Consumer arbitration is a system of claims that has been in force in Peru since 2010; however, it was only in 2016 that its regulations were established. This system, fast and free, allows users to request arbitration for an unresolved issue they filed with the company or supplier who provided you with a product or service.
José Carlos Aguado, member of the Board of Directors of Indecopi, pointed out that in 2021, 2,814 arbitration requests have been processed, of which 164 arbitration proceedings have been initiated and 120 awards have been issued. In addition, the staff of the Arbitration Board has answered 2,188 queries through electronic channels and by telephone.
This system increases the commitment of economic agents by promoting efficient consumer relations that in the long term generate incentives for companies to more diligently respect consumer rights, explained Aguado at the First International Seminar on Consumer Arbitration.
It should be noted that, since its regulation in 2016, Indecopi has received more than 4,000 arbitration requests.
“One of the objectives of the State is to help mitigate and reduce consumption disputes, which in Peru, as in any other country, is something of the day to day. The only thing that changes is that the actors involved probably have better predispositions or their legal systems provide better scope and the results could be more optimal and efficient”, explained Juan Carlos Vela, president of Indecopi’s Consumer Arbitration Court.
How the system has worked in Spain
Although companies in Peru are not required to adhere to this system, only 64 have done so so far. The panorama in Spain, especially in Madrid, is different. There are more than 17,000 companies voluntarily adhered. It should be noted that this consumer arbitration mechanism has been in force in the European country since 1984.
Today, more than 50% of the cases that are resolved are linked to telephone services in Madrid.
At the beginning of the implementation of the system, they faced little interest and rejection from the suppliers. For this reason, they focused on what is most valuable to a merchant: their clientele. Rodolfo Gómez, secretary of the Consumer Arbitration Board of the Community of Madrid, explains that if businessmen want to maintain their clientele, what they have to have is a good product and good service. If he provided it properly, he would have no problem adhering to the system.
On the contrary, providers are offered the opportunity not to lose a client, because, if they have done their best to provide good service or products, it is possible that the problem will arise from the client. Gómez explains that in this way they managed to give merchants confidence about the benefits of this system.
Source: Larepublica
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