Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR): How to Settle a Dispute with a Trader Without Going to Court
Automatically translated summary. The full text is available in Romanian.
A consumer note produced by the Independent Think Tank “Expert-Grup” explains alternative dispute resolution (ADR) in Moldova. It describes how consumers can settle conflicts with traders outside the courts, which disputes qualify, and why the mechanism still needs ADR entities to be set up before it works in practice.
ADR is an out-of-court procedure with clear rules and deadlines. An ADR entity can facilitate an amicable agreement, propose a solution or, under certain conditions, impose one. It does not remove the right to go to court or to complain to the competent consumer protection authority. Unlike mediation, which involves fees, ADR is in most cases free for consumers or has minimal costs.
Under Law 105/2003, ADR covers contractual disputes between consumers and traders over sales or service contracts, such as defective goods, delayed refunds, incorrect deliveries or poorly performed services. It also covers cross-border cases. The law expressly lists situations where ADR does not apply. Moldova has written the mechanism into law as part of EU alignment, but ADR entities, public or private, must still be created and entered on an official list. The material was produced under an EU and Soros Foundation Moldova-funded consumer protection project.
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