Frequently asked questions about online shopping

It is very important to familiarise yourself with the terms and conditions of the order. The terms and conditions concerning orders usually contain more detailed information on the duration of the order, the right to withdraw from the order or the lack of that right, the seller’s country of location and how problem situations are handled.

The company’s contact information can usually be found at the bottom of its website or in the Contact us/About us section. You can also search for contact information in the general terms and conditions.

It is typical for fraudulent online stores that they do not say much about themselves and do not offer a proper contact opportunity before or after the transaction. There is no reason to do business with a mere PO box or web address. Be cautious of a company that does not provide contact information or location information on its own initiative or that can only be contacted using an online form.  Negative experiences from other consumers about the company may be found on web forums.

It is not possible to maintain a reliable, comprehensive and up-to-date blacklist of online traders. However, you can attempt to assess the trustworthiness of an online shop yourself. Pay attention to the information the company provides about itself. If the seller does not clearly state their contact information, it is better to not place an order. If you do not find comprehensive and clear information about the products, prices, delivery time, warranty and right of withdrawal, if any, it is likely that doing business will not go smoothly. Pay particular attention to the payment method. It is important that the product can be paid by methods other than just wire transfer. Another good way to determine the seller’s trustworthiness is to, for example, google for others’ experiences of that company and visit online forums. Learn more about this in our newsletter story 10 tips for safe online purchases.

If you have agreed on a specific delivery time with the seller, the seller should deliver the goods accordingly. If this does not happen, you can give the seller a reasonable extension to the deadline. If you do not receive the goods during the additional period of time, you may require the sale to be cancelled and the amount you have paid to be returned. If nothing has been agreed about the delivery time, the seller must deliver the goods no later than 30 days after your order has been placed.

If a company has payment problems, the European Consumer Centre can try to contact the company. However, contacts are generally no longer useful at this stage. Unfortunately, if a company has already been declared bankrupt, the European Consumer Centre cannot help you supervise your claims during the bankruptcy proceedings. Follow the company’s website and if necessary, contact us for further information on the progress of the bankruptcy proceedings. In bankruptcy situations, consumers are usually instructed to make a claim to the bankruptcy trustee (or sometimes to a court) by a certain deadline. Copies of the order, order confirmation, payment receipt and claim made to the company must be attached to the claim. Depending on the country and case, you may need a representative and/or have to pay for the process. In such cases, it is worth considering whether you want to spend more money for dealing with the matter, as bankruptcies may leave nothing to be distributed to consumer creditors. If you have paid for your purchase with a credit card, the credit card company is obliged to reimburse the purchase amount. In such cases, you should contact your credit card company. In addition, according to most banks’ contractual terms, similar principles are also observed in debit card payments.

As a general rule, you are only obliged to pay for what you have ordered. The seller has a duty to prove the content of the contract and its terms and conditions. File a written complaint with the seller and tell them that you have not ordered anything but a free product. Require the seller to refund the undue charge and to explain how to deal with the undue shipment. Also inform the seller that you will not receive any further shipments regarding the product in question. If the seller does not agree to a refund and you have paid for the product with a credit card, submit a claim for a refund to your credit card company. According to most banks’ contractual terms, similar principles are also observed in debit card payments.

In Finland, under the law, the consumer has the right to obtain the necessary instructions in Finnish and Swedish. However, in other EU countries there is no such obligation for traders. Before purchasing a robotic vacuum cleaner abroad, check the language in which the operating instructions are available. The same applies to foreign online shops that do not have a website in Finnish. However, if an online store advertises in Finland and has a website in Finnish and customer service in Finnish, it should provide instructions for use in Finnish even if the goods are delivered from France or elsewhere in the EU.

From the consumer’s point of view, the risk is greatest when the product has to be paid in advance by wire transfer. If advance payment by wire transfer is the only payment method, it is worth seriously considering whether to make the purchase or not. In this case, find out about the company’s background and familiarise yourself with the material available online. If you do not receive the goods you ordered and paid in advance, it is often impossible to get the money back.

Do not use money transfer services of the Western Union type, even if the seller suggests this or gives tips on how to do this safely. Western Union itself has warned against fraud related to money transfers.

Paying with a credit card is a better option than a wire transfer. If you do not receive goods paid with a credit card or the goods are defective, you can also complain to the credit card company in addition to the online shop. According to most banks’ contractual terms, similar principles are also observed in debit card payments.

Online purchases also involve companies that offer payment intermediation services. Usually the smartest thing is to choose a known operator instead of a new and small company. Some payment service companies may also provide consumers with additional free or paid services that provide additional protection for purchases. The most secure method of payment is invoice or cash on delivery, as the customer will not pay for the product until they have received it. However, many online shops do not deliver their products abroad with invoicing or cash on delivery as the payment methods.

The worst surprise for an online buyer is if the seller does not send the goods that have been ordered and paid. Contact the seller by e-mail regarding the delayed delivery. If the seller does not respond to your contact, consider whether you still want the product you ordered or whether you want to cancel the purchase. Give the seller a reasonable period of time to investigate the delivery delay.

It is a good idea to check the trustworthiness of the online shop before the ordering anything. First of all, it is worth examining the website of the online shop to find out what information the seller provides about itself. If the information is scarce and the seller does not, for example, provide any other contact details than e-mail, it is advisable to change to a different store immediately. It is also a good idea to google the seller’s background: often buyers will tell about their bad experiences on forums. Paying for purchases in advance is always a risk, and it is therefore worth paying attention to the method of paying for online purchases.

Ordering a free sample or trial package can result in a paid, longer contract, which is a phenomenon that is repeated in all Nordic countries and across Europe. Typically, a consumer will receive an advertisement in their e-mail or land on an ad page on Facebook. The consumer may place the order and provide their card details without further consideration. However, it is important to look at what commitment one is making first. Prior to the order, the terms of the contract must be read. The seller’s background should be studied, for example, by means of search engines.

Contact the invoicer and require a clarification on the appropriateness of the invoice. Tell the seller that you have not ordered the product in question and ask for instructions on what to do. There is no obligation to pay for a product that has not been ordered at all. However, make sure that the order in question is not related to a product sample order you have previously placed. If the charge has been made to your credit card, notify the card issuer of the unjustified or unclear charge without delay.

Do not make the requested payment. Product testing websites let visitors understand that there are free welcome gifts and awards. The advertisements of the surveys imply that each participant will get the product they want by answering questions and paying a few euros, but that is not true. Participation also requires joining a service that continues as a chargeable one unless it is terminated within a certain period of time.

It is probably counterfeit. In these cases, the online store is not usually located in the EU, either, but somewhere in Asia, and the buyer is further surprised when they have to pay import duties. Brand products are always accompanied by a certificate of authenticity, and trustworthy sellers of used brand products can be found online.

Chinese online shops direct their marketing to European consumers. You may have placed an order with a Chinese online store, or alternatively with a European online store that delivers products directly from China (drop shipping). The problem can usually be avoided by carefully reviewing the terms and conditions of the online shop before ordering. If the seller does not clearly state where it is located and where its products are delivered from, it is not recommended to place an order. A return address in Europe alone does not indicate where the seller is actually located. Read more in our newsletter story about Chinese online stores and in our story on drop shipping.

File a written complaint with the seller. Do not settle for a telephone call. If you handle your case by phone, you will not have any written evidence of your complaint.

Almost all online shops offer English service in addition to the language(s) of their own country. If the online shop has a website in Finnish, it may also offer customer service in Finnish. However, be prepared for the eventuality that customer service in Finnish is not available. You should check the company’s website in advance. If there is no mention about it, send a message in Finnish to customer service before placing an order. The legislation in force does not specify specific language requirements for online shops.

We cannot. If your language proficiency is not sufficient to file a complaint, it is a good idea to ask for help from someone you know or make use of Google Translate, if necessary. See also our letter templates.

Finnish consumers know how to express themselves well when complaining about goods or services. The tone of the message should be kept moderate if an amicable solution is sought.

The right of withdrawal does not apply to all products and services. The most typical services excluded from the right of withdrawal are accommodation, transport and leisure services of this kind, which have been agreed upon for a certain period of time. In other words, the service provider may restrict the right of withdrawal for these services in its entirety, but it is always a good idea to check the terms of the service provider’s contract for any concessions. The right of withdrawal does not apply, for example, to service contracts for which the service has been fully performed with the consumer’s prior consent, custom-made goods, rapidly perishable goods, sealed goods whose seal has been opened (e.g., sound and image recordings and computer programs), car rental or restaurant services.

As a rule, the consumer is responsible for the return costs unless otherwise agreed with the seller. The seller is also liable for the cost of return if it has neglected to notify the consumer of their responsibility. A written notice of withdrawal must be submitted to the seller within 14 calendar days of the purchase, and the goods must be returned to the seller no later than 14 calendar days after giving the notice of withdrawal.

Both the seller and the buyer are bound by the sale, and neither one can withdraw from it unilaterally without consequences. A number of European shops and retail chains may grant the right to exchange or return products, but the granting of the right is voluntary. Therefore, always check beforehand if the store agrees to a customer return if you are unsure of your purchase. On the other hand, in the case of distance selling (online purchases, mail-order sales, telesales, TV shops), the consumer can withdraw from the purchase without any particular reason throughout the EU. The period of withdrawal is 14 calendar days. The seller must always be informed of the withdrawal in writing. It is not sufficient to merely return a product or not retrieve it from a pick-up point. Please also note that the right of withdrawal does not apply to all products and services.

Contact your bank and file a card complaint if you paid with a credit card. Debit card payments may also involve similar protection depending on the bank or card. If the payment method is PayPal, please note your opportunity to turn to it in case of problems. Contact the European Consumer Centre if these means are not available.

If you bought a TV while you were in a store in Germany, you unfortunately do not have the possibility to claim a refund from either the seller or the manufacturer. In Germany, as in many other EU countries, the seller of goods has only two years’ liability for the product they sell. Neither does the manufacturer have any statutory liability for the product. On the other hand, if you have ordered a television from a German distance seller (online retailer, mail-order seller, TV retailer) that targets its marketing to Finland, and if you have also ordered and paid for the product in Finland, Finnish legislation may apply. The duration of the liability for defects has not been limited in Finland, but it is determined on the basis of the expected duration of the goods. As a rule, it can be assumed that a television should last more than 2.5 years. Therefore, you can file a complaint with the seller and require that the goods be repaired by them.

In Finland, the consumer can turn to an earlier marketing level, i.e., the importer and the manufacturer, in such situations. In many other EU countries, such as Germany, there is no such possibility if warranty has not been given or has expired. However, you can investigate this in more detail with the European Consumer Centre.

If the item has a defect under the liability of the seller, the seller first has the right to repair the item or to replace it with a fault-free item. Only if the error cannot be eliminated by repairing, replacing or compensating in the form of a price reduction and the error is not minor, it may be a question of cancelling the purchase. It is worth remembering that the seller is also responsible for the repair and mailing costs of the goods.

First, check the warranty terms for the product’s warranty service points. If no Finnish service point has been mentioned, contact a Finnish importer. If the warranty repair of a product purchased in the EU is not carried out through the importer, file a complaint with the manufacturer of the product. Where the product is covered by a manufacturer’s warranty, the manufacturer must ensure that the warranty it grants in one member state is also valid in other member states. However, if the manufacturer has neglected this, it does not give the consumer an immediate right to receive warranty service from a Finnish importer.

Based on your statutory rights, you can always direct your complaint to the seller. If the product has an error that the seller is liable for, you can first require the seller to repair or replace the product. Within the EU, the seller is always responsible for defects in the product that were already present in the product at the time of purchase. However, liability for defects may be limited in some EU countries, for example, to two years. The seller’s liability for the defect also covers the transport costs of delivering the goods to the service.

If the online shop targets marketing and sales to Finland, EU legislation and the Consumer Protection Act apply to the purchase, and you can contact the Finnish consumer authorities in case of problems. For example, online purchases still have 14 days’ right of withdrawal.

If the online shop does not target marketing and sales to Finland, British legislation applies. At the moment, British consumer protection regulations are very much in line with EU consumer protection, but the situation may change. For example, it seems that the 14-day right of withdrawal for online shopping will be retained, as it is also prescribed by British law.

However, there may be changes to consumer protection regulations in the United Kingdom, so in any case, it is always a good idea to carefully review the terms and conditions of the online store in question. In case of problems, try to settle the matter with the seller. If this does not help, you can also contact the European Consumer Centre for advice. See also the section Customs and tax of this material package.