<p>This is a volume that is densely packed with information about the development and operation of consumer alternative dispute resolution “(CADR)” processes in Europe, predominantly those arising out of contracts between businesses and consumers. These include any processes that are alternative to approaching the court, but do not necessarily include court annexed schemes, because the focus here is much earlier in the period of dispute when industry, national or cross-border schemes exist to address consumer concerns and head off disputes from the courts. Written to document an ongoing review of the development of such consumer processes within the CMS Research Programme on Civil Justice Systems at the Oxford Centre for Socio Legal Studies and published while an EU Consultation on dispute resolution processes was under way, the book and the underlying review demonstrate great industry and commitment to articulating the scope of CADR in Europe to inform the consultation and for publication within a short time-frame. The book sets out to address the following main questions: what is the current state of CADR in Europe, how might European governments and others extend and improve systems having regard to what the book describes as “the existing architectures”, and how individual systems of CADR can be improved.</p>
<p>Understandably the authors caution that it was not possible to review everything ongoing in all consumer disputes. Accordingly the review is limited to the somewhat complicated picture of EU interventions to promote consumer dispute resolution (chapter 1), and the activity within certain member states – Belgium, France, Germany, Lithuania, The Netherlands, Poland, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden and the United Kingdom (chapters 2 to 11) – which states together are felt to give an indication of the spread of activity for comparative, quantitative and qualitative analysis. The main areas of activity common to various states of financial services, telecoms, energy and general consumer trading are used for comparative analysis, although other areas are included in some chapters, for example doctors and lawyers in Germany. Chapters 12 and 13 on Best Practice in Customer Care in the UK and on Cross-border Consumer ADR seem slightly orphan-like, although the latter does provide some additional material beyond any attention given to cross-border issues chapter by chapter, and on online dispute resolution.</p>
<p>The bulk of this heavy book is made up of descriptive country...</p>
