As soon as you sell to individuals, you must appoint a consumer mediator and write their details down before any dispute. A breach can cost a sole trader up to €3,000, whatever their size.
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It all starts with your clients: consumer mediation only settles disputes between a consumer and a professional.
Everything happens on your device: nobody receives your answers, not even us, and it all disappears with the tab.
Information verified on October 1, 2026. Indicative assessment with no legal force. The rules it applies are taken from official sources and dated, but it knows of your situation only what you tell it: only the authorities can settle your case.
The official pages where we read the rules and amounts applied here.
Article L. 612-1 of the French consumer code gives every consumer the right to free access to a mediator, and puts the cost of that access on the professional. Your size, sector and turnover make no difference: if you sell to individuals, you are bound. As long as you only work for businesses, nothing is asked of you.
They do not replace each other, and doing only the first does not make you compliant:
They only step in after a written complaint that went unanswered or was refused: the consumer must come to you first. Referral is free for them, paid for by you, and the proposed solution binds nobody. What it mainly avoids is court, which is already a great deal for a three-hundred-euro dispute.
The administrative fine can reach €3,000 for a sole trader and €15,000 for a company. Having a mediator without mentioning them anywhere exposes you to it as much as having none.
| Your clients | Mediator to appoint | Wording to display |
|---|---|---|
| Individuals | Yes | Website and terms |
| Individuals and companies | Yes | Website and terms |
| Companies only | No | None |
| Health, public higher education | No | Their own channels |
Mediation is free for the consumer: the professional pays the membership, a few tens of euros a year for a micro-business depending on the mediator and the number of cases.
Élodie works with individuals, has proper terms and conditions and an up-to-date website.
A client unhappy about an unused package complains to the consumer protection authority.
The inspection is not about the dispute, but about the missing mediator: nothing on the site, nothing in the terms.
The dispute itself would have been settled amicably in a few exchanges. Élodie, on the other hand, faces a fine of up to €3,000, for lack of a membership costing a few tens of euros.
Choose a mediator from the official list, then sign with them.
Write their name and contact details on your site and in your terms and conditions.
Always answer a complaint in writing. That is the condition for referral to the mediator.
Nothing to appoint, nothing to write. Consumer mediation only covers consumers.
A single sale to an individual creates the duty, online shops included.
Disputes with companies come under business mediation, which is a separate scheme.
Yes. The duty has no turnover threshold and no minimum headcount: it applies to every professional selling to consumers, since 1 January 2016. It is precisely among freelancers that it is most often overlooked.
A few tens of euros a year for a micro-business, depending on the mediator chosen and the number of cases opened. Mediation is free for the consumer: you pay the membership, and sometimes a flat fee per case.
No. You have to name the mediator you come under and give their contact details, website included. A generic mention does not tell the consumer who to contact, and one approaching a mediator at random would be turned away.
You are not concerned: consumer mediation settles disputes between a consumer and a professional. A single sale to an individual would create the duty, so check what you actually sell.
No. They propose, both sides accept or refuse, and a refusal reopens the way to court. In practice, they settle in a few weeks disputes neither side wants to take before a judge.
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