PUBLICATIONS
Are you a consumer? If when making an online purchase the business has not informed you of your right to return the products within 14 days, then you have a right to return them within one year.
What is the right to withdraw?
The right to withdraw is the right of a consumer who has purchased products online, to return them and receive a refund. In addition, the business is obligated to process the refund in the same manner as the payment was made, meaning that, if the consumer has paid by card, then the business must refund the money paid by transfer to the consumer’s card.
According to the Law, this right applies when:
- The purchaser is a consumer, meaning a person not acting in its business or professional capacity
- The purchase is made online.
Information provided by the business
Before committing to the purchase, the consumer must be informed by the business (through the terms and conditions of purchase) regarding his/her right to withdraw, the conditions, deadline and procedure for exercising this right. Also, the business must provide a sample of the withdrawal form.
The consumer should check the terms and conditions of the agreement. A serious online business will almost certainly inform its consumers of their right to withdraw.
Your rights as a consumer if the business does not inform you of the right to withdraw
If the business does not inform the consumer of his/her right to withdraw, then one right of the consumer is to return the products within 12 months and 14 days from the date of delivery of the products.
The second right of the consumer is to submit a complaint against the business to the Consumer Protection Service which is the competent authority for checking if businesses comply with the legal requirements on consumer rights.
This article does not constitute legal advice.
The publication of this article is partly funded by the European Union’s “Consumer Programme (2014-2020)”.