Guarantees on your telephone purchases
Does the product you bought by telephone from a European trader not operate as expected or does it not work at all? No need to panic: European legislation provides you with a two-year legal guarantee during which you can get redress from the seller.
Sometimes, you can also get redress from the manufacturer, if they provide a commercial guarantee for the product.
Legal guarantee
Have you, as a private individual, placed an order with a trader in the EU? You are automatically entitled to a two-year legal guarantee, during which the seller is responsible for any breach in conformity relating to your purchase.
How do you impose your legal guarantee rights? Simple: notify the seller of the defect to your product as soon as it occurs, in writing by e-mail or registered letter.
What can you claim for under the guarantee? That the seller repairs or replaces the product free of charge. Can a trader not comply with this within a reasonable period of time? In that case, the trader has to cancel your order and issue a refund.
Further information on your guarantee rights can be found in the section entitled 'Legal guarantee'.
Commercial guarantee?
Traders are entitled to provide or sell commercial guarantees or other guarantee extensions - in addition to the legal guarantee. These additional guarantees do not replace the legal two-year guarantee.
Commercial guarantees or other guarantee extensions are not obligatory. They are of a purely contractual nature. The rules and conditions must be incorporated in writing in a document.
Commercial guarantees often do not have the same scope as the legal two-year guarantee: the duration is shorter, specific components or costs are excluded, etc.
Our recommendation: are you offered a commercial guarantee or guarantee extension that you have to pay for? Don’t be tempted, unless you are absolutely sure that the additional guarantee offers more than the legal guarantee.
Find out more about the legal guarantee and the commercial guarantee.
