Consumers > Find Help For Your Issue > Make a Formal Complaint to the VSA

Make a
Formal Complaint to the VSA

If you have attempted to resolve your dispute with the dealer and/or broker-agent and have been unsuccessful, you may wish to file a formal complaint to the VSA.

There are two ways to make a formal consumer complaint to the VSA:

You can fill out a complaint form, attach documents and submit your complaint online through the VSA Consumer Portal. This process is secure and user-friendly. After you submit your complaint through the portal, you will be able to get real time status updates regarding your complaint. To access the Consumer Portal, please click here
You can download the Consumer Complaint Form and send it with your supporting documents to VSA Consumer Services in three ways:
i) by e-mail at consumer.services@vsabc.ca
ii) by fax at 604-575-7080, or
iii) by mail to our physical address:
Vehicle Sales Authority of BC
#280-8029 199th Street
Langley, BC
V2Y 0E2

To download the Consumer Complaint Form, please click here.

Steps in the Complaint Process

Our complaint process varies depending on the nature and complexity of complaint issues.

Once we receive your complaint application, we will first determine if the VSA has the legal powers to act on your complaint. The VSA is not a civil court and can only assist you with certain issues. Some matters may need the assistance of the civil courts.

If we determine that the VSA has legal powers to act on your complaint, our further steps will include:

Facilitating dispute resolution between you and the dealer.
Sending a copy of your complaint to the dealer for a response and sharing dealer’s response with you.
If required, investigating your complaint. In rare cases, complaint investigation may result in referring a complaint to a hearing by the Registrar of Motor Dealers.
Through the entire process, we will keep you informed about the status of your complaint. We will inform you about your complaint outcome in writing.

The length of the complaint process varies. More complex cases will take longer. The average time from making a complaint to receiving a decision for it is:

26 days if investigation is not required,
65 days if investigation is required, and
236 days if a hearing by the Registrar of Motor Dealers is required.