S.L. 545.30 Art. 5Refusal to deal with a dispute.

(1) The Regulator may refuse to deal with a given dispute on the grounds that:

(a) the consumer did not attempt to contact the authorised provider concerned in order to discuss his complaint and seek, as a first step, to resolve the matter directly with the authorised provider;

(b) the dispute is frivolous or vexatious;

(c) the dispute is being or has previously been considered by another dispute resolution entity or by a Court;

(d) the consumer has not submitted the complaint to the Regulator within one year from the date upon which the consumer submitted the complaint to the authorised provider;

(e) dealing with such a type of dispute would otherwise seriously impair the effective operation of the Regulator;

(f) the consumer has not submitted the complaint to the Regulator within two years from the date upon which the facts constituting the substance of the complaint of the consumer have first arisen.

(2) Where, in accordance with its procedural rules, the Regulator is unable to consider a dispute that has been submitted to it, the Regulator shall provide both parties with a reasoned explanation of the grounds for not considering the dispute within three weeks of receiving the complaint file. Such procedural rules shall not significantly impair consumers’ access to dispute resolution proceedings.