 Alternative Dispute Resolution
Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) or out-of-court mechanisms have been developed to help citizens who have a consumer dispute but who have been unable to reach an agreement directly with the trader.
ADR schemes usually use a third party such as an arbitrator, mediator or ombudsman to help to reach a solution.
The advantage of ADR compared to going to court: - more flexibility
- can better meet the needs of both
- cheaper
- quicker
- more informal
In Estonia there are 2 out-of-court schemes: 1. Consumer Complain Committee (settles disputes between consumers and traders)
2. Insurance Court of Arbitration (settles insurance disputes). The promotion of the ADR bodies is a one of the priorities of the European Commission. Hereby you can find two European CommissionÂ’s recommendations about the ADR bodies:
1) European Commission Recommendation (98/257/EC) on the Principles applicable to bodies responsible for the out-of-court settlement of consumer disputes.
2) European Commission Recommendation (2001/310/EC) listing the Principles for bodies who are involved in the consensual resolution of consumer disputes.
Database of notified out-of-court bodies.
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