Consumer rights in e-commerce: right of withdrawal and remote sales

If the company sells to consumers over the internet, it's not just the purchase law you need to know — the Consumer Contracts Act specifically regulates agreements made in remote sales, i.e. transactions where customer and seller don't meet physically. The rules exist to compensate the consumer for not being able to see or try the goods before purchase.

§14-day right of withdrawal

Essentially a consumer has 14 days' right of withdrawal for contracts for goods and services entered into by distance selling — including purchases in an online shop. Within the deadline the customer can withdraw without having to justify it and does not have to pay for returning the goods except the return postage itself unless otherwise clearly agreed.

§When does the deadline run from

The deadline is normally calculated from the day the consumer physically receives the goods. For a service, the deadline typically runs from the day the agreement was made. If the order consists of several items delivered separately, the deadline generally runs from the last delivery — this is a detail that often creates confusion for both customers and customer service staff.

§Exceptions to the right of withdrawal.

• 01Goods that deteriorate or become obsolete quickly, e.g. fresh food
• 02Goods that are manufactured according to the consumer's specifications or clearly personalized
• 03Sealed goods not suitable for return for health or hygiene reasons if the seal is broken after delivery
• 04Digital content delivered without physical media if the consumer has given explicit consent to start delivery immediately and thus forfeit the right of withdrawal

§Reimbursement

If the customer withdraws the business must as a general rule refund the amount no later than 14 days after the seller receives notification of the withdrawal. The refund must be made with the same payment method the customer used when purchasing unless otherwise explicitly agreed — and the customer must not be charged a fee for the refund itself.

§New requirements for a digital withdrawal function

Consumer protection rules are continuously being tightened. Companies that sell via websites and apps are required to provide consumers with the ability to exercise their right of withdrawal through a digital withdrawal function directly on the website or in the app, so it doesn't require a phone call or difficult email correspondence to cancel a purchase. For you working with digital commerce, it means that the webshop's return flow must be clear and easily accessible, not hidden behind multiple clicks.

If you are in doubt about a specific case, it is the Consumer Ombudsman and official guidance on the consumer agreements act that are the safe source — not a colleague's guess or an old email in your inbox. If you know the rules, you avoid both complaints and expensive errors in customer service.