Complaints & Dispute Resolution
Preamble
This page explains two things: how to raise a complaint about your loan or savings account with the institution that serves you (Section 1), and how a tenant institution raises a dispute about the Ustawi platform or service itself (Section 2).
1. If You Are a Borrower — Complaining About Your Loan or Account
If you have a complaint about your loan, repayment, collateral, or any interaction with your lender, contact your lender directly — Ustawi is the software they use, not your lender. Your lender's platform includes a complaints register with statutory-clock tracking to ensure your complaint is acknowledged and resolved within the timeframes required by Bank of Tanzania microfinance regulation. As an indicative demo timeline, complaints are acknowledged within 3 business days and resolved within 30 days; confirm the exact statutory timeframes against current Bank of Tanzania microfinance guidance. If you don't know how to reach your lender's complaints channel, ask your loan officer or branch for their complaints process.
- 1SubmitYou raise a complaint via your lender's designated channel (branch, phone, SMS, or app).
- 2AcknowledgeYour lender's staff log and acknowledge the complaint in the platform's complaints register within the statutory window.
- 3InvestigateA designated compliance/branch staff member investigates.
- 4ResolveYour lender communicates the outcome to you within the statutory window.
- 5EscalateIf unresolved or you disagree with the outcome, you may escalate to the Bank of Tanzania's financial consumer complaints channel or another relevant regulator or ombudsman.
2. If You Are a Tenant Institution — Disputing the Ustawi Service
If your institution has a dispute about the Ustawi platform, an invoice, an SLA breach, or any other aspect of the Service itself, follow this process (which is also referenced by the Terms of Service, /legal/terms-of-service, Section 14):
- 1Raise itWith your account manager or via /contact, describing the issue and desired resolution.
- 2AcknowledgmentWithin 2 business days.
- 3Resolution attemptBy Ustawi's support/leadership within 15 business days.
- 4EscalationTo senior leadership on both sides if unresolved.
- 5Formal dispute resolutionPer the Terms of Service's governing-law and dispute-resolution clause (/legal/terms-of-service, Section 14) — finally resolved by binding arbitration seated in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania and conducted in English under the rules of the Tanzania Institute of Arbitrators, or, at either party's election, before the courts of Dar es Salaam, Tanzania — if informal resolution fails.
3. Complaints About Data Protection
For a complaint specifically about how your personal data is handled, see the Privacy Policy (/legal/privacy-policy, Section 7) for your rights, and note you may also have the right to lodge a complaint with the relevant Tanzanian data protection authority.
4. Complaints About AML/Compliance Matters
Complaints alleging a compliance failure (e.g. mishandling of a screening result) should go through your lender's own compliance channel first; see /legal/aml-kyc-compliance-statement for the division of responsibility.
5. No Retaliation
Ustawi and tenant institutions using the platform are expected not to retaliate against a borrower, staff member, or agent for raising a good-faith complaint.
6. Record-Keeping
Every complaint logged in a tenant's complaints register is tracked with a full audit trail (who acknowledged it, investigated it, and resolved it, and when), supporting both internal quality control and regulatory review.
7. Contact
Platform/service disputes: /contact. Loan/account complaints: your lender directly.
Frequently asked questions
I have a complaint about my loan — who do I contact?
Your lender directly — see Section 1. Ustawi is the software your lender uses, not your lender.
How long does my lender have to resolve my complaint?
Indicatively, your lender should acknowledge your complaint within about 3 business days and resolve it within about 30 days (indicative demo timeline — confirm against current Bank of Tanzania microfinance guidance) — see Section 1.
My institution has a dispute with Ustawi about the service — what's the process?
See Section 2 for the step-by-step process.
Can I be penalized for filing a complaint?
No — see Section 5, no-retaliation.