Complaint route map
Where to complain in Ireland: courts, regulators, and small claims
A practical route map for Irish consumer complaints, including small claims, CCPC, ComReg, IAA, ECC Ireland, FSPO, RTB, and trader identity checks.
- current Irish small-claims cap
- EUR2,000
- small-claims application fee
- EUR25
- standard FOI response target for Courts Service requests
- 20 days
Check your dispute first
Answer a few questions to see your options before writing your complaint.
Check your optionsThe fastest way to waste time on an Irish consumer complaint is to pick the wrong route. A broadband billing dispute, a cancelled flight, a tenancy deposit, an insurance payout, and a faulty appliance can all feel like small claims, but they do not all start in the same place.
Use this page as a pre-court routing map. TBD can help you write a complaint letter, organise evidence, and check small-claims fit. It does not act for you, file documents, or provide legal advice.
What to do next
- 1Write to the trader or provider first, unless the official route says something more specific.
- 2Check whether a specialist route applies: ComReg for telecoms, IAA for air passenger rights, ECC Ireland for EU cross-border consumer issues, FSPO for financial services and pensions, or RTB for residential tenancy disputes.
- 3Only treat small claims as the next step when the amount, parties, respondent identity, category, and exclusions fit the Courts.ie criteria.
Small claims
Courts.ie describes small claims as a way to resolve certain lower-value disputes without a solicitor. The current cap is EUR2,000 and the application fee is EUR25.
Common fits include goods, services, minor property damage, and narrow deposit/key-money scenarios. Common exclusions include debt, personal injury, hire purchase, leasing, insurance, many residential tenancy deposits, and Government-body claims.
CCPC
The CCPC is the best first official consumer-information source for many ordinary trader complaints. Its small-claims page says consumers should try to resolve the dispute directly with the business first.
CCPC data is also useful for TBD content strategy because it shows where Irish consumers are asking for help, including faulty goods and services, home improvement, vehicles, travel, telecoms, appliances, and furniture.
Telecoms and ComReg
For broadband, mobile, phone, TV, premium-rate, switching, billing, cancellation, or complaint-handling issues, start with the provider complaint process and keep the complaint reference.
ComReg can investigate covered communications complaints after the provider process has been followed or where the provider has not resolved the issue within the relevant complaint-handling timeframe.
Flights and travel
For flight delay, cancellation, denied boarding, downgrading, or other air passenger rights issues, start with the airline. The IAA guidance points users to the airline first and then the competent national enforcement body where relevant.
For cross-border EU consumer problems, including some online travel seller issues, ECC Ireland may be the better support route. Baggage issues can involve different rules and short timeframes, so users should act quickly.
Financial services and insurance
Banking, finance, pensions, regulated credit, and insurance complaints usually start with the provider's internal process. The FSPO route generally expects a final response letter, or enough time for the provider process to complete.
TBD routes hire purchase, leasing, consumer credit, insurance, and many finance-linked car disputes away from ordinary small-claims preparation.
Residential tenancies
Standard residential tenancy disputes, including deposit retention, rent arrears, notices of termination, standards, and landlord/tenant obligations, usually belong with the RTB rather than small claims.
Small claims can still matter for limited holiday or owner-occupied deposit scenarios, but users should identify the tenancy type before choosing the route.
Trader identity
Before escalation, confirm who the respondent actually is. A trading name, website brand, store name, or payment descriptor may not be the legal entity.
The CRO's CORE search can help identify Irish companies, business names, limited partnerships, registered addresses, and registration numbers. This is especially important before any official route that needs the correct respondent.
Before you write
- Write down what happened in date order
- Find the trader or provider legal name
- Collect proof of purchase, contract, messages, photos, bills, and complaint references
- Check the specialist route before assuming small claims
- Use Courts.ie directly if you decide to file a small claim yourself
Questions people ask
Should I complain to the trader before small claims?
Usually yes. Both CCPC guidance and practical dispute resolution point toward writing to the business first and keeping evidence of that attempt.
Is ComReg instead of small claims?
For many telecoms issues, provider complaint handling and ComReg are the better first route. Some consumer-contract disputes may still need a small-claims check later, but telecoms should not be treated as automatically small claims.
Can I use small claims for a flight refund?
Sometimes, but airline and air passenger rights routes often come first. The right route depends on the issue, airline/provider, jurisdiction, amount, and evidence.
Where do tenancy deposits go?
Most residential tenancy deposit disputes should be checked with the RTB. Small claims is only relevant for narrower deposit/key-money situations outside the ordinary RTB route.
Why does the legal name matter?
A complaint or official process is weaker if it names the wrong respondent. Check invoices, terms, emails, payment records, and CRO records where available.