When talking about Spanish legislation on consumer law issues, it never hurts to use the maximum possible tools to protect the process of acquiring our products. And there is a particular law that guarantees that buyers can return purchased products up to 12 months after their purchase, as long as certain circumstances are met.
Almost all of us know the famous 14 days as the standardized return period in Spain if the product does not meet the expectations you expected. At a legal level, it is the process in the first instance to regulate the return of the purchased goods, but, if the seller has not been completely clear in the information in this regard, you will have expanded protection.
The right of withdrawal in online purchases
In our country, online purchases are regulated and protected by Royal Legislative Decree 1/2007, which amplifies the General Law for the Defense of Consumers and Users. You will find it in the Official State Gazette with this initial development:
Based on this precept, every online buyer has a right of withdrawal to return the items of their purchase within the following 14 calendar days of purchasing the item. However, there is expanded protection that may be given under certain specific circumstances.
And this initial period can be extended to the next 12 months if the seller has not adequately informed through any support about the legal return policy.
This means that the seller is required by law to issue the legal return policy information clearly and visibly, and equally accessible. Which means that it should appear without problem on your website if users want to find out about it.
Although it is a general right for online purchases, this situation cannot be extrapolated to all products. The most notable exceptions that are not covered by this right are varied, such as products with close expiration dates (many foods), personalized products by consumer request, or unsealed software or physical media of music and movies.
How to proceed with this legal coverage
If you find that you may be subject to this vulnerability and have not been correctly informed about your rights as a consumer in this section, the first thing you should do is contact the seller to explain the situation and the non-compliance, on their part, of the conditions stipulated by law.
In case the seller is reluctant to cooperate, be sure to document your case with screenshots or other types of evidence that prove it, and incidentally, also the defective service on the website for this purpose.
Finally, you just have to go and file a claim with the Municipal Consumer Information Office, which depends on the town councils and guarantees that the regulations are complied with in this type of case.
The existence of this law is one of the keys to ensuring that customers have fair purchasing rights and keeps companies at bay, forcing them to comply with their legal duties. Remember, if you think this may be your case, do not hesitate to exercise your rights.
