of *Retail Client
The Corporations Act 2001 (Cth) defines a Retail Client as:
- an individual; or
- a manufacturing business employing less than 100 people; or
- any other business employing less than 20 people.