Russell Investment Management Ltd Complaints Policy

 

1. We are committed to resolving your complaint

Russell Investments is committed to providing the highest standards of service, so if you have a complaint about our Russell Investments Funds or services, please let us know. We will investigate and seek to resolve your concerns to your satisfaction as quickly as possible.  The information below is for Russell Investments Funds investors or retail clients who have received financial services from Russell Investment Management Ltd.

2. What is an enquiry and what is a complaint?

an enquiry means a request for information.

a complaint means:
a verbal or written expression of dissatisfaction related to the Russell Investments Funds or services, staff or complaints handling process, where a response or resolution is explicitly or implicitly expected or legally required.  

3. How to lodge a complaint 

Please also refer to the Fund Product Disclosure Statement (PDS) for further information. 
Making a complaint is simple and easy.  A complaint can be made by telephone, post, or email.  Let us know if you need help in lodging a complaint and we will assist you.

Our contact details are:

Russell Investment Management Ltd 
 (Attention: Russell Investments Funds Complaints Manager)
GPO Box 3279
Sydney NSW 2001, Australia
Email: disputeresolution@russellinvestments.com 
Fax number: 1300 768 040 (in Australia)  +612 9229 5116 (outside Australia) 
Phone number: (02) 9229 5111 (in Australia): +612 9229 5111 (outside Australia)

If you are an Indirect Investor who is invested in a Russell Investments Fund through a platform, and you have a complaint about us or the Fund itself, contact your platform operator who is required to take reasonable steps to facilitate dispute resolution between investors and financial product issuers, such as us. Alternatively, you can contact us via the contact details above.

What information should be included 

  • Your name and contact details, including, if possible, an email address and a business hours telephone number.
  • Your account name and account number.
  • Details of your complaint, to allow us to understand, consider and assess your complaint.
  • Details of any prior contact with us on the issue or complaint and any relevant correspondence with us which may assist us in considering your complaint.

4. Complaints Handling process

The following steps are followed when a complaint is received:

Step 1:  Acknowledgement 
 We will acknowledge your complaint within 1 business day or as soon as practicable after receiving it.  

Step 2: Complaint Investigation 
 Each complaint received is assessed and investigated to obtain all information and documents necessary for us to properly consider the complaint. We aim to provide you with a final response to your complaint as soon as practicable, within 30 days of receiving it.

Complex complaints 
 We recognise complex complaints may take longer than 30 days to resolve.  Complex complaints include complaints:

  • regarding a transaction more than 6 years ago, or
  • requiring an account reconstruction, or 
  • any other complex matter.

Complex complaints are referred to subject matter experts as soon as possible. However, in the event the complaint will take longer than 30 days to be resolved, you will be sent a “Delay Notification” letter which advises:

  • The reasons for the delay
  • Your right to complain to Australian Financial Complaints Authority (AFCA). 
  • The contact details for AFCA

Step 3: Decisions

Overriding principles to complaint resolution
 The complaints-handling process is to be easily accessible to all complainants and all complaints are to be:

  • handled in a timely, equitable, objective and unbiased manner, with a view to promoting confidence in the complaints-handling process. 
  • investigated appropriately and a response, including the reasons for its decision, is provided as quickly as possible.

Decision 
When we have considered your complaint, we will notify you of the outcome.  If your complaint is not resolved within 5 business days, we will give you a written response. We will also give you with a written response for complaints resolved within 5 business days if you request one, or if we are required to give you a written response. 

We will cover the following matters in our written response:

  • Identify and address the issues raised in the complaint. 
  • Set out our findings/conclusions on each of the issues.  
  • Provide the outcome to the complaint. 
  • Provide enough detail for you to understand the basis of the decision and to be fully informed when deciding whether to take the complaint to AFCA. 
  • Advise you of your right to take the complaint to AFCA if you are not satisfied with the response. 
  • Provide the contact details for AFCA. 

5. Contact details AFCA

You can call AFCA on 1800 931 678 for the cost of a local call from anywhere in Australia.  
Information can also be obtained from the AFCA website at www.afca.org.au. 
If you are looking to lodge a complaint with AFCA via their website, please select “Russell Investments Master Trust, current trustee Total Risk Management Pty Ltd” from the list of names on AFCA’s online complaints form.