Access to Justice, Alternative Dispute Resolution Mechanisms and Consumer Vulnerability in the European Energy Sector

Creutzfeldt, Naomi (2021). Access to Justice, Alternative Dispute Resolution Mechanisms and Consumer Vulnerability in the European Energy Sector. [Data Collection]. Colchester, Essex: UK Data Service. 10.5255/UKDA-SN-855031

Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) bodies for consumers are set up to help resolve problems they encounter with faulty goods and services. ADR is an important additional pathway to access justice and is aimed at making it easier for all of us to feel more confident and empowered as consumers in an ever growing market. A better understanding of these bodies is necessary. This project will generate this understanding through a case study of vulnerable consumers in the energy sector. The research objective of this project is to seek to compare how ADR bodies in the energy sector, in six countries, provide a pathway to access justice for their vulnerable users. With that objective in mind, research questions will aim to elicit data that will show (1) who uses ADR mechanisms and the extent to which users are vulnerable, (2) the way in which vulnerable and non-vulnerable users of ADR mechanisms experience and perceive the process, (3) the extent to which ADR mechanisms are designed to make themselves accessible to vulnerable consumers and meet their needs, and (4) the relationship between the broader consumer protection context and the accessibility of ADR mechanisms. This research will improve understanding of how energy ADR bodies handle and engage with vulnerable users. The research objective will be achieved by collecting qualitative and quantitative data in a cross country comparison.

Data description (abstract)

The data provided are the transcripts of interviews held with NGOs, Ombudsman, energy companies, academics, regulators, and consumers in the UK, Catalonia, Bulgaria, Italy and France. They have all been anonymised, some have been summarised into English. We applied a semi-structured approach to the interviews so the researcher can find similar questions thought all of the different interviews. The interviews provide an interesting picture of different stakeholders perspectives of, and experiences with, energy poverty in their country.

Data creators: