Consumer Disputes Board – An Impartial Dispute Resolution Body

The consumer must file a written complaint with the business or other counterparty before filing a complaint with the Board. Instructions for filing a complaint with the business, as well as information on consumer rights, are available in English on the websites of the Finnish Competition and Consumer Authority and the European Consumer Centre. Consumers should familiarize themselves thoroughly with these instructions before filing a complaint with the Board.

A complaint must be filed in Finnish or Swedish, with the exception of certain air travel matters, which may also be filed in English. Complaints should primarily be submitted through the e‑services. If the e‑services cannot be used, the complaint may be submitted by email or letter.

The consumer must submit to the Board all the information and documentation necessary to resolve the matter. The complaint must include at least the matter in dispute, the claim, the grounds for the claim and up‑to‑date contact information for the business or other counterparty. The Board processes only claims that are based on applicable legislation.

As a general rule, the consumer is required to provide sufficient evidence to support their claim. The Board procedure is entirely written, and the consumer may therefore submit only written evidence. Relevant evidence may include, for example, the contract and its terms, documentation showing defects or other issues, documentation showing injury or damage incurred by the consumer, information substantiating the amount of the claim and a dated complaint filed with the business or other counterparty.

The business or other counterparty must file a response to the complaint within a given deadline. If no response is filed, the Board may issue a default decision and resolve the matter in favour of the consumer.

The response must be filed in Finnish or Swedish, with the exception of certain air travel related matters, which may also be filed in English. The response must include a statement addressing the consumer’s claim, as well as the relevant documentation. It is the business’s responsibility to demonstrate that it has acted in accordance with the duty of care and applicable legislation. The Board procedure is entirely written, and the business may therefore submit only written evidence.

After receiving the complaint and the response, the Board facilitates the correspondence between the parties. Both parties are given the opportunity to comment on the information and documentation submitted by the other.

After the correspondence has been completed, the parties may wait for the Board’s decision. Matters are resolved primarily in the order in which they are received. The Board will inform the parties separately if further documentation is required or when the decision is being issued. The parties may contact each other during the Board procedure and negotiate the matter. If additional relevant documents are submitted or if a settlement is reached, the parties must notify the Board.

The Board’s decision is sent to both parties simultaneously. If the Board recommends compensation, the parties must contact each other and agree on how and when the compensation will be paid. The Board’s decisions are recommendations, and although businesses are not obliged to comply with them, most do. The parties must notify the Board whether the decision has been complied with.

If the Board does not recommend compensation, the consumer may still bring the case to a district court. The Board’s decisions also cannot be appealed.