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​CONSUMER SERVICES ONLINE FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

WHAT IS THE CONSUMER SERVICES ONLINE PORTAL (CSO)?

CSO allows you to electronically ask a question or file a complaint with the Insurance Department. Using CSO, you can:

  • Create a user account to submit a complaint against an insurance company, insurance producer (agent/broker), or public adjuster
  • Upload documents to support your complaint
  • Communicate online with the Bureau of Consumer Services Investigator assigned to your complaint
  • View documents uploaded by the Investigator assigned to your complaint
  • Ask a general insurance question and receive a response from an Investigator
  • Maintain a history of your filed complaints and questions

WHAT DO I NEED TO CREATE AN ACCOUNT WITH CSO?

You must have a valid email address to access CSO. This email address is used by CSO to communicate with you about your complaint or question, so it is important to use an email address that is not likely to change. The email address field is case sensitive, so each time you log into CSO, you must enter your email address exactly as you did when you completed your initial account registration.

HOW WILL I KNOW MY COMPLAINT WAS RECEIVED BY THE INSURANCE DEPARTMENT, AND HOW DO I CORRESPOND WITH THE DEPARTMENT ABOUT A SUBMITTED COMPLAINT?

When you are finished submitting your complaint and any supporting documents, you should immediately see a message on the page that says: "Your complaint has been successfully submitted." You will also see a complaint ID number; please keep this number for future reference. It is your receipt that the Department has received your complaint. Reference this number when communicating with the Department or submitting documentation regarding your complaint. Please DO NOT submit multiple complaints on the same issues. Please use the comment section of your complaint to communicate with your Investigator. Lastly, you will receive a confirmation email to the address you provided. If you do not receive this email, please check your spam/junk folder. It may take several minutes for you to receive the email confirmation.

WILL THE DEPARTMENT KEEP ME UPDATED ON THE STATUS OF MY COMPLAINT?

An email will be sent to you indicating there has been an update to your complaint, using the email address you provided. You will receive an email notification for the following events and activities:

  • When a complaint file is successfully created using CSO
  • If the Investigator posts a comment to your account
  • If the Investigator uploads an electronic document to your file

I SUBMITTED A COMPLAINT USING CSO BUT HAVE NOT RECEIVED A CONFIRMATION EMAIL. WHAT'S WRONG?

If you have not received a confirmation email from us, here are some troubleshooting tips:

  • Check your spam filter. Our email may have gone to your spam/junk folder.
  • Using the email address and password you provided, log into CSO and check that your complaint is listed
  • If you still have questions, call us at 1-877-881-6388 and press 3 to speak to an Investigator

HOW DO I SEND ADDITIONAL DOCUMENTATION FOR MY COMPLAINT?

There are three ways to provide supporting documents:

  • Upload your documents to the appropriate Complaint ID number. This option is available only if you filed your complaint using the CSO Portal.
  • Fax your documents to (717) 787-8585 and reference your Complaint ID number on your fax cover sheet
  • Mail your documents to: Pennsylvania Insurance Department, Bureau of Consumer Services, 1209 Strawberry Square, Harrisburg, PA 17120 and reference your Complaint ID number

I FORGOT MY PASSWORD. WHAT DO I DO?

There is a link on the CSO login page that allows you to reset your password. You will receive an email with instructions. You must complete this process within 30 minutes, or the system will "time out" and you will need to start over.

WHAT IS THE PASSWORD FORMAT?

The password requirements are as follows:

  • Must be at least 8 characters
  • Must have at least 1 lowercase and 1 uppercase character
  • Must have at least 1 number

HOW DO I ACCESS MY CSO ACCOUNT?

There are several ways to access the CSO account you created. The most familiar way is to return to the CSO in the same manner you did when you first filed your question or complaint. You will be asked to enter the email address and password you used to create your account.

Additionally, from the Insurance Department's homepage (www.insurance.pa.gov), click on "File a Complaint" and select "Ask a Question, Submit a New Complaint Online, or Return to CSO"

MY EMAIL ADDRESS HAS CHANGED SINCE CREATING MY CSO ACCOUNT AND I HAVE AN OPEN CASE WITH THE DEPARTMENT. WHAT DO I DO?

Call us at 1-877-881-6388 and press 3 to speak with an Investigator who will assist with this change.

  • ·Updating your email address will not change your login information. It will only allow you to receive new updates regarding your complaint. 

THE INFORMATION CONTAINED IN MY CSO ACCOUNT, OTHER THAN MY EMAIL ADDRESS, HAS CHANGED AND I HAVE AN OPEN COMPLAINT. WHAT SHOULD I DO?

You can change most of your account information on the CSO; however, the Investigator is not automatically notified when you make changes. To notify the Investigator that your account has been changed, add a comment to your open complaint and the Investigator assigned to your case will be notified.

MY EMAIL ADDRESS HAS CHANGED SINCE FIRST CREATING MY CSO ACCOUNT AND I DO NOT HAVE ANY OPEN COMPLAINTS/QUESTIONS WITH THE DEPARTMENT, BUT MAY NEED TO ASK A QUESTION OR FILE A COMPLAINT IN THE FUTURE. WHAT DO I DO?

When you are ready to ask your new question or file your new complaint, simply create a new CSO account and use the new account when asking a question or filing a complaint.

WHAT TYPES OF FILES ARE ACCEPTABLE TO UPLOAD?

The following file types (extensions) are accepted:

  • Microsoft Word (.doc, .docx)
  • Adobe PDF (.pdf)
  • Images (.jpg, .jpeg, .png, .tif, .tiff)
  • Microsoft Excel (.xls, .xlsx)
  • PowerPoint (.ppt, .pptx)

I'M TRYING TO LOG IN TO CSO, BUT I GET AN ERROR MESSAGE THAT SAYS, "THE LOGIN INFORMATION YOU ENTERED IS INCORRECT." WHAT DO I DO?

More than likely, you did not enter your email address exactly as you did when you completed your account registration. Email addresses in CSO are case sensitive. To verify how you registered your email address:

  • Review the "Portal Submission Acknowledgement" email you received after you filed your complaint. The email address you registered with us was provided in that acknowledgement exactly as it appeared in the "To:" line of the message. Go back to the CSO login page and re-enter the email address you originally provided.
  • If you do not have the "Portal Submission Acknowledgement" email, contact our office at 1-877-881-6388 (press 3 and hold on the line to speak to an Investigator).