If the customer is unable to contact a vendor from another EU member state about the dispute or does not agree to settle the dispute, the customer may seek the assistance of out-of-court consumer dispute resolution. The consumer can contact the entity directly via email, the entity’s form or through the Online Dispute Resolution (ODR) platform.
Dispute resolution entities
Out-of-court dispute resolution is the institution of seeking a mutually acceptable agreement between the parties to a dispute. You can find a list of entities for out-of-court settlement of consumer disputes on the Czech market here. It contains basic information such as contact information for the entity, types of disputes, categories and industries of disputes, or languages in which the dispute can be resolved. This information can also be found here with an extension to other EU member states.
Online dispute resolution platform
The European Union protects consumers who buy goods and services in EU member states. For this reason, an online dispute resolution(ODR) platform was created to prevent legal disputes. Through this platform, you can communicate with the customer before the customer submits a complaint to an entity for out-of-court settlement of consumer disputes.
If you have received an email stating that a consumer has filed a complaint against you through ODR, you must first create an account in this system in order to respond to the complaint.
Vendors’ responsibilities
- The email address should be clearly stated on the website. Posting only an interactive contact form is not enough.
- The website must provide a link to the online dispute resolution platform ec.europa.eu/consumers/odr. This link must be clearly visible and easily accessible on the website.
More information on online dispute resolution for vendors can be found here.
Information on consumer rights when buying services or goods within the EU can be found here.
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