The European Commission has launched a new platform to help consumers and traders solve online disputes over online purchases.

The Online Dispute Resolution (ODR) platform offers a single point of entry that allows EU consumers and traders to settle their disputes for both domestic and cross-border online purchases. This is done by channeling the disputes to national Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) bodies that are connected to the platform and have been selected by the member states according to quality criteria and notified to the Commission.

Věra Jourová, Commissioner for Justice, Consumers and Gender Equality said: “Most consumers experiencing problems when buying online don’t complain, as they believe the procedure is too long and that it won’t be solved. The Online Dispute Resolution platform is an innovative tool saving time and money for consumers and traders. It will improve consumer trust when shopping online and support businesses selling cross border, contributing to Europe’s Digital Single Market”.

Key features of the platform:

• The platform is user-friendly and accessible on all types of devices. Consumers can fill out the complaint form on the platform in three simple steps.
• The platform offers users the possibility to conduct the entire resolution procedure online.
• The platform is multilingual. A translation service is available on the platform to assist disputes involving parties based in different European countries.

Today, around 117 Alternative Dispute Resolution bodies from 17 Member States are connected to the Online Dispute Resolution platform. The Commission is working with the Member States to achieve a full coverage of all Member States and sectors as soon as possible. Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) offers a quick and inexpensive way to solve disputes. On average, it takes a maximum of 90 days for cases to be solved. The experience of European consumers who have used Alternative Dispute Resolution tends to be positive: 70% were satisfied by the way their complaint was handled through this procedure. This is an additional way for consumers to solve their disputes and will not replace the possibility of going to court, which is however usually more costly and takes longer (only 45% of consumers are satisfied by the way a court handled their complaint).

Traders will also benefit from this new platform, as Alternative Dispute Resolution procedures will help them avoid costly litigation fees and maintain good customer relations.

For more information

Online Dispute Resolution platform

Factsheet on the ODR platform

DG Justice and Consumers website on Alternative Dispute Resolution/Online Dispute Resolution