The European Union has created a website to help consumers submit complaints about any dispute they are involved in. 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 we presented to resolve the situation, you can access this official website https://webgate.ec.europa.eu/odr/main/?event =main.home.show and expose your objection.
What is alternative dispute resolution?
Alternative dispute resolution is the possibility that all consumers have at their disposal of appealing to official entities that help them in resolving or guiding a conflict, before opening litigation 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 may suggest a solution to your complaint, impose a solution on both parties, or bring the parties together to find a solution.
You may 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 consumer dispute resolution entities:
CNIACC – National Center for Information and Arbitration of Consumer Conflicts
https://www.cniacc.pt/pt/
CACCL – Lisbon Consumer Conflict Arbitration Center
http://www.centroarbitragemlisboa.pt/
CACCVA – Consumer Dispute Arbitration Center of Vale do Ave/Arbitration Court
CICAP – Porto Consumer Information and Arbitration Center (Consumer Arbitration Court)
CIMAAL – Algarve Consumer Conflict Information, Mediation and Arbitration Center
http://www.ciab.pt/pt/
CIAB – Consumer Information, Mediation and Arbitration Center (Consumer Arbitration Court)
http://www.ciab.pt/pt/
CIMPAS – Information, Mediation and Insurance Ombudsman Center
https://www.cimpas.pt/
According to Law No. 144/2015, for dispute resolution see:
CNIACC – Telephone: 21 384 7484
Email: cniacc@fd.unl.pt Website: https://www.cniacc.pt/pt/