Holiday complaints handled on-line in 'blind bidding' pilot

Holiday complaints handled on-line in blind bidding pilot

Holiday complaints may soon be handled entirely on-line, after an Internet-based negotiation and claim resolution service set up by a Liverpool solicitor launched a pilot scheme with the Association of British Travel Agents (ABTA).The pilot, run by The Claim Room in conjunction with travel companies Kuoni and Cosmos, means holiday makers and their lawyers will be able to log on even while still on holiday and settle claims using the 24-hour blind bidding service, where parties submit offers that are not disclosed to the other side (see [2001] Gazette, 22 March, 20).

If a bid is entered that comes within a certain parameter to the last bid from the opposing side, the cyberspace referee declares a binding settlement at the mid-point.Graham Ross, the sites founder, said: We hope that at the end of the pilot, we will be branded for use by all 2,500 ABTA company members.The Claim Room was officially launched last week by the Lord Chief Justice Lord Woolf, who welcomed the use of IT to resolve disputes faster and encouraged lawyers to use the service in order to quickly establish its value.LINKS www.theclaimroom.comVictoria MacCallum