Act on Distance Contracts and Contracts Outside Business Premises
Act on Distance Contracts and Contracts Outside Business Premises applies when consumers shop via mail order, internet, telephone, or outside the company’s usual business premises, for example during home visits or other temporary sales in shopping centers or on the street. The seller must, among other things, inform about how the consumer can cancel the purchase and how much time they have to do this.
Information before agreement
According to the law, the company must inform the consumer before the agreement is entered into about:
- Its name and address
- The main characteristics of the goods or services
- The price of the goods or services, including taxes and fees
- Delivery costs
- The method of payment and delivery
- The rules for the right of withdrawal
- The cost of using a means of distance communication if the cost is not calculated at the normal rate
- The duration of the offer
- The shortest duration of the agreement
The information that the company provides to the consumer must be adapted to the way the sale is conducted, for example by phone, via the internet, or during home sales. If the sale is conducted by phone, the company’s salesperson must inform about their identity and name at the beginning of each call. If the company uses another company for the sale, the consumer must be informed about it. The consumer must also be informed about the purpose of the call, for example, to sell a service.
Information after agreement
When the company and the consumer have entered into an agreement, the consumer must receive information about:
- The company’s name and address
- The main characteristics of the goods or services
- The price of the goods or services, including taxes and fees
- Delivery costs
- The method of payment and delivery
- The right of withdrawal and contact details for the person to whom one can withdraw
- The address, phone number, email address, and street address of the place where the consumer can complain
- What guarantees and services are included
- The conditions for terminating the agreement if the agreement is valid indefinitely or for a period longer than one year