From February 15, consumers and merchants in the Union will be able to resolve disputes through the Online Dispute Resolution (ODR) platform, which, authorities promise, will be very effective.
The Online Dispute Resolution (ODR) platform was launched last week, marking another step in popularizing and simplifying online commerce and digital content. As can be concluded, the platform will enable consumers and merchants to resolve disputes simply, quickly, cheaply, and out of court, but it will only be available to them from February 15. Until then, it is available to bodies responsible for Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) that need to familiarize themselves with the functioning and operation of the platform during that time.
Online Complaint
Member states have compiled a list of authorized ADR bodies, each of which must meet predetermined minimum quality criteria.
− One in three consumers encountered a problem when shopping online in the past year, but a quarter of them did not complain, mostly because they were convinced that the procedure would take too long or that the chances of obtaining a resolution were low. The new platform will therefore save time and money for consumers and merchants. I am confident that the platform will be widely accepted for resolving consumer complaints, said Věra Jourová, Commissioner for Justice, Consumers, and Gender Equality. Thus, for example, consumers will have access to the new platform regardless of what products or services they purchased (with the exception of higher education and health), whether the purchase was made online or not, and where the merchant is located (the same or another EU member state). Every consumer with a complaint will be able to submit their complaint through the online platform and receive a resolution from the competent body designated by each member state in any of the 23 official EU languages.
