Reasonable Adjustments, accessible formats and extra support – so everyone can use Consumer Arbitration, whatever their circumstances.
At Consumer Arbitration, fairness, independence and accessibility sit at the heart of everything we do.
We’re part of CDRL, the group behind 5 government-approved Alternative Dispute Resolution schemes:
> CommsADR
… And we know that people come to us with very different needs when using our service. Whatever yours are, we’ll make Reasonable Adjustments so that you can fully partake in the complaints process without barriers.
This guide will walk you through the support systems and adjustments we already have in place for our scheme. And if you need something that isn’t listed below, please just ask – we’d be happy to help!
If you’d like to watch a short summary video on a few of the Reasonable Adjustments we can offer, please click below!
Start here: The Reasonable Adjustment Request
The simplest way to get the support you need from Consumer Arbitration is to submit a Reasonable Adjustment Request.
You can do this at any stage of your complaint – right at the start, or later on if your circumstances change. It doesn’t need to be complicated: tell us what would make things easier, and we’ll do our best to put it in place.
Everything below is already available. The request is simply how you let us know which of these – or anything else – you’d like us to arrange for you.
If you’re Deaf or Hard of Hearing:
Across all of our schemes, you can ask us to book you an InterpretersLive! British Sign Language appointment. A Sign Solutions interpreter will join and relay the call directly to us, so you can take part in a conversation with our team in BSL.
This service is available to complainants Monday to Friday, 9am – 5pm. You can find more detail on this in our CDRL Sign Language Service document on our Resources page.
Documents in Formats that work for you:
You don’t have to deal with everything on-screen. On request, we can provide our documents in a range of formats, including:
- Large-print versions, or documents with an increased font size.
- Easy-read
- Plain-English
- Braille translation of our documents.
If you’d prefer to work on paper, we also have downloadable PDFs of all our forms that you can print, fill in and post to us at our main office address. You’ll find these on our Resources page.
Communication, on your terms:
Here are 3 big adjustments we could implement for you when it comes to our communications!
1. We know that, though helpful for some, getting constant updates on your Complaint’s status can be exhausting for others.
We’re happy to reduce our correspondence frequency with you where requested.
2. Or, alternatively, if you find any of the information regarding the Consumer Arbitration process confusing or hard to understand (you’re not alone in this!)… You’re more than welcome to ask us to break things down for you, or use plain English to avoid all the jargon.
Whatever makes things easier for you to understand – we’re happy to accommodate.
3. Don’t want us to call you? Or email you?
Just let us know if you want us to avoid certain channels of communication, and we’ll stick to what suits you best.
Reading support on our websites:
Our website and portal are built with accessibility in mind, and include a few built-in tools to help you read comfortably:
- Adjustable text size – press CTRL on your keyboard and use your mouse wheel, or the + and – keys, to make the text larger or smaller.
- Google Text-to-Speech – our sites and portals support this free browser tool, which reads the page content aloud. It’s designed to help those with reading difficulties and people who are partially or fully sighted-impaired.
- Recognised standards – we strive to conform with the W3C Web Content Accessibility Guidelines wherever possible.
If English isn’t your first language:
Language shouldn’t be a barrier to getting a fair outcome. We’re able to offer translation and interpreting support, and our website and portal include a translation option covering many of the most widely spoken languages, including English, Spanish, Italian, Portuguese, German, French, Russian, Dutch, Arabic and Mandarin.
If your language isn’t listed, let us know and we’ll gladly add it to our sites for you!
Please note that the on-site translation covers our website and portal; claims themselves are accepted and conducted in English, though we can arrange interpreting support to help you take part.
More ways to make your complaint:
It doesn’t have to be done through our online portal. You can choose whichever route suits you best:
- By post – using our printable PDF forms.
- By telephone – speak to a member of our team directly.
- With help from someone you trust – a friend, family member, representative or support worker can act on your behalf.
Extra time when you need it
Our complaints process runs to set timescales, but we understand these don’t suit everyone. Where a disability, health condition or vulnerable circumstance makes our standard deadlines difficult to meet, we’re happy to extend those ADR deadlines so you don’t get caught out.
Just let us know as part of your Reasonable Adjustment Request!
Support we offer, at a glance
✓ British Sign Language interpreting (Mon–Fri, 9am–5pm)
✓ Large-print, easy-read, plain-English and Braille documents
✓ Printable PDF forms you can complete by post
✓ Adjustable text size and Google Text-to-Speech on our sites
✓ Translation and interpreting support
✓ Complain by post, phone, or via someone acting for you
✓ Extended deadlines for disability, health or vulnerable circumstances
How to ask for support?
Ready to get started, or want to talk through what would help? You can reach us in whichever way works best for you:
› See our full Accessibility page
Whatever you need to use our services comfortably, submit a Reasonable Adjustment Request at any stage of your complaint and we’ll be glad to help.
Please do make sure to look through our Reasonable Adjustments document on our Resources page for more in-depth information!
At Consumer Arbitration, we believe everyone deserves a fair, independent and accessible route to resolving their dispute – and we’re here to make sure you have one.
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