Indecopi fines Ripley, BanBif and Santander Consumer more than S/281,000 for making it hard for customers to complain
Indecopi sanctioned three financial institutions on first instance for demanding requirements not set out in the law before they would process customers' complaints.
This is a first-instance sanction: the banks can appeal within 15 business days to Indecopi's Specialized Consumer Protection Chamber, so the decision is not final and could still change.
| Entity fined | Banco Ripley S.A., Banco Interamericano de Finanzas (BanBif) and Santander Consumer Bank S.A. |
|---|---|
| Authority | INDECOPI |
| Resolution | Resoluciones 034-2026/CC3, 035-2026/CC3 and 037-2026/CC3 |
| Fine | 51.12 UIT — S/ 281,160 |
| Resolution date | 24 Aug 2026 |
Indecopi’s Consumer Protection Commission No. 3 sanctioned three financial institutions on first instance: Banco Ripley, Banco Interamericano de Finanzas (BanBif) and Santander Consumer Bank. The fines total 51.12 UIT, or S/281,160. Indecopi announced the decision on 24 August 2026. The conduct was detected in investigations that Indecopi’s Supervision Directorate (Dirección de Fiscalización) opened on its own initiative, checking both customer service offices and remote channels.
Under Resoluciones 034-2026/CC3, 035-2026/CC3 and 037-2026/CC3, the institutions demanded requirements that consumer protection rules do not provide for. These included asking the person to first prove they were a customer, to file a prior request, to hand over additional documents, or to fit their complaint into reasons pre-set by the bank. Indecopi said that businesses cannot impose extra conditions on filing complaints, including those made in the Complaints Book, and must make sure complaints are actually registered.
This is a first-instance administrative decision: the three banks have 15 business days to appeal to the Specialized Consumer Protection Chamber, so the decision can still be reviewed and is not final.
If a bank asks you for requirements before it lets you complain, beyond identifying yourself and describing the problem, you can still write your complaint in the Complaints Book. If it keeps refusing you access, you can report it directly to Indecopi as a separate infringement. If your complaint has already been registered, see how long the bank has to answer and where to go if it does not.