Consumer arbitration agreements are surfacing in at every step in the life of consumers and are creating a lot of problems in Florida as with all other states. This onslaught of consumer arbitration agreements leaves the consumers floundering who are most of the times not aware of what they are signing.
Almost every service or industry including the insurance companies and big corporate are resorting to this practice. Right from allegations of medical malpractice and wrongly charged credit card fees to disputes on home buildings, industries have succumbed to this unjust practice of making the consumer sign arbitration agreements. These agreements make the gullible customer sign and agree to give up their rights of disputing in the court any kind of injustice or malpractice against the company or individual in question.
Only when there is a problem with goods or services and the customer wants to dispute the same in the court does he come to realize he has even signed an agreement and he can only resolve the issue through arbitration and cannot be appealed.
Arbitration is a complex process which requires the consumers to pay huge initial fees and also pay arbiters on an hourly basis. This can even run into thousands of dollars. Arbitration hearings sometimes require customers to travel miles at their own expense. Most of the times all these problems and obstacles make customers give up their claims.
It is very important for the State of Florida to effectively guide consumers in the process of signing arbitration agreements by asking the arbiters to disclose various facts and modify them to consumer’s advantage.
Arbitration laws in the USA provide an alternative to dispute resolution to legal measures such as litigation support. Arbitration laws are a substitute for judicial process where the disputes are subject to third party resolution.
