New changes to consumer rights laws starting from the 13th of June(worth reading)

[CAT-THE-FIFTH]

More details here:

http://www.digitalandwise.com/eu-con...for-retailers/

After sales - Premium rate customer services telephone numbers will no longer be allowed. Technical helplines (troubleshooting and assistance) can, however, still be charged at the premium rate.
Information - Customers must be provided with certain information before they complete a contract for sale.
Pre-ticked boxes - No boxes in the purchase process should be pre-ticked. All additional services/products to be purchased need to be actively ticked by the customer.
Cost of returns – Retailers must inform customers who will be responsible for the cost of returning products where the consumer has exercised their cancellation rights.
Obligation to pay - Retailers must make customers aware of their “obligation to pay” at the checkout stages. Call-to-action (CTA) labeling at the checkout should be “Pay Now” instead of “Buy Now” or “Check Out”.
14 day right to withdraw – The customer’s right to withdraw will be extended from 7 days to 14 days. This cancellation policy must be made known to the customer before they place their order.
Cancellation form - Retailers need to provide a downloadable standard cancellation or return form that customers can access and print off from the website.
Retailer refunds – A full refund must be issued to the customer within 14 days of receiving the goods or the cancellation form. The cost of standard shipping must also be refunded to the customer.
Diminished value – If the customer handles the product beyond what is necessary and as a result diminishes the value of that product, then the business can make a deduction from the refund.
Total cost of goods – The total cost of goods (inc taxes, duties, shipping) needs to be made clear at the point of sale.
Order confirmations – Confirmation details of a distance contract/sale must be sent to the customer via a “durable medium”. The most common “durable medium” will be email, however there are other means.
Download cancellations – Customers must ask the retailer to begin a download before the expiry of the cancellation period. If the customer asks for this, they lose the right to withdraw from the contract.

The bolded bits are interesting - it makes me wonder how easy a retailer can try to fiddle things.

[BobF64]

Diminished value – If the customer handles the product beyond what is necessary and as a result diminishes the value of that product, then the business can make a deduction from the refund.

I do imagine this will be enacted a lot, especially on items you must do more than open the box and look at.

"Sorry, you've opened the box and left a finger print on it, I can't sell it as new any more"

Download cancellations – Customers must ask the retailer to begin a download before the expiry of the cancellation period. If the customer asks for this, they lose the right to withdraw from the contract.

The first few reads of this confused me, until it dawned on me that I was reading it from the wrong perspective.

[tamzzy]

hmm...wonder how does the diminished value clause affect DSR
my initial thoughts is that it shouldn't...but...

[scott1541]

Most of this seems like a good idea, apart from the diminished value part, which as suggested above could be abused. The download cancellations bit doesn't a whole lot of sense to me though.

[BobF64]

hmm...wonder how does the diminished value clause affect DSR
my initial thoughts is that it shouldn't...but...

Hmm, good point,

The download cancellations bit doesn't a whole lot of sense to me though.

If you want your purchase, you must start downloading it before the cancellation period ends, ie within 14 days.
If you do start the download, you may no longer terminate the contract, and hence return the item short of it being faulty.

And possibly it also means that if you dont start the download in the cancellation period, ie you wait 15 days, something else happens, perhaps the retailer no longer has to let you download it.