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Find out the advantages of mediation to consumers here!
Consumer disputes are any disputes arising between a consumer and a business from an agreement for the sale of products or provision of services. According to the Law such disputes are resolved firstly between the business and the consumer and if this is not possible, they can then be resolved through an Alternative Dispute Resolution Entity – ie. through the Cyprus Consumer Center for Alternative Dispute Resolution.
Mediation is one of the Alternative Dispute Resolution methods.
The advantages of mediation as a method for Alternative Dispute Resolution are that it is an easy, fast and low cost method for resolving disputes arising between consumers and businesses, outside the court.
Mediation is easy:
Mediation is easy because in mediation, the settlement –where this is reached– is an amicable solution where there are no winners or losers. The procedure is not binding and can provide creative solutions which would otherwise not be available through court proceedings. This is because in a court of law, the court will issue a judgement in line with the rules of procedure of the court.
Consumers and businesses participating in mediation proceedings may not necessarily reach a consensus on a proposed solution, nor are they obligated to follow such a solution.
Finally, it is not necessary for the parties to be physically present at the proceedings. The parties can submit their evidence without being present and the meeting can be held online, through zoom, skype, email or through the European Union’s dispute resolution platform.
Mediation is fast:
A consumer with a complaint against a business, need not wait for the dispute to be resolved in the court, especially taking into consideration the low monetary value of a consumer dispute and the disproportionate time and cost required to resolve the dispute in court.
According to the Law a consumer dispute handled by an Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) Entity must be resolved within 90 days.
Mediation is low cost:
As regards costs, the law states that the ADR procedure (including mediation) should be accessible, appealing, and at a low cost to the consumers. For this reason, the fees payable are limited. Regarding our fees, these can be viewed here.
Mediation is a high-quality ADR mechanism:
In consumer disputes, it is necessary for the mediator to have sufficient legal knowledge to ensure a high level of quality in the proceedings, for the benefit all parties involved.
If you are interested in becoming a mediator with the Cyprus Consumer Center for ADR, you can find out more here.
This article does not constitute legal advice.
The publication of this article is partly funded by the European Union’s “Consumer Programme (2014-2020)”.
