Alternative Dispute Resolution

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 'committee responsible for consumer disputes'.

Alternative dispute resolution is, as a rule, less expensive, less formal and faster than the judicial route.

Colchão Certo provides the websites of some of these entities that can help you present your arguments:


Suggestions for Alternative Dispute Resolution Entities
CNIACC – National Center for Information and Arbitration of Consumer Conflicts
http://www.cniacc.pt/pt/

Arbitration Court of the Porto consumer information and arbitration center
Address: Rua Damião de Gois, nº 31, store 6 - 4050-225 Porto
http://www.cicap.pt/

Online European dispute resolution

https://webgate.ec.europa.eu

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/