Consumers who are unhappy with a product or service can now lodge their application for redress online after the Small Claims Court yesterday launched a web-based pilot scheme that will be extended nationwide next year.
Under the scheme, people in 16 pilot districts who feel aggrieved after buying a good or service of a value less than €2,000 can lodge their claims and pay the €15 application fee without contacting their local small claims office.
Instead, the court's website - www.smallclaims.ie - allows them to lodge claims over faulty goods, poor quality services, bad workmanship or minor damage to property, and then track the status of their claim as it proceeds through the system.
When a claim is lodged, a copy is sent to the respondent - usually a shop owner or service provider - who then has 15 days to respond. If he accepts the claim, compensation is paid to the consumer via the small claims registrar. If he does not, the registrar will mediate between both parties with a view to reaching an agreement. Some 55 per cent of cases are settled by the registrar without a court hearing.
The Small Claims Court, a service provided in local District Court offices for the past seven years, is a means of dealing with consumer complaints over relatively small transactions without necessarily going to court and without involving a solicitor.
Last year it handled 2,705 claims, with holidays, furniture and cars among the most common categories of complaint.
Chief executive of the Courts Service PJ Fitzpatrick said the online initiative brought a "new level of access" to the system.
"It opens up possibilities of redress to those who feel wronged in a small commercial transaction. It facilitates those who through busyness, transport or mobility challenges, or who cannot easily attend at a court office, to now, without inconvenience, lodge a claim with the minimum of fuss or red tape," he said.
Of the 2,697 cases dealt with by the Small Claims Court last year, 2,114 or 78 per cent were settled or decided in favour of the claimant. Of the 560 which went to court, 336 were allowed, 76 dismissed and 148 withdrawn or struck out. Courts Service director of information technology John Coyle said he expected a "significant increase" in the number of claims lodged online.
"Indeed, due to the convenience offered by the system, it is possible there may be a significant increase in the overall number of small claims lodged in court offices," he said.
The scheme is initially available in the following areas: Dublin, Swords, Dún Laoghaire, Bray, Carlow, Cavan, Clonakilty, Cork, Killarney, Limerick, Listowel, Mallow, Tralee, Trim, Wexford and Castlebar. Applications can be lodged online in either Irish or English.
When the pilot phase concludes at the end of January, the service will be extended to all 45 small claims offices across the country. This will be completed by next April.
The scheme is the first of several online initiatives planned by the Courts Service. In June next year, the High Court case management system will be made available on its website, while an online system for payment of court fines is expected to be launched later in the year.