Consumer Disputes Committee

Consumer Disputes Committee is an independent and impartial unit that operates at the Consumer Protection Board within the area of government of the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Communications and resolves disputes independently pursuant to the Consumer Protection Act and other legislation.

The Committee is competent to resolve domestic and cross-border consumer disputes initiated by the consumer and arising from contracts between consumers and traders, where one party is a trader whose place of establishment is in the Republic of Estonia. Resolving a dispute by the Consumer Disputes Committee is free of charge for the consumer and undertaking and in most cases, the outcome will be reached within 90 days from the date the proceeding of the complaint was started.

The Committee does not resolve disputes related to:

1) providing non-economic services¹ of general interest;

2) educational services provided by legal persons governed by public law;

3) health services which are provided by health care professionals to patients in order to assess, maintain or restore their state of health, including prescribing, dispensing and supplying medicinal products and medical devices;

4) claims arising from death, bodily injuries or health damages;

5) resolution procedure by this Act prescribed by other Acts in conformity with the requirements provided in this Act.

These disputes are resolved by a county court or another competent institution.

In the case of domestic consumer disputes, the Consumer Protection Board’s consumer service department and in the case of cross-border consumer disputes, the European Consumer Centre of Estonia will act as the secretariat of the Consumer Disputes Committee in the preliminary proceeding. Domestic consumer disputes are consumer cases where the parties to the dispute are a consumer living in Estonia and an undertaking registered in Estonia.

If you disagree with the Committee’s decision, you may turn to a county court for hearing of the same case. The other party may do the same.

You may choose whether to turn directly to the court or the Consumer Dispute Committee to resolve a dispute. Compared to a legal case, the last is a remarkably easier, convenient and less time- and money-consuming solution for you and the trader.

You will always have the to option to turn to a court for the protection of your rights as a last resort.

Remember!

Consumer Disputes Committee’s decisions are not mandatory for both parties. If the trader does not comply with the Committee’s decision and does not notify the Committee of complying with the decision or turning to a court within the term, the trader will be added to the list of businesses who do not comply with the Committee’s decision along with a link to the decision which has not been complied with.

¹ for example, national primary and secondary education services and social services if these services are provided by the state or a service provider authorised by the state and the service provider is obligated to provide these services without any reactive action by the consumer.