Tbilisi (GBC) - As of August of the current year, within the scope of its activities, the Dispute Resolution Commission operating under the National Bank of Georgia reviewed and admitted for proceedings 150 complaints received regarding disputes between consumers and payment service providers. Of these, 125 disputes have already been concluded, while 25 remain under review and investigation.
It is noteworthy that citizen applications to the Commission have increased significantly in recent times, driven by legislative amendments. According to these changes, the maximum threshold value of a dispute subject within which the Commission is authorized to review consumer complaints was raised from GEL 50,000 to GEL 100,000. Complaints submitted by consumers primarily relate to payment transactions executed from accounts that consumers dispute.
Furthermore, in accordance with the favorable decisions issued by the Commission, the total volume of funds actually reimbursed/credited to consumers stands at GEL 426 thousand.
At present, the total value of ongoing disputes is GEL 400 thousand, while the remaining amount to be reimbursed by providers to consumers pursuant to the Commission's decisions totals GEL 393 thousand.
In total, the aggregate amount claimed across all complaints received throughout the entire period of the Commission's operation amounts to GEL 1 million 645 thousand.
The Dispute Resolution Commission under the National Bank of Georgia provides consumers with a fast, efficient, and free mechanism for dispute resolution. The goal of the Commission is to protect the rights of payment service consumers, ensure their fair treatment, and strengthen consumer trust in digital payments.
The Commission operates as an independent body, and its establishment stems from the commitments undertaken by Georgia under the Association Agreement between Georgia and the European Union.
Consumers are entitled to submit a complaint to the Dispute Resolution Commission operating under the National Bank of Georgia if they believe there has been an unauthorized transaction (executed without their consent) via payment card, internet banking, mobile banking, or other channels, a violation of the payment transaction execution deadline, an incorrectly executed transaction, an erroneous transaction fee debit, or other similar cases.
