Fair. Independent. Accessible.
We’re approved by the Chartered Trading Standards Institute to provide Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) services for disputes between consumers and traders, operating across the UK.
We can only deal with a complaint if it is currently unresolved, concerns a trader that is a Participating Member of Consumer Arbitration, and relates to an issue covered by our Scheme Rules.
We can deal with complaints related to the following issues:
STEP 1
You submit your complaint, with all your supporting information and evidence, via any of the following:
1) Our online complaints portal
2) Post (using a paper form)
3) Telephone
… and we check whether it is something we can deal with under our Scheme Rules.
STEP 2
When you submit your form to us, you (Claimant) must pay a fee depending on the amount your dispute is worth:
If you are the successful party, the trader (Respondent) reimburses your fee.
PLEASE NOTE: If the Award is the same as, or lower than, an offer the Respondent had already made you, you are treated as the unsuccessful party, and the fee is not reimbursed.
STEP 3
The Respondent is given 28 days to provide a response. They may:
Their response is then posted in the Online Portal.
The Respondent cannot make a counterclaim.
STEP 4
If the Respondent chooses to challenge your complaint:
You get 1 opportunity to submit a Reply;
You get a 7-day window to do this.
The Respondent is then given a single opportunity to provide any final comment in reply.
STEP 5
We confirm that we have all information and evidence from both parties and declare a Complete Complaint File.
From this point, no further information or evidence is accepted from either party, to ensure fairness to both.
STEP 6
A specialist Arbitrator issues a written Award within 30 days of the Complete Complaint File (Step 5).
After our Decision:
The Arbitral Award is legally binding on both you & the Respondent under the Arbitration Act 1996, and is enforceable in the courts.
It is not subject to acceptance or rejection.
Consumer Arbitration is administered and managed by Consumer Dispute Resolution Limited, an independent Alternative Dispute Resolution provider, and is approved by Government under the Alternative Dispute Resolution for Consumer Disputes (Competent Authorities and Information) Regulations 2015 and the Digital Markets Competition and Consumers Act 2024.
Your step-by-step guide to gathering the right evidence… And why filing it all up front makes all the difference! Goods…
Reasonable Adjustments, accessible formats and extra support – so everyone can use Consumer Arbitration, whatever their circumstances. At Consumer Arbitration,…
Here at Consumer Arbitration, we’re excited to finally unveil our new logo and brand identity! While our appearance has changed,…
