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EU laws on purchasing over the internet
Summary: The EU provides consumer protection for purchases made over the internet.
The objective of the Distance Selling Directive 97/55/EC is to give the consumer the same protection when purchasing goods or services on-line as available when buying in shops.
Under the directive consumers have a number of fundamental legal rights. These include:
- Provision of comprehensive information before the purchase;
- Consumer’s right to cancel within a minimum of seven working days without giving any reason or penalty;
- In the event of cancellation the right to a refund within 30 days of cancellation;
- Delivery of goods or performance of service within 30 days of the order being placed;
- Protection from unsolicited selling;
- Protection for fraudulent use of payment cards.
For more information on consumer rights in on-line purchasing see:
the Distance Selling Directive
Factsheet