Net retailers call truce

An on-line arbitration service has been launched for Internet retailers to deal with disputes arising from on-line purchases.The service, developed as a joint initiative by the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators (CIArb) and consumer magazine Which?, means that retailers who are members of the Which? Web trader scheme - including the Carphone Warehouse, Debenhams and easyJet - have access to the on-line service run by the CIArb.CIArb has three solicitors on its ten-strong panel for this scheme.The process is carried out entirely on-line, where a CIArb-appointed arbitrator specially trained in on-line retailing decides on cases worth up to 10,000.

Both parties submit electronic documents from which the arbitrator makes a decision, taking a maximum of three months.

The on-line system is priced according to a sliding scale dependent on the size of the claim - for example, a claim of 500 will cost 10.

Similar schemes have been launched by CIArb in association with the Association of British Travel Agents.Victoria MacCallum