NoLitigation Blog on Complaints Handling and ADR in UK

Complaints Handling in the UK: Resolving Grievances Before They Become Disputes

No consumer dispute appears out of thin air. They all start as complaints: a missed payout, an unexpected fee, or a refund request that gets ignored. How you handle that initial spark determines whether you put out the fire, or end up facing an ombudsman referral or a court date. In our guide to Alternative Dispute Resolution in the UK, we looked at what happens once a disagreement has escalated. This article looks one step earlier: at complaints handling, the…

UK Consumer Rights Act 2015, AI-generated settlements

The Consumer Rights Act 2015 and AI-Generated Settlements: What Businesses Need to Know

For consumer-facing businesses that are burdened by increasing volumes of customer complaints, traditional dispute resolution is no longer sustainable. Resolving a billing error or a service outage manually can cost hundreds of pounds in staff hours, often exceeding the financial value of the dispute itself. However, scaling these operational efficiencies requires a balance between automation and statutory compliance. So, how do you ensure that AI-generated settlements comply with strict UK consumer protection laws? In March 2026, the Competition and Markets…

UK Arbitration Act 2025 and AI Arbitration

Guide to the UK Arbitration Act 2025 & AI Arbitration

The UK Arbitration Act 2025: What Changed and What It Means for Commercial Dispute Resolution Change is the only constant, and it is specifically true when it comes to the law. Think about scenarios that might not have been an issue 30 years ago, but somehow, they are now a problem to be dealt with. For instance, how much does a drafting oversight cost when a multi-jurisdictional contract goes wrong? In 2020, the UK Supreme Court spent months untangling this exact…

The Singapore Convention on Mediation: Why It Makes Cross-Border Settlement Agreements Enforceable

A commercial settlement should bring a dispute to an end. In cross-border businesses, however, that has not always been the case. Two companies may negotiate in good faith, agree on a settlement, and sign the necessary documents. Yet, one party may later refuse to honour the agreement. The other may then face fresh legal proceedings simply to enforce what was already agreed. For businesses operating across multiple jurisdictions, this has been one of the biggest issues with pursuing international mediation. Unlike…

Why US Small Businesses Pay $91,000 to Resolve a Contract Dispute

The cost of commercial litigation is costing American small businesses a lot, and this problem is structurally identical to what UK businesses face. Here is a question every US business owner or startup founder should be asking: if a supplier breaches a $50,000 contract, can you afford to enforce it? For most American small businesses, the honest answer is ‘no’. According to data from RocketLawyer, the median cost for a US small business to resolve a contract dispute through traditional…

Writing Off Business Debt: The £5.8B Mistake for UK SMEs

Every year, UK SMEs walk away from £5.8 billion in legitimate, hard-earned revenue1. The cycle is maddeningly familiar: a digital payment crosses the globe in seconds, yet a commercial invoice sits frozen for months. Eventually, the chasing stops, the phone calls end, and the debt is written off in the name of corporate efficiency. But writing off a business debt isn't practical; it's a direct hit to cash flow that strains the wider economy and rewards non-performance. Why Businesses Walk…

39 Weeks to Resolve a Small Claim: Why UK Courts Are Failing Small Businesses

Small claim court delays in the UK have become a growing challenge for businesses. A payment can move through the banking system in seconds. Yet a small claim takes 39 weeks to reach trial. That gap is not merely a legal inconvenience; it is a business crisis. According to the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) figures for the third quarter of 2025, the median wait for a small claim trial is 39 weeks. For a small business, that means nine months…

Alternative Dispute Resolution in UK

Disputes are an inevitable part of business and consumer life. Whether it is a disagreement over a service contract, a faulty product, a tenancy deposit, or a financial matter, the traditional route of going to court can be expensive, time-consuming, and stressful. Fortunately, the UK has a well-developed ecosystem of Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) and Online Dispute Resolution (ODR) services that offer faster, more affordable, and less adversarial ways to resolve conflicts. This guide explains what ADR and ODR are…

ODR Portals in India

Online dispute resolution portals in India (ODR portals in India) are transforming the way disputes are resolved by offering a fast, transparent, and accessible alternative to traditional litigation. These platforms leverage technology to enable parties to resolve conflicts efficiently from anywhere, helping alleviate the massive case backlogs in Indian courts and supporting digital transactions across sectors like finance, e-commerce, and securities markets. What Are ODR Portals?ODR portals are digital platforms that provide services such as online mediation, conciliation, and arbitration.…

Online Dispute Resolution: A global phenomenon

Online Dispute Resolution (ODR) empowers parties to resolve disputes using digital tools; streamlining processes that were traditionally expensive, time-consuming, and intimidating in physical courts. ODR incorporates negotiation, mediation, arbitration, and sometimes judicial procedures over secure web-based platforms. Its rapid global proliferation has been fueled by advances in technology, rising cross-border trade, and the critical need for accessible justice pathways during events such as the COVID-19 pandemic. The ODR Process: Structure and Features ODR platforms break the dispute resolution process into…