The ASF Call Center appreciated by consumers of non-banking financial products and services

Bucharest, 1 August 2024 – More than 90% of consumers of non-banking financial products and services were satisfied with the information received in the first half of this year from the Financial Supervisory Authority’s Call Center experts.

This is underlined by the results of the opinion survey on ‘consumer satisfaction with non-bank financial products’. Based on the score given to the Net Promoter Score question (were you satisfied with the information provided, was it useful to you?), the ASF Call Center scored 90.87% satisfied consumers during the first six months of 2024.

The ASF Call Center recorded, in the first half of 2024, a number of almost 6,900 calls answered and resolved, an increase of approximately 11% compared to the same period in 2023, which demonstrates that the public relations activity is an effective and credible source of information for consumers of non-banking financial services.

The Financial Supervisory Authority pays particular attention to the continuous development of the process of specialized assistance to consumers, by increasing the quality of the assistance provided through the Call Center. For example, the consumer who calls ASF is identified in terms of their level of knowledge and experience in the non-banking financial field, and then provided with the information requested according to their training and experience. They are also informed of the risks to which they may be exposed if they choose non-compliant financial products and are advised to take investment decisions only when they understand the associated risks and can financially sustain any losses.

The ASF Call Center experts provided specialized assistance to consumers in order to clarify all their requests, facilitating non-discriminatory access to active systems for dealing with applications, requests for information and petitions. Callers to the 0800.825.627 number were also advised on how to comply with the legal formalities for submitting and completing documentation, in order to resolve all the issues raised by them over the telephone.

Private pensions top consumer interest

Information on private pensions was the area most requested by consumers. The number of calls related to this sector in H1 2024 was 3,184 (46.2% of all calls received), up more than 54% compared to the same period last year. The insurance-reinsurance sector ranked second in terms of consumer interest - 2,404 calls (around 35% of all calls received), down 19% compared to H1 2023.

 According to the analysis of the activity of the Authority’s Call Center, in the first half of 2024, 990 calls related to other information (up by almost 17%), 194 calls related to the financial instruments and investments sector (up by more than 10%), and 102 calls related to the Alternative Dispute Resolution Entity in the non-bank financial sector SAL-Fin.

The Call Center of the Financial Supervisory Authority can be reached at 0800.825.627, from Monday to Thursday between 8:30 and 17:00, and on Fridays from 8:30 to 14:30.