Retailers' obligations to customers

Paul from Dublin asked: “I run a small retail business, we sell goods directly to customers all over the EU. What are my obligations to my customers when it comes to guarantees?”

Vessela Stoyanova the Europe Direct Communication Office answered: “EU law gives consumers the right to a minimum 2-year guarantee, but some countries may require longer guarantees. Your liability for redress starts on the day of delivery and remains valid for 2 years.

“A retailer may be asked for redress if an item: – doesn’t match the product description, – is not fit for purpose, – doesn’t show the quality and performance normal in products of the same type, – or was installed incorrectly.

“If a retailer informs customers that the product they are going to buy has quality problems, they cannot then claim redress about this particular defect. Otherwise, customers have the right to ask the retailer to repair or replace the product, reduce the price, or cancel the contract, without any charge.

“If repair or replacement is not possible, would be too expensive given the nature of the product/defect, would be very inconvenient for the customer, or cannot be completed by your business within a reasonable time, the retailer may be asked for a price reduction or full reimbursement.

“You are also free to give your customers additional guarantees, but these do not affect your customers’ basic rights to redress, or the time limits.

“If a customer returns a faulty product, you too have certain rights as the distributor. In particular, if the fault is the result of a manufacturing defect, you can seek the same types of redress from the producer as your customer can with you.’

To see exactly what your obligations are in each country, ask the European Consumer Centre for that country click here for more information, or call 00 800 6 7 8 9 10 11 or check out: the Europa website.

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