When we have a problem with a financial product or service, we have the right to receive specialized and personalized attention from financial institutions, but many times we do not know who to turn to.
In Mexico, in the event of any problem you have with a financial institution, you can contact its Specialized User Service Unit, also known as UNE. There they will solve your doubts, complaints and clarifications.
The UNEs are a communication channel for financial institutions specifically designed to resolve any disagreements you may have with the financial services and products you have contracted, and their specialized personnel have the duty to guide you in a personalized and transparent manner.
Contact with this unit is mainly by telephone, but you can also communicate by mail or in person, this will depend on each institution.
Based on the Mexican Law for the Protection and Defense of the User of Financial Services, article 50 bis, it is mandatory that all financial institutions have a communication channel called UNE, specifically designed to address the concerns of their customers and that must be given registration in the Registry of Specialized Units of Financial Institutions (REUNE).
It is worth mentioning that the financial institutions that have this type of service are those that are registered with the Financial Services Registration System (SIPRES), for example, banks, insurers, Afores, multiple-purpose financial companies, savings banks, savings, among other entities.
How do the UNEs of financial institutions help you?
Specifically, a Specialized Care Unit supports and advises you to solve the specific problem that arises. In addition, it must provide you with true and transparent information on costs and terms and conditions of the financial services and products you contracted.
Also, it provides you with the location data of the UNE such as address, telephone, email, as well as the names and location of the personnel who can help you and who is responsible for providing you with information.
How do you get in touch with the Specialized Care Unit?
Based on the Law, each financial entity must display in visible places the ways to contact its UNE, either at the service windows or on its website.
At least the companies provide the UNE telephone number and email, but they can also provide a WhatsApp number, online chat or a complaints mailbox on their website.
The most common way to get in touch with a UNE is by phone, but in some institutions you can also do it in the first instance by email.
When you call by phone, some UNEs will ask you to continue your clarification or claim process by email. For example, when you have a disagreement or want to clarify a procedure with an insurer, they usually ask you to continue the procedure by this means, because it also allows you to attach files and documents.
But the main reason why a financial institution asks you to carry out your resolution or conciliation process by mail is because the UNEs have the obligation to respond to you in writing within a period of no more than thirty business days.
If the UNE does not solve my problem, how do I report the abusive practice of a financial institution?
The Law also establishes that, as a user of a financial service, you have the right to choose the way you want to solve your complaint, therefore if your problem is not satisfactorily resolved by the UNE or you detect any practice of your financial institution , you can file a formal complaint with the National Commission for the Protection of Users of Financial Services (Condusef), since the UNEs are supervised by the Condusef.
The Commission, in these cases, is the support you can count on to start a conciliation process with your financial institution that the Commission must exhaust, in addition to providing you with free legal advice. The contact telephone numbers for Condusef are 55 53 40 09 99, if you reside in Mexico City, and if you are in the interior of the Republic, 800 999 8080. You can also send an email to advisory[email protected]
How to choose a financial service or product intelligently?
If you already had a bad experience with a financial institution, it is important that in the future you take into account the recommendations of the Condusef to make an intelligent purchase of any financial product or service. Mainly it is necessary that you compare prices, benefits, as well as terms and conditions of the offers of more than three companies, because only through this exercise you will be able to find the offer that offers better benefits, better cost and better service.
Only through a comparison can you guarantee savings, which is why the Condusef provides people on its website with online simulators such as credit cards, the savings and investment funds simulator, the mortgage credit simulator, automotive credit , among others, where you can make online comparisons of these financial products.
In addition, there are other free and reliable online comparators on the Internet such as Rastreator, which on a single website helps you compare financial products such as insurance, personal loans or credit cards, easily, quickly and objectively. It also helps you find the offer that offers the best price and contacts you directly with the companies that interest you.
How to locate the Specialized Service Units of financial institutions?
Each bank, insurance company, Afore, multiple purpose company, savings bank, electronic payment funds, etc., has its own UNE, and for you to locate them anywhere in the Mexican territory, the Condusef provides you with the Directory of Units Specialized User Service on its website, where you can find the address and telephone number of each UNE, as well as its regional manager.
You can do a search by federal entity, by sector, by financial institution or by name of the head of the UNE regional office.
Likewise, in the online directory, you will also find important and current notices regarding the operations and services of the UNE.
Up to this point you already have the necessary information to communicate any disagreements that arise when contracting a financial product or service with your financial institution, as well as guidance to choose the best financial service or product.