Do you feel aggrieved when you leave the Paris Fair? The curator of the exhibition will certainly invite you to turn to the stand of professional mediators. At the back of Hall 2 of the Parc des Expositions, at Porte de Versailles, behind three professionals are available free of charge to customers and merchants to help them in the event of a dispute. Until May 9, as every year for ten years, they intervene at the Paris Fair. “She was the first to trust us,” confides Laurent Metz, professional mediator.
“We have settled a dozen or so cases since last week,” he adds. Since the start of the fair on April 28, they have taken care of business for products worth 10,000 to 40,000 euros. Most often, conflict arises between merchants and their customers. Despite the obligation to indicate it on the stands, many do not know that the right of withdrawal is not effective for purchases made at the fair.
Look for rational solutions
“I was made to pay 38,000 euros for a photovoltaic installation, says Michèle Mermoz, a client. Talking with another trader, I learned that it was more like 8,000 euros. Distraught, the client turned to the curator of the exhibition, who redirected her to the stand of the professional mediators. After the intervention of the mediators, the sale could be cancelled.
“A relationship is built on three things: the legal, the technical and the emotion, explains Laurent Metz. When there is conflict, it is because emotion takes over everything else. The mediators intervene at this time to bring down the emotion, so that rational solutions can be envisaged.
“An alternative to justice”
“If there hadn’t been the mediators, I would have filed a complaint, adds Michèle Mermoz. It wouldn’t have stopped there. The client says she is relieved by the help of these professionals, who saved her from long and costly legal proceedings. “And then, with justice, people are often frustrated because the outcome of the conflict does not suit them, recalls Laurent Metz. On the contrary, we seek to facilitate the exchange but the two parties alone decide on the solution to the conflict. »
The role of professional mediators is increasingly used to unclog justice. Since January 1, 2016, all consumer professionals must allow their customers access to a mediation system in the event of a dispute. “Any dispute of less than 5,000 euros that goes to court must also go through the mediation box”, adds Laurent Metz. Most of the time, the conflict is resolved in two months, for a price of 2,000 to 4,000 euros. The next step ? “The establishment of a right to mediation”, which would prevent the accused parties from slipping away.