treating customers fairly policy

We will strive to comply with and contribute to theTCF fairness outcomes, viewed from the perspective of the customer:

Outcome 1: Customers are confident that they are dealing with providers where the fair treatment of customers is central to the provider’s culture.
Outcome 2: Products and services marketed and sold in the retail market are designed to meet the needs of identified customer groups and are targeted accordingly.
Outcome 3: Customers are given clear information and are kept appropriately informed before, during and after the time of contracting.
Outcome 4: Where customers receive advice, the advice is suitable and takes account of their circumstances.
Outcome 5: Customers are provided with products that perform as providers have led them to expect, and the associated service is both of an acceptable standard and what they have been led to expect.
Outcome 6: Customers do not face unreasonable post-sale barriers to change products, switch providers, submit a claim or make a complaint.

We will aim to demonstrate through our behaviours and monitoring that we are consistently treating customers fairly throughout the stages of the product life cycle to which we can contribute. These may include:

Product and service offering: Appropriate products and services are researched in order to ensure that each customer group receives sound and holistic financial services. 
‍Promotion and marketing: Products are marketed to specific target groups, through clear and fair communications that are not misleading and are appropriate to the target group.
‍Advice: Where advice is provided, advisers are fully equipped to provide advice that is suitable to the needs of the customer concerned, following the objectives of TCF and avoiding conflicts of interest.
‍Sale to clients: To provide clear and fair information to enable customers to make informed decisions about transacting with us. All fees are transparent to clients and are sufficiently documented.
‍After sale Service: Provide continued excellent service to clients thus enabling them to monitor their financial needs and make informed decisions.
‍Complaints Handling: To honour representations, assurances and promises that lead to legitimate customer expectations. Legitimate expectations must not be frustrated by unreasonable post-sale barriers. There is a requirement for fair and consistent handling of complaints and a mechanism to deal with complaints timeously and fairly.

In fulfilling our commitment to TCF, we will focus on the following aspects.
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We will follow the requirements of the General Code of Conduct for FSPs in terms of the Financial Advisory and Intermediary Services Act (“FAIS”) 

We will adhere to our Conflicts of Interest Management Policy in dealing with conflicts of interest involving customers.

We will put management information mechanisms in place that are designed to monitor and measure our performance in delivering the relevant fair outcomes.

All our members of staff are trained in dealing with our clients and are committed to maintaining high standards of service.

We will always tell customers what they can expect from our relationship.

We will provide appropriate after-sales information and service to customers.

We will monitor the continuing performance of products or funds that we have recommended and sold to customers to assess the ongoing suitability of the product for the customer.

We will ensure open communication lines with product suppliers we deal with andensure that we understand their products and services.

We will review our TCF policy on an ad hoc basis but at least annually.

We have a Client Complaints Policy in place as required by FAIS.

We will handle all complaints in compliance with our Client Complaints Policy.  
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Our Client Complaints Policy is clear and easy to understand.  
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In dealing with complaints we will ‘treat like situations alike’ and give careful consideration to whether an error might have affected a wider class of customers and what should be done.  
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We will pay attention to the outcomes of complaints, which can serve as an important source of intelligence about the health of our business and systems. 

We will measure the length of time taken to deal with a complaint, the outcome, and the way in which the outcome is communicated to the customer in order to ensure that we treat our customers fairly.

TREATING CUSTOMERS FAIRLY IN OUR BUSINESS

We encourage and welcome feedback from staff and customers on our services and procedures.  

Staff objectives include TCF as an explicit and measurable objective and performance against this objective will form part of staff competency ratings. 

All staff will complete refresher training and testing on an ad hoc basis. Before we contract with a third party, we will satisfy ourselves of their commitment to treating our customers fairly. In particular, we will consider their TCF policy and the management information that they can provide to demonstrate the fair treatment of our customers.  

Caution not to sign incomplete documents. 

You are hereby advised and cautioned that no person acting on behalf of the provider may in the course of the rendering of a financial service request you to sign any written or printed form or document unless all details required to be inserted thereon by you or on your behalf have already been inserted.

Caution to ensure the correctness and completeness of information.  

Please be aware when completing any documentation or providing any information, that all material facts must be accurately and properly disclosed. You are entirely responsible for the accuracy and completeness of all answers, statements or other information provided by you or on your behalf.  

Please note that all material facts in respect of any application, proposal, order, instruction, or other contractual information that is required to be completed for or submitted to a product supplier by or on your behalf that relates to the purchase of or investment in any financial product, including any amendment thereof or variation thereto, must be accurately and properly disclosed.  

Any misrepresentation or non-disclosure of a material fact or the inclusion of incorrect information could result in the cancellation of the transaction by the product supplier.

Caution as to the client’s rights 

You are hereby advised that no financial advisor or any other person may ask you or offer any inducement to you to waive any right or benefit conferred on you byor in terms of any provision of the General Codes of Conduct. A copy of the Code of Conduct is available on request.

For any queries or feedback in relation to TCF, you can contact:
 
‍Contact Person:             Mr Kagisho Mahura
‍Position:                         Key Individual
‍Postal Address:              PO Box 78219,Sandton, 2196
‍Physical Address:           28 Fricker Road, Illovo, 2146
‍Phone Number:             010 448 2200
‍Email Address:               info@gminvestments.co.za