CHRISTMASISAPPROACHING,
and with it comes the stress of
finding the perfect gift – and after
that the rush of the sales! Buying
goods fromabroad increases your
choice and allows you to find better
deals, all from the comfort of your
own sofa. But what should you do if
your parcel never arrives?What if
the contents are broken, or you get
sent the wrong itemaltogether?
Don't worry – European
legislation on online shopping
dictates that you should be
reimbursed in such instances, simply
by contacting the trader. Even
if, in the end, you do not like the
product, you can still send it back
and get your money back, provided
you do so within a given timeframe.
If you have difficulties because
the trader is located in a different
EU country, Norway or Iceland,
get in touch with the European
Consumer Centres Network
(
ECC-Net for short), who can offer
you help and advice in sorting
things out. When a complaint is
received, the European Consumer
Centres Network offices in each
country concerned work together
to promote amicable solutions
between customers and traders.
Last year, over half of all complaints
were resolved in a friendlymanner.
And, since the programme
is financed by the European
Commission and national
governments, all of these services
are completely free of charge.
When you buy online, you have the right to change your mind – but do it fast!
E-SHOPPER CHRISTMAS TIPS
ec.europa.eu/ecc-net
THEEUROPEANCONSUMER
CENTRESNETWORK:
•
offers consumer advice free
of charge
•
assists with complaints
•
contacts traders
•
is based in all 27 EU
member states, Norway
andIceland
30,000
complaints received
per year
57%
of complaints related
to e-commerce
over 50%
of complaints resolved amicably
"
I bought some beautiful shoes online from
a Dutch trader, but I never received them.
I asked for assistance from my local European
Consumer Centres office. With their help, I got
all my money back.”
“
I purchased a toy for my nephew from a Spanish website. When
it arrived, I discovered that he had it already, so I immediately
sent it back. While, at first, the trader did not want to reimburse
me, thanks to my European Consumer Centre they did.”
“
I bought a DVD player for a friend, from a Danish website.
Since it didn’t work, I sent it back. The trader refused to give me
my money back, but thanks to the European Consumer Centres
Network's intervention, I was eventually reimbursed in full.”
A message from the
European Consumer Centres
