Distance Selling Regulations 2000
The Distance Selling Regulations 2000 cover goods or services sold without face-to-face contact. They cover:
- the Internet
- television
- mail order, including catalogue shopping
- phone and fax
The regulations say that:
- You must be given clear information about the goods or services before you buy
- goods must be delivered within thirty days unless agreed otherwise
- there is a ‘cooling off period’ where you can cancel the contract to buy for any reason
The usual rules that apply to shopping on the high street also apply to distance selling. So adverts and descriptions must not be misleading and goods must be:
- of satisfactory quality
- fit for purpose, meaning they can do the job they were made for
The cooling off period and your right to cancel
The cooling off period begins as soon as an order has been made. For goods (such as books or electrical items) it ends seven working days after the day you get the items.
For services (such as mobile phone contracts), it ends seven working days after the day the order was made. If you agree to the service beginning within the seven days, your right to cancel ends when the service starts.
The cooling off period and right to cancel do not cover contracts for:
• goods made to the your specification (custom-made)
• perishable goods (flowers, fresh food)
• CDs, DVDs, and tapes for software, audio or video if they are unsealed (have no packaging)
• newspapers and magazines
• betting, gaming and lotteries
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