However, if you have bought goods by mail order, telephone, television, Internet or home sales, you may cancel your purchase within 14 days, according to the new law covering distance agreements.
The distance agreement law, which started to apply in 2000, gives consumers increased consumer protection in so-called distance agreements and home sales agreements. Among other things, the law requires that the business shall provide information and new regulations concerning the consumer's right to cancel.
Distance agreements
If you have bought goods by mail order or by telephone, television shopping or Internet, the distance agreement law gives you 14 days during which you have a right to cancel the purchase. Once you have sent back the goods, the business shall pay you back what you have paid as soon as possible and at the latest within 30 days.
The right to cancel also applies if you have reached an agreement with a businessperson to lease goods or receive a service from him/her. The pre-condition is that the agreement shall be entered into at a distance, that is, that you and the seller have not met personally. The 14 day cancellation period starts on the day you receive the goods or, for a service, on the day when the agreement about the service was made.
However, the cancellation period does not start until you have received the information that the seller is liable to give you according to the law. Among other things, you have a right to receive information about your right to cancel. The law does not cover all distance agreements.
Home sales
The regulations covering home sales are also part of the distance agreement law and apply if you buy something from a businessperson or enter into an agreement that he/she should lease goods to you or carry out a service for you. A home sales agreement can, for instance, be made when a seller visits you at home, or if he/she organizes a trip to a place outside his permanent place of sale (such as so-called home sales parties).
The law does not apply if
- the price is less than 300 kr
- the agreement relates to insurance, credits or financial instruments (for instance shares)
- the agreement relates to the construction of a building or other fixed plant on land or in water
- the agreement is made at a home visit arranged at the express request of the customer, and the agreement relates to goods or services covered by the customer's request or that have direct connection with the goods or service
Example: You ask a seller of awnings to come to your home to measure up your balcony and give you a price for the cost of an awning. You think the price is cheap and order the awning straight away. You have then entered an agreement and, as you yourself asked the seller to come to your home, the rules for home sales do not apply.
When a home sales agreement is made, the seller shall at the same time give you a document that informs you about your right to cancel and a name and address of a person against whom you can exercise the right to cancel. You shall sign one copy of the document to confirm that you have received it. Along with your information document you shall also receive a cancellation form that you can use if you want to cancel.
Your right to cancel gives you two weeks in which to change your mind. The 14 day cancellation period starts on the day you receive the goods or, for a service, on the day when the agreement about the service was made. Note that the cancellation period does not start until you have received the information and the cancellation form.
