PEPP providers and PEPP distributors shall put in place and apply adequate and effective procedures for the settlement of complaints lodged by PEPP customers concerning their rights and obligations under this Regulation.

Those procedures shall be applied in every Member State where the PEPP provider or PEPP distributor offers its services and shall be available in an official language of the relevant Member State as chosen by the PEPP customer, or in another language if agreed between the PEPP provider or PEPP distributor and the PEPP customer.

PEPP providers and PEPP distributors shall make every possible effort to reply, either electronically or in another durable medium in accordance with Article 24, to the PEPP customers’ complaints. The reply shall address all points raised, within an adequate timeframe and at the latest within 15 working days of receipt of the complaint. In exceptional situations, if the answer cannot be given within 15 working days for reasons beyond the control of the PEPP provider or PEPP distributor, it shall be required to send a holding reply, clearly indicating the reasons for a delay in answering to the complaint and specifying the deadline by which the PEPP customer will receive the final reply. In any event, the deadline for receiving the final reply shall not exceed 35 working days.

PEPP providers and PEPP distributors shall inform the PEPP customer about at least one alternative dispute resolution (ADR) body which is competent to deal with disputes concerning PEPP customers’ rights and obligations under this Regulation.

The information on the procedures referred to in paragraph 1 shall be mentioned in a clear, comprehensive and easily accessible way on the website of the PEPP provider or PEPP distributor, at the branch, and in the general terms and conditions of the contract between the PEPP provider or PEPP distributor and the PEPP customer. It shall specify how further information on the ADR body concerned and on the conditions for using it can be accessed.

The competent authorities shall set up procedures which allow PEPP customers and other interested parties, including consumer associations, to submit complaints to the competent authorities with regard to PEPP providers’ and PEPP distributors’ alleged infringements of this Regulation. In all cases, complainants shall receive replies.

In cases that concern more than one Member State, the complainant may choose to lodge his or her complaint through the competent authorities of his or her Member State of residence, regardless of where the infringement occurred.