The mediator is an out-of-court alternative for finding a solution to a dispute. He can be referred to when the parties voluntarily wish to find a solution based on mutual receptiveness and one that is both lawful and fair.
The mediation process is:
- Simple: you just need to contact the Ombudsman, by post or by filling in his form on the Internet,
- Swift: the Consumer Code states that, barring special cases, a consumption mediation process must be completed within 90 days, after the Ombudsman has received documents enabling him to examine the dispute; for his part, the ENGIE Group’s Ombudsman resolves most disputes within 2 months: in 2018, the average resolution time was 66 days,
- Structured: the Ombudsman has set up a process combining an in-depth analysis of the dispute, from its root cause, and discusses with the parties with a view to reaching a negotiated and agreed solution,
- Free of charge for the claimant,
- With every chance of success: in 2016 the ENGIE Group’s Mediation service secured a favourable outcome for 90% of the disputes it handled.
Mediation is a last form of amicable resolution but does not prevent the claimant from subsequently taking the case to court if the solution proposed by the Ombudsman is unsatisfactory.