Complaints We Can Deal With

Consumer Arbitration can accept most complaints about a trader that is a participating Member of our scheme.

You can use Consumer Arbitration where something the trader has done (or failed to do) has left you out of pocket, without the goods or services you were entitled to – or if you’ve been treated unfairly.

Common examples of complaints we can deal with include:

• Returning Goods
• Faulty Goods
• Missing parts
• Delivery
• Customer service
• Misrepresentation
• Product description
• Other

This list is not exhaustive!

If you are unsure whether we can help, you can still submit your complaint and we will assess whether it falls within our Scheme Rules.

Use of the Consumer Arbitration Alternative Dispute Resolution scheme costs a small upfront fee depending on the amount your dispute is worth:

• £10 for disputes up to the value of £750
• £25 for disputes over the value of £750

Complaints We Cannot Deal With

Consumer Arbitration cannot deal with the following complaints:

• Financial institutions (i.e. Banks)
• Vehicle sales and servicing
• Utility providers; please see UtilitiesADR for this
• Phone and communications providers; please see CommsADR for this
• Solicitors and other professional providers

We also cannot consider a complaint where:

• The same dispute is already with a court, or with another ADR scheme, or has previously been decided
• The complaint is, in our view, frivolous or vexatious
• The amount claimed exceeds our £25,000 award limit (we’ll tell you if this applies, and you may choose to proceed on the basis that the claim is limited to £25,000)
• Dealing with it would seriously impair the effective operation of the scheme

For a full, comprehensive list of complaints we cannot accept, please make sure to read through our Scheme Rules.

Consumer Arbitration can only deal with unresolved complaints.

To be eligible to make a complaint against a trader using Consumer Arbitration, you must have already complained to that trader directly in writing and either:

• Received the trader’s Final Written Response (otherwise known as a ‘Deadlock Letter’)
• Given the trader 8 weeks to respond to your complaint

You must bring your complaint to us within 12 months of the trader’s Final Response (or, where the organisation did not respond, within 12 months of your complaint to them).

If you’re unsatisfied with the trader’s response, or they fail to respond within those 8 weeks, you can submit your complaint to Consumer Arbitration!