Consumer-to-business dispute resolution: the power of CADR

This paper summarises the findings of a study of CADR bodies in ten European Member States (Hodges C, Benöhr I, Creutzfeldt-Banda N in Consumer ADR in Europe. Hart Publishing, Oxford, 2012). It first notes the distinct nature of CADR bodies that have emerged, explains the architecture of national CADR systems, notes various empirical findings about how they operate, and then critically examines a series of important issues that arise over their modes of operation. It ends by considering the potential of CADR to deliver collective redress and to deliver behaviour control of traders, thereby acting as part of the regulatory system.