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Rights and obligations of a consumer

Pursuant to the Consumer Protection Act, you as a consumer have the right to:

  • Demand and obtain products and services, which meet the requirements, are harmless to your life, health and property, and are not prohibited from being owned or used;
  • Obtain necessary and truthful information on the products and services offered, in order to make an informed choice, and timely information on any risks relating to the products or services;
  • Obtain information on consumer law and other issues relating to consumption;
  • Obtain advice and assistance if your rights are violated;
  • Demand compensation for any patrimonial or non-patrimonial damage caused to you;
  • Request that your interests are taken into account and that you are represented through consumers’ associations and federations in the decision-making process on consumer policy issues.

Several laws and regulations have been adopted to guarantee these rights. 

If you have used a product or service in an abnormal manner due to the fact that the trader or service provider has not provided you with truthful, or any, information on the product or service, the seller has to compensate you for the damage caused. If a product develops a defect despite correct use and maintenance or you experience problems with a purchased service, you should immediately contact the relevant trader or service provider to find a solution.

In order to facilitate the solution of potential problems, you should keep all proofs of purchase of the product or service (receipt etc.), which certify that you made the purchase in a particular shop.

Remember that as a consumer you also have obligations in addition to rights.

  • Familiarise yourself with a product before first use. Always carefully read the instruction manual of a product and pay attention to maintenance symbols to ensure use of the product for its intended purpose and avoid damaging it because of incorrect usage.
  • If a product is damaged or broken because of your negligence and failure to follow the instructions, the seller and manufacturer bear no liability and you have no right, for instance, to claim elimination of defects free of charge.

Contracts and withdrawal from a contract

A consumer contract is a transaction between a consumer and a trader / service provider, which establishes rights and obligations for both the consumer and the trader / service provider. 

Your rights as a consumer, especially the right of withdrawal, depend on the manner of entry into the contract: online, by telephone, at a company’s office, post office, during an event, in a shopping centre or with a door-to-door salesman.

  • If you enter into a contract via means of distance communication (by internet), you have the right to withdraw within 14 days as of the day you received the goods, without disclosing the reason of withdrawal to the seller.
  • If you enter into a contract at a company’s office, you do not have the right to withdraw within 14 days.

Returning a defective product

If you have used a purchased product in a regular manner and have maintained it as instructed, but it still develops a defect, which can associated with faulty manufacturing, you have the right to submit a complaint to the trader within two years from the purchase.

To submit a complaint, find the purchase receipt, contract or another proof of purchase and immediately contact the trader. Make sure to do this within two months after discovering the defect.

Stop using the defective product to prevent exacerbation of the problem.

In case of a defective product, you have the right to demand from the seller repair or replacement of the product free of charge. The choice between repair and replacement is subject to an agreement between the parties but, as a rule, the seller decides whether to replace or repair a defective product.

You can demand lowering of the price or termination of the contract and refund of the product price if:

  • the seller is unable to repair or replace the product; or
  • repair or replacement of the product fails; or
  • the seller does not eliminate the product defect within reasonable time; or
  • you have been subjected to unjustified inconveniences.

If the seller has reasons to suspect that the product defect was not caused by faulty manufacturing or that the defect was caused by you, the causes of the fault will be determined by experts. The responsibility for establishing the causes of defect rests with the seller within the first six months after purchase; during the subsequent period, the organisation of assessment is subject to an agreement between you and the seller.