The European Union has created a website to support consumers in submitting their complaints about any dispute in which they are involved. In this context, we provide all the information so that you can exercise your right to complain to an official entity, third party and impartial to the process, (“dispute resolution entity”) that will help you resolve the dispute in question.
Therefore, if you are dissatisfied with the purchase of a good or service, or with the solution presented by us to resolve the situation, you can access this official website https://webgate.ec.europa.eu/odr/main/?event =main.home.show and state your objection.
What is Alternative Dispute Resolution?
Alternative dispute resolution is the possibility that all consumers have at their disposal to appeal to official entities that help them in the resolution, or guidance of any conflict, before opening litigious proceedings in the Courts.
As a general rule, the procedure is as follows: the customer asks an impartial third party to act as an intermediary between him and the trader who is the target of his complaint. The intermediary can suggest a solution to your complaint, impose a solution on both parties, or bring the parties together to find a solution.
Perhaps you know the concept of alternative dispute resolution by another name: ‘mediation’, ‘conciliation’, ‘arbitration’ or ‘competent commission in the context of consumer disputes’.
Alternative dispute resolution is, as a rule, less expensive, less formal and faster than the judicial route.
In the event of a consumer dispute, the consumer may resort to the following alternative resolution bodies for consumer disputes:
CNIACC – Centro Nacional de Informação e Arbitragem de Conflitos de Consumo
cniacc.pt
CACCL – Centro de Arbitragem de Conflitos de Consumo de Lisboa
centroarbitragemlisboa.pt
CACCVA – Centro de Arbitragem de Conflitos de Consumo do Vale do Ave/Tribunal Arbitral
triave.pt
CICAP – Centro de Informação de Consumo e Arbitragem do Porto (Tribunal Arbitral de Consumo)
cicap.pt
CIMAAL – Centro de Informação, Mediação e Arbitragem de Conflitos de Consumo de Algarve
ciab.pt
CIAB – Centro de Informação, Mediação e Arbitragem de Consumo (Tribunal Arbitral de Consumo)
ciab.pt
CIMPAS – Centro de Informação, Mediação e Provedoria de Seguros
cimpas.pt
According to Law No. 144/2015, for dispute resolution, see:
CNIACC – Phone: 00351 21 384 7484
E-mail: cniacc@fd.unl.pt | Site: cniacc.pt
