An Empirical Study of AAA Consumer Arbitrations

Abstract

This Article presents the results from the first detailed empirical study of consumer arbitration as administered by the American Arbitration Association. Primarily using a sample of 301 AAA consumer arbitrations that resulted in an award between April and December 2007, it considers such issues as the costs incurred by consumers in arbitration, the speed of the arbitral process, and the outcomes of the cases - the very topics of most interest in the policy debate on consumer arbitration.