Section 2 ADR procedures and penalties

Member States shall ensure that payment service providers put in place and apply adequate and effective complaint resolution procedures for the settlement of complaints of payment service users concerning the rights and obligations arising under Titles III and IV of this Directive and shall monitor their performance in that regard.

Member States shall require that payment service providers make every possible effort to reply, on paper or, if agreed between payment service provider and payment service user, on another durable medium, to the payment service users’ complaints. Such a reply shall address all points raised, within an adequate timeframe and at the latest within 15 business days of receipt of the complaint. In exceptional situations, if the answer cannot be given within 15 business days for reasons beyond the control of the payment service provider, 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 payment service user will receive the final reply. In any event, the deadline for receiving the final reply shall not exceed 35 business days.

The payment service provider shall inform the payment service user about at least one ADR entity which is competent to deal with disputes concerning the rights and obligations arising under Titles III and IV.

The information referred to in paragraph 3 shall be mentioned in a clear, comprehensive and easily accessible way on the website of the payment service provider, where one exists, at the branch, and in the general terms and conditions of the contract between the payment service provider and the payment service user. It shall specify how further information on the ADR entity concerned and on the conditions for using it can be accessed.

Member States shall ensure that adequate, independent, impartial, transparent and effective ADR procedures for the settlement of disputes between payment service users and payment service providers concerning the rights and obligations arising under Titles III and IV of this Directive are established according to the relevant national and Union law in accordance with Directive 2013/11/EU of the European Parliament and the Council ( 11 ), using existing competent bodies where appropriate. ►C1  Member States shall ensure that ADR procedures are applicable to payment service providers. ◄

Member States shall require the bodies referred to in paragraph 1 of this Article to cooperate effectively for the resolution of cross-border disputes concerning the rights and obligations arising under Titles III and IV.

Member States shall lay down rules on penalties applicable to infringements of the national law transposing this Directive and shall take all necessary measures to ensure that they are implemented. Such penalties shall be effective, proportionate and dissuasive.

Member States shall allow their competent authorities to disclose to the public any administrative penalty that is imposed for infringement of the measures adopted in the transposition of this Directive, unless such disclosure would seriously jeopardise the financial markets or cause disproportionate damage to the parties involved.