Buying online

What are your consumer rights when buying online or on your doorstep?

When you buy from a business online, by phone, by catalogue or at your doorstep, Irish consumer law gives you strong protections. You have the right to clear information before you buy, secure payment processes, and, in some cases, the ability to cancel.

What is your right to cancel when shopping online or on your doorstep?

When you buy most goods or services online or on your doorstep, you have a ‘cooling off’ period during which you can cancel your purchase and request a refund. You do not need to give a reason for cancelling. If there is a dispute, you must be able to show that you contacted the business and used your right to cancel.

Online purchase

The cooling off period for online purchases is 14 days, starting from the date you receive the goods or agree the service contract. You must inform the trader within these 14 days if you wish to cancel and get a refund. You then have another 14 days to return the goods or, if you paid for a service, return any items required to provide that service (for example, a modem if you ordered broadband).

Doorstep purchase

If you bought goods or signed up to a service on your doorstep, your cooling off period is 30 days. This starts from when you receive the goods or agree the service contract. You must inform the business within the cooling off period that you wish to get a refund and return any items within a further 14 days.

What must the business do if you want to cancel within the cooling off period?

The business must:

• Tell you about your right to cancel and the timescales that apply
• Provide a cancellation form and explain how to use it
• Refund you within 14 days of being informed that you are cancelling your purchase (subject to receiving the returned items back). They must use the same payment method, unless you agree otherwise.
• Cancel any related services you ordered separately when buying the goods or service. This means contracts (called 'ancillary' contracts) that were also arranged by the business. For example, you bought sofa insurance through the furniture store when buying your sofa

If the business does not tell you about your right to cancel, your right to cancel is extended to 12 months from the date it was first due to expire.

How do you use your right to cancel?

To use your right to cancel, you must:

• Inform the business in writing within the cancellation, or cooling- off, period
• Return the goods or any items needed to provide a service within 14 days of cancelling if you bought online or on your doorstep, and pay any return costs that apply
• If cancelling a service, not use it and/or pay for any part you used before cancelling

When does the right to cancel not apply?

Your statutory right to cancel does not apply:

• If the product or service is personalised/made to order or cannot be returned for health or hygiene reasons
• If you have booked passenger transport services, such as air, rail, boat or bus
• If you have booked accommodation, transport of goods, car rental, catering or leisure activities for a specific date or period. If you want to cancel a service in these sectors, check your contract’s terms and conditions.

If you feel a business is not following the terms set out in your contract, complain to them. You can find out more about how to complain to a business in our  resolve your issue section.

What information must a business give you before you buy?

Before you buy, the business must provide you with clear information, including:

• The business’s name, physical address, phone number and email address
• Details about the product or service, including how it will be delivered or supplied
• The total price and any extra charges, or, it it’s not possible to provide the total price, information on how the total price will be calculated
• Your right to cancel and how to do so
• The length of the contract and any conditions that apply to deposits.

These requirements do not apply if you buy something on your doorstep with a total price of less than €50.

How can you check if a business is based in Ireland?

To check where a business is located, check the terms and conditions on its website. A website address ending in ‘.ie’ does not guarantee the business is based in Ireland. If you bought something from a business based elsewhere in the EU, get further information here – buying in the EU. If you have an issue with something you have bought from outside Ireland and the EU, see our buying outside the EU section

What should you know about making payments when shopping online?

When you buy online, the business must:

• Make it clear when you are making a payment, for example through an order button that clearly states 'pay now’ or ‘buy now’
• Allow you to choose extra products or services for yourself, not present pre-ticked boxes

Does the business have to provide me with any proof of purchase when I buy online or on my doorstep?

The business must give you a copy of the signed contract or confirmation of your order in a ‘durable format’, for example on paper or by email.

What information must online marketplaces provide?

An online marketplace sells a wide range of products by connecting multiple third-party sellers with consumers. They list and sell products or services in their single digital location, and manage the digital platform transactions. However, for purchases from third-party sellers, the online marketplace is not responsible for the actual sale itself – the management or dispatch of the goods inventory or issuing any refunds, etc. This the responsibility of the third-party seller you bought from. However, many online marketplaces may offer buyer protection policies that allow them to step in and process a refund if the seller does not. 

If you use an online marketplace (to buy second hand items or choose holiday accommodation), the operator of that online marketplace must tell you, before you buy:

• How product listing search results are displayed, for example whether some results rank higher or appear first because they are paid for or sponsored adverts 
  
• Whether the seller is a business or a consumer
• That you are not protected by consumer law if the seller is a consumer
• How consumer law obligations are shared between the website operator and the business, for example who to contact if you have an issue with something you have bought

This information should be easy to find and written in plain language. 

Next steps to resolve your consumer rights issue

• Contact the business informally first, explain the problem and try to work it out.
• Keep a record of all contact and communications in case you need to escalate your complaint later.
• If the problem is not resolved, make a formal written complaint to the business. You can use the CCPC complaint letter templates which outline your consumer rights to help you.
• If you paid by card, you may have the option to request a chargeback from your bank or financial services provider.
• If your claim is for €2,000 or less, you can use the small claims procedure.
• If the problem is not easily resolved, we encourage you to also report the business to the CCPC. Your report will inform our advocacy and enforcement activities.
• For more guidance, please visit our how to resolve an issue section.