Arbitration body pursuant to Art. 4 para. 1 lit. a ADR Act (for consumers)

The Office for Communications serves as the arbitration body pursuant to Art. 85 KomG in conjunction with Art. 4(1)(a) ADR Act for alternative dispute resolution in matters concerning disputes between providers and consumers in relation to communications legislation and contract execution. The office operates neutrally and independently. This arbitration body is recognized as a notified ADR entity within the meaning of the law.

End users who qualify as micro-enterprises, small and medium-sized enterprises, or non-profit organizations also have access to the alternative dispute resolution procedure (see Art. 85(2) KomG).

Contact:

Office for Communications
P.O. Box 684
9490 Vaduz
[email protected]

Information on the arbitration body:

The arbitration body for communications legislation pursuant to Art. 4(1)(a) ADR Act offers free and voluntary arbitration procedures to help resolve disputes between consumers and businesses. The arbitration body does not side with either consumers or businesses but acts neutrally, assisting both parties in reaching an agreement. Therefore, it is not a consumer protection institution, but rather a service facility for both consumers and businesses.

Since the arbitration body is not a consumer protection entity, it cannot provide individual legal advice, file lawsuits, or represent consumers in court. Its role is to mediate neutrally between consumers and businesses, supporting both sides in finding solutions.

Arbitration team:

Office for Communications

Arbitration procedure (rules of procedure):

For information on the procedure, please click here.

Responsibility:

The Office for Communications can be called upon as an arbitration body under communications legislation pursuant to Art. 4(1)(a) ADR Act if:

• The dispute falls within the scope of communications legislation and involves a consumer and a business.
• The consumer has residence in Liechtenstein or an EEA member state.
• The business has an establishment in Liechtenstein (e.g., registered office, branch office, etc.).
• The dispute does not fall within the jurisdiction of another arbitration body under Art. 4 ADR Act.

Currently, Liechtenstein has four arbitration bodies under Art. 4 ADR Act, each responsible for different disputes between consumers and businesses. The arbitration body at the Office for Economic Affairs handles all consumer matters for which no other arbitration body is competent. Information on the jurisdiction of other arbitration bodies can be found on their respective websites.

Reasons for refusal:

Applications for arbitration must be rejected if:

• the case does not refer to a consumer dispute, but a dispute between two or more consumers or between two or more companies among themselves;
• the consumer does not have their place of residence in Liechtenstein or an EEA member state;
• the company does not have a registered office in Liechtenstein (e.g., headquarters, subsidiary, etc.);
• the case does not concern a claim arising from a contract for paid services;
• another arbitration board is the competent body.

Applications for arbitration will be rejected if:

• the complaint is malicious or wilful;
• the amount in dispute is less than CHF 30.00 (incl. VAT), unless the subject matter of the dispute has a significance that goes beyond the individual case;
• the complaint is being or has been dealt with before a court or another arbitration body;
• the complaint is not submitted to the arbitration body within a period of at least one year from the date on which the complaint was made to the company;
• the consumer does not credibly demonstrate in the complaint to have tried to reach an agreement with the company before submitting the application for arbitration;
• no specific claim is raised, but only general information is requested.

Applications:

Applications for arbitration can only be submitted in German. Before you submit an application, you must have confronted the company with your complaint. Please also refer to the detailed information about the procedure. This will help you to avoid filing an inadmissible application.

The consumer must pay an amount of CHF 50 for the initiation of the procedure, which is considered a contribution to ensure the seriousness of the case.

There is no obligation for the company to engage in the arbitration procedure.

The form can be found here (in German). 

ODR Platform:

If you have a problem with a company registered in Liechtenstein or another EEA member state and the contract was concluded online, you can also submit a dispute resolution application to the European Commission's ODR platform. ODR stands for "online dispute resolution". Your complaint is then automatically sent to the company concerned, which in turn proposes an arbitration/conciliation body. If you agree to the company's proposal, the complaint will be forwarded to the relevant body, which will then conduct the arbitration procedure. You can reach the ODR platform via:

https://webgate.ec.europa.eu/odr/main/index.cfm?event=main.home.chooseLanguage