What rights apply to delivery, exchange and complaints? Christmas gifts should bring joy.
Sometimes it's not the right surprise, the delivery from the online shop doesn't arrive or the goods are damaged. Consumers should assert their rights here. The Authority for Justice and Consumer Protection and the Hamburg Consumer Center provide information on the important points.
Exchange because you don't like the product
Customers do not have a general right to an exchange when purchasing in a store. However, retailers are accommodating and voluntarily exchange what they have purchased, in return they give the money back or a voucher. Buyers should make sure when purchasing whether goods can be exchanged and keep the receipt in a safe place. The exchange check from the Hamburg Consumer Center provides an initial assessment if you want to return a product: www.vzhh.de/umtausch-check
Exchange of products purchased online
A right of withdrawal applies to gifts ordered online. Customers can cancel the purchase contract within 14 days of receiving the goods - and return the items they ordered. This also applies if the goods are free of defects. But there are exceptions here: for example, for personalized products, perishable goods or event tickets. The shop operator must provide information about what the cancellation procedure actually looks like when making the purchase. However, private individuals who sell something via a classified ad, for example, are not obliged to take back the goods after a cancellation.
Warranty vs. Guarantee
Purchased goods must not have any defects. If this is the case, customers can complain about the product for two years – within the scope of the warranty. You have the option to exchange the goods or have them repaired. In the first six months after the goods were handed over, the law assumes that a defect that occurred was already present at the time of purchase (for purchases from January 1, 2022, this even applies for 12 months). Something different from the legal warranty is the voluntary warranty: This is usually given by the manufacturer of the purchased product, and the scope and conditions are also determined. Warranty extensions are often offered at an additional cost. However, these are usually not worth it. Anyone who looks at the conditions before concluding the contract will know what services an extended warranty actually includes.
Validity of vouchers
Anyone who has received a voucher as a gift can choose their own goods. This can avoid trouble if you don't like it and have to exchange it. But vouchers are not valid indefinitely. It is therefore important to check the validity period of the voucher and communicate it together with the gift. A voucher for a certain amount of money is generally valid for three years - starting from the end of the year in which it was purchased. Nevertheless, vouchers should be redeemed promptly. If a provider goes bankrupt, their voucher is worthless.
Goods do not arrive after shipping
If the goods were purchased from a company and are lost in transit, the buyer does not have to pay the purchase price. You can also request a repair or new delivery if the goods were damaged during shipping. Even if the parcel service simply leaves a shipment on your doorstep without a drop-off permit or hands it over to a neighbor who is not authorized to deliver and it then gets lost, the purchase price does not have to be paid. The situation is different when purchases are made from private individuals. The buyers then bear the shipping risk.
First aid for fake shops
There are supposedly goods for sale in so-called fake shops on the Internet, but they are not sent after payment. The fraudulent shops are often unavailable if you want to know more about the whereabouts of your shipment. However, once the money for the goods supposedly purchased has been transferred in advance, those affected usually never see it again. Chances only exist if you paid with a credit card. Consumers can request a refund of the amount paid from the credit card provider due to suspected fraud. If data misuse is suspected, the credit card should also be blocked and, in the event of fraud, a criminal complaint should be filed with the police. There are tips for ordering online and a list of current fake shops on the Hamburg Consumer Center website: www.vzhh.de/fake-shops
Report annoyances in everyday consumer life
Problems with purchases, exchanges and complaints are among the annoyances that Hamburg residents have reported in consumer protection surveys in recent years. Hamburg's consumers can take part in the online survey about the current consumer protection level and vent their anger until the end of January: www.vzhh.de/verbraucherschutz-ebene
Source: Hamburg Consumer Center
Notes:
1) This content reflects the current state of affairs at the time of publication. The reproduction of individual images, screenshots, embeds or video sequences serves to discuss the topic. 2) Individual contributions were created through the use of machine assistance and were carefully checked by the Mimikama editorial team before publication. ( Reason )