EU's Online Shoppers Get an Extended "Cooling Off Period" 140
mrspoonsi (2955715) writes with word of a new extension to European consumer protection laws: Previously, anyone who bought a product online was allowed seven business days during which they were able to change their mind and return the product for a full refund. This 'cooling-off period,' during which a refund can be requested without being required to give a reason for the cancellation, has now been extended to fourteen calendar days from the date on which the goods are received. Online retailers and providers are now also banned from 'pre-ticking' optional extras on order forms, such as those adding insurance to the cost of a purchase. For the first time, laws have also been introduced to offer a cooling-off period for digital content, including music, films and books, as BBC News reports. Consumers may now cancel an order for digital content within fourteen days, but only if they have not downloaded it.
Re:Wait what? (Score:5, Insightful)
Consumers may now cancel an order for digital content within fourteen days, but only if they have not downloaded it.
RTFS
RMA (Score:4, Insightful)
Based on my personal experience, this is not new.
The "desist" period has been two weeks for quite a while in many online retailers.
(Very convenient when discussing over an RMA.)
Re:Buyer's Remorse (Score:5, Insightful)
In many cases, you don't know what you're buying on the internet until you receive it. For example, the product looks/works good on the website, but not in real life. It's hard to determine from the website info and pic that the product is good. The size could be wrong (shoes for eg).
I think this is great for online shopping, but also likely to be abused in some cases.
Comment removed (Score:4, Insightful)