About us

Missions

The Consumer Mediation Service is an independent public service which:

1. informs consumers and companies about their rights and obligations, particularly about the options available for the extra-judicial settlement of consumer disputes;
2. receives all requests for the extra-judicial settlement of consumer disputes and, if applicable, either transfers them to another qualified entity competent in the matter, or handles them itself;
3. intervenes in all requests for extra-judicial settlements of disputes when no other qualified entity is competent.
4. The missions of the Consumer Mediation Service are defined based on Book XVI of the Code of Economic Law.
    

Composition

The unit in charge of handling the incoming complaints is composed of file handlers and administrative workers. They have been hired as permanent contractors. The responsibility of this unit is in the hands of the Operational Manager (Pieter-Jan De Koning) and the Management Committee.

The Management Committee is composed of the following members:

1. the "telecommunications mediation department" mediator (Luc Tuerlinckx)
2. the "telecommunications mediation department" mediator (David Wiame)
3. the two members of the "postal sector mediation department" (Katelijne Exelmans and Paul De Maeyer);
4. the "energy mediation department" mediator (Eric Houtman);
5. the two members of the "rail passenger mediation department" (Cynthia Van der Linden and Jean-Marc Jeanfils)
6. The "financial services mediation department" mediator (Françoise Sweerts);
7. the "insurance mediation department" mediator (Laurent de Barsy).

The Management Committee is currently chaired by Katelijne Exelmans. The Vice-President is Laurent de Barsy.

Qualified entities

List of recognized extra-judicial bodies as meant in Book XVI of the Code of Economic Law and the royal decree of 16 February 2015.

Useful links

• European Commission official website : Online Dispute Resolution