《消费者仲裁问题研究.doc》由会员分享，可在线阅读，更多相关《消费者仲裁问题研究.doc（9页珍藏版）》请在三一文库上搜索。
1、消费者仲裁问题研究-中文摘要消费者纠纷普遍存在于人类生活之中，由于涉及千家万户的切身利益，一直为广大消费者密切关注。同时，一个正常的社会又不能在解决纠纷的过程中耗费过多的代价，如何以较低的社会成本解决纠纷是世界各国普遍关心的问题。在解决消费者纠纷的探索中，美国先是采用小额法院制度，后来广泛使用包括仲裁在内的替代性纠纷解决机制，极大地缓解了法院的积案压力。我国的市场经济体制刚刚建立，各种纠纷层出不穷，消费者纠纷更是不断。考察美国的消费者纠纷解决之道，可为我国探究消费者纠纷解决途径提供有益的借鉴。本文共分四大部分。文章的第一部分介绍了美国消费者仲裁中的一些基本问题。第一，概述了消费者仲裁这一术语的
2、含义。消费者仲裁是指争议一方是消费者的有法律拘束力的仲裁。与一般的商事仲裁相比，消费者仲裁有其自身的特殊性。具体表现为，仲裁事项具有广泛性、多样性和复杂性，专业性，低廉性，带有强行色彩的意思自治。第二，笔者简单介绍了美国消费者仲裁的历史。起初，美国法院对仲裁的运行和裁定通常不持支持态度。为了改变美国法院敌视仲裁的态度，1925年联邦仲裁法最终在国会获得通过。但是，在联邦仲裁法生效后，联邦和州接受联邦仲裁法的程度并不强。这种情形在进入20世纪80年代后才有所改变。1995年Allied-Bruce Terminix panies, Inc., And Terminix International
3、 pany v. G. Michael Dobson案则正式确认了消费者纠纷的可仲裁性以及消费者事前仲裁协议的可执行性。但是，联邦最高法院渐渐注意到一味地支持仲裁，免除州法关于保护消费者权益的规定的适用可能会造成不公正的结果。在Green Tree Financial Corp. v. Randolph 案中，法院接近宣告高额的仲裁费用将使仲裁协议对消费者无效。第三，笔者分析了美国消费者仲裁发展的原因。美国的消费者仲裁制度的发展是与美国的诉讼制度、社会主体的需求、历史传统等密切相关的，在各种条件合力的作用下，才造就了今天的美国消费者仲裁制度。第四，笔者介绍了本选题的写作动因。及时有效地解决消费
4、者纠纷有利于社会的稳定，美国的消费者仲裁实践为我们提供了卓有成效的解决消费者纠纷的办法，在我国法院开始面临积案的今天，研究和分析美国的消费者仲裁实践，可以为我国消费者仲裁制度的构建提供直接借鉴。文章的第二部分分析了美国消费者仲裁的法律基础。第一，笔者首先分析了消费者纠纷的可仲裁性问题。在Allied-Bruce Terminix panies, Inc., And Terminix International pany v. G. Michael Dobson 案中，美国联邦最高法院裁定，如果合同涉及州际贸易，州法反对仲裁的条文无效，确认了联邦仲裁法在管辖州际贸易方面至高无上的地位。第二，消费
5、者纠纷的可仲裁性问题解决之后，还有一个问题有待解决，即消费者仲裁的范围如何？联邦仲裁法第2条规定仲裁协议应包含在海事契约中或可证明的与商事相关的契约中。对于“海事”一词的含义，实践之中争议不大。主要的争议存在于对“与商事相关”（involving merce）一词的理解上。在Allied-Bruce 案中，联邦最高法院在考察联邦仲裁法使用的语言、背景、结构之后推断“相关”（involving）一词在联邦仲裁法中是广义的，与“影响”（affecting）在功能上是相同的。 对于“可证明的契约”（evidencing a transaction），Allied-Bruce案中，法院认为将“可证明的
6、契约” 解释为“事实上的贸易”（merce in fact）更符合立法者的愿意。第三，笔者分析了消费者仲裁协议的形式及法律效力。仲裁协议的形式在理论上可分为事前仲裁协议和事后仲裁协议。在美国消费者仲裁实践中，仲裁协议多是采用格式合同或格式条款的方式进行规定的。仲裁协议的效力主要表现在四个方面：其一，约束仲裁协议当事人。其二，赋予特定仲裁庭以管辖权。其三，排除法院的管辖权。其四，构成仲裁裁决执行力的法律前提。文章的第三部分介绍了美国消费者仲裁的一般程序。消费者仲裁是仲裁的一种，在仲裁程序进行的步骤上与一般仲裁程序是相同的，也包括仲裁的开始阶段、开庭审理的准备阶段、开庭审理阶段、裁决的承认与执行阶
7、段。仲裁的开始阶段主要包括选定仲裁机构或仲裁庭、申请的递交、答辩、仲裁的加入、合并和分割等几个主要事项。开庭审理的准备事项主要包括证据开示、审前的动议、审理前会议。总体而言，消费者仲裁案件的审理可分为书面审理和开庭审理两种方式。消费者仲裁案件的开庭审理同一般仲裁程序一样，大致也包含先期程序，当事人初步陈述，当事人就案情举证质证，开庭结束程序等几个阶段。在对消费者案件进行审理之后，仲裁庭应当及时作出裁决，但不必严格依照法律规定。此外，仲裁庭作出裁决一般也无须附具理由。文章的第四部分探讨了在我国建立消费者仲裁制度的问题。第一，分析了我国采取消费者仲裁的必要性。我国现行的争议解决方法并不能有效地解决
8、消费者纠纷。利用诉讼解决消费者纠纷似乎力不从心，请求消费者协会调解、协商和解、行政申诉等纠纷解决方式也不能及时地解决消费者纠纷。我国目前的仲裁制度也不适合解决消费者纠纷，实践中仲裁的使用效果也不理想。第二，笔者探讨了我国采取消费者仲裁的可行性。通过考察我国的社会背景和仲裁实践情况，笔者认为在我国推行消费者仲裁制度是可行的。其一，我国传统社会是以农业为主的社会，人们之间的社会关系基本限于家庭、家族生活范畴之内，拥有接受法院外解决纠纷的传统。其二，根据中华人民共和国仲裁法第2条和第3条的规定，并不能排除消费者纠纷的可仲裁性。中华人民共和国消费者权益保护法第34条规定了解决消费者纠纷五种途径，其一就
9、是仲裁。这两部法律为消费者仲裁实践提供了法律基础。而且，有的地方性法规已经对消费者仲裁做出了规定，消费者仲裁已经开始实践。第三，笔者分析了我国采取消费者仲裁存在的问题。消费者仲裁作为仲裁的一种，普通仲裁实践中存在的障碍在消费者仲裁中同样存在。影响仲裁工作开展有四大障碍：社会障碍、司法障碍、制度障碍、自身障碍。消费者仲裁作为一种特别的仲裁，主要处理消费者与企业之间的纠纷，影响消费者仲裁的原因同影响普通仲裁的事由相比也有所不同。第四，笔者探讨了美国消费者仲裁实践对我国的几点启示。（1）倡导纠纷解决多元化的理念，消除诉讼崇拜。（2）消费者仲裁机构的改革。消费者纠纷作为一种民事纠纷可归属于仲裁机构的受
10、案范围。但鉴于消费者纠纷的特殊性，可由仲裁机构或政府部门制定专门的消费纠纷仲裁办法来规范消费者仲裁程序的进行。（3）订立仲裁协议的方式。鼓励事后达成仲裁协议进行仲裁，同时适度承认事前仲裁协议。此外，可以借鉴BBB的做法，由消费者仲裁机构先与企业达成协议，企业事先同意将某些事项提交该机构裁决，消费者可自由选择仲裁或诉讼。（4）消费者仲裁程序的完善。消费者纠纷具有多-发性、多样性、小额性的特征，要求消费者仲裁程序必须体现低廉、快捷、专业性的特点，同时注意防止消费者的合法权益受到侵害。关键词：消费者纠纷 联邦仲裁法 仲裁Abstract Consumer disputes are an lives,
11、 involving in benefits of thousands of families and are concentrated by large-scale consumers. Meanal society. Ho fixed by countries in the all claims courts ployed firstly in the United States, and then ADR(Alternative Disputes Resolution) ployed extensively, resulting in alleviating the pressure o
12、f courts in cases accumulated. Market economy starts to process recently in China and therefore all sorts of issues appear constantly and consumer disputes do so. Studying approaches of consumer disputes resolution in the United States can benefit us in researching hoer disputes in China. This thesi
13、s is made up of four parts. The first part introduces some basic issues of consumer arbitration in the United States. First, this part defines consumer arbitration. Consumer arbitration is one kind of arbitration in er. paring ercial arbitration, consumer arbitration has its characteristics. Arbitra
14、l issues are spread involving human lives expansively in consumer arbitration. Moreover, the process of consumer arbitration is more rapid than that of the general arbitration. Furthermore, the characteristic of choosing professional arbitrators in consumer arbitration is more prominent. Finally, pu
15、lsory autonomy of er arbitration. A consumer is based on take-it-or-leave-it er seems to be obliged to accept the contract. Second, the author generally introduces the history of consumer arbitration of the USA. At first, courts in the United States usually doubted the procedures and decisions of ar
16、bitration. In order to alter the attitude of courts hostility to arbitration, the Federal Arbitration Act stances had changed in 1980s. The Federal Supreme Court gave several decisions that overruled the decision of oses H. Cone Memorial Hospital v. Mercury Construction and subsequent cases. In 1995
17、, Allied-Bruce Terminix panies, Inc., And Terminix International pany v. G. Michael Dobson explicitly admitted consumer disputes could be arbitral and pre-dispute consumer arbitration agreements could be executed. The decision of Allied-Bruce promoted the development of the consumer arbitration. In
18、recent years, the Federal Supreme Court gradually recognized that the strong support of arbitration and the exemption of s-tates laight result in unfair outes, and it came close to invalidating onerous arbitration fee agreements for consumers in Green Tree Financial Corp. v. Randolph. Third, this pa
19、rt gives some reasons explaining the development of consumer arbitration in the United States. The development of consumer arbitration got touch and claims of the subjects in society and traditional customs. The system of consumer arbitration took its shape under the condition of integrating all sor
20、ts of factors. The development of ADR promoted the blooming of consumer arbitration. The pressure of courts faced er arbitration. Further, the effect of precedents in the United States and the historical tradition cant be neglected. Fourth, the author introduces the reason of ely shall promote the s
21、tability of the society. The practice of consumer arbitration in the USA provides us ethod ay benefit us.The second part analyses the legal basis of consumer arbitration. Arbitrability of consumer disputes is a prima problem. After the Federal Arbitration Act ost of the Federal Arbitration Acts hist
22、ory. Hoents based on individual analysis but not invalidate consumer arbitration agreements based on the nonarbitrability of consumer disputes. This problem inix panies, Inc., And Terminix International pany v. G. Michael Dobson, the Supreme Court of the USA held that state laerce. Besides, there is
23、 another problem to be settled, that is, er arbitration? Section 2 of the Federal Arbitration Act provides that a aritime transaction or a contract evidencing a transaction involving consumer to settle by arbitration a controversy thereafter arising out of such contract or transaction shall be valid
24、, irrevocable, and enforceable, save upon such grounds as exist at laaritimetransactions in practice. The major controversies are focused on the erce”. In Allied-Bruce, the Supreme Court concluded that the ining the statues language, backgrounds, and structure of the Federal Arbitration Act. Moreove
25、r, the judges argued that the interpretation of “evidencing a transaction” be more faithful to the statute than the interpretation of “merce in fact”. The court argue-d that the interpretation of the “contemplation of the parties”, s of the statutes basic purpose, might seem anomalous. Moreover, thi
26、s part analyses the form and the legal effect of consumer arbitration agreements. The form of arbitration agreements may be divided into toent and post-dispute arbitration agreement. Many arbitration agreements are stipulated in standard contracts in the practice of American consumer arbitration. Th
27、e legal effect of the arbitration agreement is mainly displayed in four aspects. Arbitration agreements can bind parties, provide special arbitration tribunal marizes the general procedure of consumer arbitration. The arbitration rule defines the arbitration procedure as several steps, namely, begin
28、ning, preparation, hearing, aent of the aerge of cases, and the division of cases. Evidence discovery, motions, preliminary hearing consist of the preparation of arbitration. After a response is filed, parties shall cooperate in the exchange of documents and information. Not only do the Federal Arbi
29、tration Act and many state laay issue a subpoena ordering a non-party ents or property or ordering a e arbitration rules do so. Besides, parties may hand in applications on some subjects as a motion, for example, the lack of qualified conditions, the entry to arbitration or the merge of cases, or th
30、e division of cases, and the change of locale inary hearing usually decides the process of the case, including the classification of claims or disputes, the sequence of participatory hearing and other matters before hearing. As a er arbitration may be divided into document hearing and participatory
31、hearing. In a participatory hearing the expedited procedures it its proof and plete its case. The arbitrator shall determine the order of hearing, and may require further submission of document after hearing. The participatory hearing step contains several sub-step, namely, preliminary hearing, brie
32、f statement, proof providing and cross examination, hearing ending, etc. The arbitration tribunal shall timely reach an aer arbitration in China. First, it points the necessity of the establishment of consumer arbitration in China due to several factors. Ma-rket economy in China has not been built u
33、p for a long time. There are lots of issues existing in market control and conflicts beters and businesses appear continuously. The trend of the increase of consumer disputes is accelerating. Hoent of disputes through litigation seems not to resolve all problems arising. Other methods of dealing ple
34、, mediation, private negotiation, appeal, do not settle issues timely, yet. The present arbitration system in China does not resolve consumer disputes effectively and arbitration is not used constantly. Second, this part analyses the possibility of employing consumer arbitration in China. After obse
35、rving social backgrounds and the arbitration practice in China, the author considers that consumer arbitration may be carried out in China. On one hand, the agriculture is in chief of Chinas traditional society. The social relations of peaple ited to lives of family and clan. People ed to settle dis
36、putes outside the court. On the other hand, the Arbitration laer disputes should not be arbitrated. Section 34 of the Laers Right and Interests of the Peoples Republic of China stipulates five approaches to settle disputes and one of them is arbitration. These ter arbitration e local regulations hav
37、e been made on consumer arbitration and consumer arbitration has been put into practice in some province. Third, this part studies the issues that may arise out of employing consumer arbitration in China. Objectively, the Arbitration La of consumer arbitration have not been carried out for a long ti
38、me and there are a lot of issues to be settled. Another important reason lies in all kinds of external and internal barriers encountered by consumer arbitration. As one sort of arbitration, barriers existing in the practice of arbitration stand in the practice of consumer arbitration. There are four
39、 great barriers, namely, social barriers, judicial barriers, institutional barriers, inherent barriers in the ent of the general arbitration. Finally, this part advances some enlightments from the practice of consumer arbitration in the United States. (1) Propagate the ideas of settling disputes in
40、diversity and eliminate the litigation of idols. Making the ideas of settling disputes in diversity root in the thought of people through studying and propagating ADR timely may alleviate the pressure of courts from piles of cases. (2) Reform consumer arbitration institutions. As one kind of civil d
41、isputes, consumer disputes can be rendered to arbitration institution. According to the speciality of consumer arbitration, consumer arbitration procedures may be governed by special rules that are enacted by department of the government or arbitration institution. (3)- Stipulate the form of conclud
42、ing arbitration agreements after disputes arising. At the meantime, it pre-dispute arbitration agreements appropriately. Besides, prove the procedures of consume arbitration consumer disputes has characteristics such as daily occurrence, varied, small claims, etc, er arbitration procedures embodying
43、 characteristics of loeaner from being invaded. In order to get this goal, e things, for example, assuring the speciality of arbitrators consisting of arbitration tribunal, limiting the time of every step of the arbitration procedures, insisting document hearing generally but a participatory hearing
44、 shall be rendered e of a participatory hearing usually does not exceed one day. The arbitration tribunal may decide to have a preliminary hearing that clears the points of disagreement, and consults the process of the hearing before trailing a plicate case. Key agnusson-Moss . Alderman, Pre-dispute
45、 Mandatory Arbitration in Consumer Contracts: A Call for Reform, Houston Laer v. Interstate/Johnson Lane corp., 500 U.S. 20, 24(1991). See Jean R. Sternlight, Panacea or Corporate Tool?: Debunking the Supreme Courts Preference for Binding Arbitration, Washington University law Quarterly, fall, 1996,
46、 p.647.-R See andatory Consumer Arbitration Agreements: Not the Ans, Hamline Journal of Public Lap; Policy, Spring, 2003, pp.308-309. 根据美国宪法中的“最高法律效力条款”，联邦法律为全国的最高法律，包括各州法官在内的法官，必须赋予联邦法律以有限效力。即便联邦法律与某州的公共政策不相一致，该州法院也应适用联邦法律。 See Prima Paint Corp. v. Flood Conklin Manufacturing Co., 388 U.S. 395, 405
47、 (1967). See 460 U.S. 1,24-25(1983). See Sarah E. Larson, Examination of the Broad Scope of the Federal Arbitration Act and Binding Mandatory Consumer Arbitration Agreements: Not the Ans, Hamline Journal of Public Lap; Policy, Spring, 2003, p.308. 美利坚合众国宪法第1条第8款第3项规定：国会有权管理同外国的、各州之间的和同各印第安部落的贸易。根据美国
48、的司法实践，影响州际贸易的事项都属于国会的贸易管理权限之内，只有完全属于一个州内部而不涉及其他州的贸易才被排除在贸易条款之外。参见美杰罗姆巴伦、托马斯迪恩斯著，刘瑞祥等译：美国宪法概论，中国社会科学出版社1995年3月版，第43页。 See Allied-Bruce Terminix panies, Inc., And Terminix International pany v. G. Michael Dobson , 513U.S. 265-282(1995). See Katherine Van andatory Consumer and Employment Arbitration to
49、 That of the Rest of the iami La Karl andatory Arbitration in Consumer Contracts: A Call for Reform, Houston Lap; Raymond J. Friel, Consumer Arbitration in the European Union and the United States, North Carolina Journal of International Lap; mercial Regulation, andatory Consumer and Employment Arbitration to That of the Rest of the iami Lab? paring the U.S. Approach to Mandatory Consumer and Employment Arbitration to That of t