Collective proceedings are when a group of people affected by the same issue are represented by a single person to bring a claim. It provides important access to justice in circumstances where they might not otherwise be able to bring a claim.Consumers can use collective proceedings to hold large companies to account. Collective actions need class representatives and the proposed class representative in this claim is Vicki Shotbolt.The group of claimants is referred to as a ‘class’ and each claimant in the group is referred to as a ‘class member’.The first step in bringing collective proceedings is to apply for authorisation from the Competition Appeal Tribunal. This is achieved by filing an application for a Collective Proceedings Order. This Order of the Tribunal authorises the proposed class representative to act on behalf of the class and certifies the individual claims for inclusion in the collective proceedings. Vicki Shotbolt filed this application for Collective Proceedings on 5 June 2024.Collective proceedings are categorised as ‘opt-in’ or ‘opt-out’, according to the way in which claimants are admitted to the class(es). Opt-in collective proceedings require class members to sign up to participate in the claim, while opt-out proceedings include everyone who falls within the class definition approved by the Tribunal in the claim, allowing individuals who prefer not to be included in the proceedings to opt out.This claim is brought on an opt-out basis.