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 resolving or guiding a conflict. The Online Dispute Resolution website is an official website managed by the European Commission dedicated to helping consumers and traders resolve their disputes outside of court: https://webgate.ec.europa.eu/odr/main/index.cfm?event=main.home.chooseLanguage
Customers who are defined as consumers by Law 144/2015 and who have signed purchase and sale and/or service provision contracts have the right to turn to official entities that help them in resolving any conflict concerning such contracts, without prejudice to recourse to the Judicial Courts. The updated list of Alternative Dispute Resolution entities available under article 17 of Law no. 144/2015, of 8 September, is listed on the Consumer Portal, accessible via the website www.consumidor.pt. For more information, you can also consult Law 144/2015. We further inform you that, to resolve disputes arising from online purchases, you can use a resolution system, called “ODR Platform - Online Dispute Resolution/ RLL”, created by the EU.
In any case, you can contact one of the centers designated below.
Entities for Alternative Dispute Resolution
CNIACC – National Center for Information and Arbitration of Consumer Conflicts
CIMAAL - Center for Information, Mediation and Arbitration of Consumer Disputes in the Algarve
https://www.consumidoronline.pt/pt/
Consumer Dispute Arbitration Center of the District of Coimbra
http://www.centrodearbitragemdecoimbra.com
Lisbon Consumer Dispute Arbitration Center
http://www.centroarbitragemlisboa.pt
Porto Consumer Information and Arbitration Center
Vale do Ave Consumer Dispute Arbitration Center / Arbitration Court
European Online Dispute Resolution Platform:
https://ec.europa.eu/consumers/odr/main/index.cfm?event=main.home.chooseLanguage
