ABSTRACT
This chapter examines the current state of consumer Online dispute resolution (ODR) from a European perspective; on such account it evaluates the potential of ODR in assisting online consumers and businesses to resolve e-commerce disputes. It provides some suggestions about how ICT and ADR can facilitate the resolution of disputes and which models are the most appropriate for resolving B2C disputes arising out of e-commerce. Dispute resolution techniques range from methods where parties have full control of the procedure to methods where a third party is in control of both the process and the outcome. The concept of online ADR is used for referring to those methods involving primarily ADR methods assisted largely by ICT. The use of ICT to resolve disputes changes the dynamics by which parties interact. Consensual ODR gives the parties more control over the outcomes, increasing conflict resolution options and encouraging enforcement.
