How to prepare for a remote small-claims hearing
Follow your court’s joining instructions, test the equipment you will use, keep your evidence easy to find and confirm witness arrangements. Ask the court how to report connection failures and what alternative arrangements to prepare. For sourcing records held by us, contact Cambridge China Bridge.
Check the hearing notice and joining details
This guide concerns a personal purchase of China-made goods from a UK seller, with a remote small-claims hearing in England or Wales already arranged. For the earlier complaint and claim stages, see goods disputes with a UK seller. Follow your court’s instructions for attendance and documents.
Keep the hearing notice, case reference, joining message and court contact details together. Check the date, time, platform, link or telephone arrangements and any access code. Confirm which email address and telephone number the court should use. If instructions are missing or contradictory, contact the court before the hearing; do not substitute a link supplied informally by the seller.
Rehearse with the equipment you will use
Use the platform testing instructions supplied for your hearing. Test on the device and connection you intend to use, with the same camera, microphone, speakers or headset. Check browser permissions and practise muting and unmuting. Plug in the device, position the camera so your face is clear and choose a quiet, private space where you can remain undisturbed.
Practise reading your evidence while keeping the call visible. A larger screen or paper copy may help more than a phone alone. If you need accessible documents, hearing support, an interpreter or breaks, explain your needs to the court early and ask what arrangements to confirm. Describe any equipment or connection limitation rather than waiting until the hearing.
Make evidence readable and easy to locate
Use the witness statement and evidence bundle guide for preparing the contents. Here, check usability: open the submitted files, test that photographs and messages remain legible when enlarged, and match your working copy to the version sent under the court’s directions. Practise finding the pages supporting each disputed point without searching through your inbox.
Keep an offline copy and a short page-reference sheet. For Chinese messages, preserve originals alongside clearly labelled translations; see preserving conflicting supplier instructions. Ask the court how to handle translations, videos, physical goods and documents needed during the hearing. Prepare files for the agreed method rather than assuming that holding goods to the camera will show a defect clearly.
Confirm witnesses and support separately
Tell the court who you want to give evidence, what they personally observed and where they will physically be. Ask how their participation should be arranged, whether they need separate joining details, when they should be available and how they should wait before giving evidence. If anyone plans to join from China or elsewhere abroad, ask the court about permissions and arrangements before relying on their attendance.
Ask witnesses to test their equipment and keep the relevant statement and documents accessible, following the court’s directions. Treat someone providing personal support separately from a witness: check with the court that the supporter can join. Disable automatic recording and transcription tools. Official guidance says recording the hearing’s sound or video, or taking photographs or screenshots yourself, is a criminal offence.
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Agree what to do if the connection fails
Before the hearing, ask which contact to use for joining problems or a dropped connection. Check whether you should retry the link, await a call or use an alternative arrangement authorised by the court. Keep the case reference and contact details available away from the hearing device. Prepare a charged phone and consider a backup connection, but confirm how any change should be handled.
If sound becomes unclear, tell the judge rather than guessing what was said. If disconnected, use the agreed contact route and note the time, error message and reconnection attempts in writing. For Cloud Video Platform hearings, official guidance requires you to tell the court immediately if technical support cannot solve the problem. Ask for further instructions; do not assume that the hearing has stopped or been postponed.
Frequently asked questions
What if my remote hearing link has not arrived?
Contact the court using the details on your hearing notice. Give the case reference and hearing date, and ask it to confirm the joining method and email address it holds.
Can I use my phone for a small-claims hearing?
Check your platform instructions and test the phone beforehand. Practise accessing evidence during the call. If the screen or connection makes participation difficult, ask the court about alternatives.
Can my witness join the hearing from China?
Tell the court the witness’s actual location and ask about permissions and participation arrangements early. Confirm the plan before relying on their attendance; do not simply forward your joining link.
What if my internet disconnects during the hearing?
Use the contact route agreed with the court, record the problem in writing and ask how to rejoin. For Cloud Video Platform, tell the court immediately if technical support cannot resolve it.