Disputes

Under the Code all franchise agreements entered into after 1 October 1998 must include the dispute resolution procedures set out in the Code, which states that:

the complainant writes to the "respondent" (the person that you are disagreeing with) explaining the nature of the dispute, your desired outcome and how this can be achieved;
if you still can't solve the dispute within three weeks, either party can refer the dispute to a mediator;
if you can't agree on a suitable mediator, you can ask the Office of the Mediation Adviser to arrange this;
both parties share the costs of the mediation (approximately $2,000);
despite this procedure, either of you can also take legal action if you want to.