Building Trust in E-commerce Through Online Dispute Resolution

Disputing Blog by Karl Bayer, Victoria VanBuren, and Holly Hayes

Amy Schmitz, University of Colorado Law School, has published “Building Trust in E-commerce Through Online Dispute Resolution,” John A. Rothchild (ed.), Research Handbook on Electronic Commerce Law, Edward Elgar, 2016, Forthcoming; U of Colorado Law Legal Studies Research Paper No. 15-15. In her book chapter, Professor Schmitz analyzes online dispute resolution in the context of both international and domestic business-to-consumer transactions.

Here is the abstract:

E-commerce is overshadowing face-to-face (F2F) transactions in business-to-consumer (B2C) commerce. This benefits consumers in providing more buying options, but may leave them with no remedies when purchases go awry. This chapter therefore discusses how online dispute resolution (ODR) systems may expand and equalize remedy systems in B2C exchanges. Part II of the chapter discusses the need for expanded ODR to provide consumers with access to remedies regarding online purchases. Part III explains how ODR systems are unfolding on international and domestic fronts in B2C exchanges. Part IV then highlights their strengths and weaknesses and proposes ideas for howODR systems can be improved to offer consumers efficient and fair means for accessing e-commerce remedies. The chapter concludes with Part V, an invitation to continue the development of such ODRsystems in an effort to foster revived corporate responsibility and empower all consumers regardless of their resources, power, or status.

This and other scholarly papers written by Professor Schmitz may be downloaded free of charge from theSocial Science Research Network.

                       

Beth Graham

Beth Graham received a J.D. from the University of Nebraska College of Law in 2004 and a M.A. in Information Science and Learning Technologies from the University of Missouri in 2006. She also holds a B.S. in Public Administration from the University of Nebraska-Omaha. She is licensed to practice law… MORE >