Hírek

Once in a lifetime offers, huge promotions, special discounts will be promised on the 7th of October 2016, the Internet Shopping Day, which will be held for the 6th time now. Probably many people would like to buy their Christmas gifts now, and of course as cheap as possible. This is an excellent opportunity for consumers, but it does not hurt to be careful to avoid unpleasant surprises later. Therefore, the Arbitration Board of Budapest, who is also responsible for managing the Hungarian ODR Contact Point, would like to help consumers, while also offers a program called „Open Board” for consumers and businesses from the 7th of October until the 14th, in the Board’s headquarters (I. district, Krisztina krt. 99.) „You do not have to stand in line, drag your stuff, you can do shopping from your workplace, and you are not tied to opening hours either.” – this is how the organizers draw attention to Internet Shopping Day which will be held on the 7th of October, 2016. The movement aims to get more and more webshops to attend to this one-day action, in which they make available certain products on an exceptionally discounted price. There is no doubt of the benefits of shopping online, however certain problems can arise later, which could be easily avoided if the purchase is preceded by a conscious decision. Therefore, consumers should pay attention to these golden rules:

1. The product is not necessarily yours if it is advertised for HUF 1400 because of a spelling mistake, however, it’s real worth is HUF 140 000!

If the order and approval have been clearly confirmed via e-mail, and it contains the exact product, the item number, the price, the customer’s name, the place of delivery, so the specific details of the order, the consumer’s claim can even be well founded. However, this is still have to be decided case by case. If, however, the absence of any confirmation or we received only a one-liner, an informative notification from the confirmation of the order, this in itself does not create any obligation for the shop to ship the product based on the prices listed.

2. Consumers do not always have their right to withdraw in fourteen days without reasoning!

Today, everyone knows that in case of online shopping, consumers can change their mind within fourteen days from the delivery. There are certain products however, where this is no longer true and they cannot be returned without any further action. This applies for goods that are specifically produced based on the consumer’s request and instructions, such as a t-shirt with a unique label asked especially by the customer. There is no right of withdrawal if the closed package cannot be returned after opening because of health or hygiene reasons (for ex. a razor). Therefore it is important to be informed in advance! In fact, in the case of closed packaged CDs, DVD disks, computer games, or softwares consumers do not have the right to change their mind after the packaging has been opened. It does not include the case where a consumer ordered a laptop on which a software is pre-installed, or an operating system disk is also included in the package. In these cases, because the order is not a CD or a DVD, but a laptop, this rule does not apply.

3. If you change your mind, always do it in writing! In such cases, we have to return the product on our own expenses, unless the webshop does not volunteer to cover our expenses.

There are many disputes arising from the fact that the consumer only withdraw verbally, (or) on the phone. Yet in case of a dispute the consumer has to prove that this statement has actually been arrived to the webshop! Therefore, the withdrawal statement must be sent in writing/by e-mail to the company. Not only describe that you expected a different product or it is defective and therefore you have a complaint, but specifically ask for the full amount transferred back because you changed your mind. If the consumer does not make such statement, than the webshop may believe that you do not want to withdraw, but instead you only made a warranty complaint and ask for repair or replacement. There is a big difference between the two, because you can only get your money back immediately if you use your right to withdraw.

4. While transferring back your money, the webshop do not have the right to deduct „user fee” or any other amount from your previously paid money. The one and only exception is where it turns out that before returning the product, the consumer used it beyond measure and therefore its value has been decreased. The 14-day opportunity to the right of withdrawal shall not be refused because the consumer opened the original package or if it is lost.

The above mentioned is just a few example from the claims submitted to the Arbitration Board of Budapest and the hidden causes behind these cases, about which we want the consumers, businesses and members of the media to know as much as possible. This is why we welcome everyone who would like to know better our work from the 7th to the 14 of October, between 9 am until 16 pm in the Board Headquarters, 1016 Bp., Krisztina krt. 99 on the 3rd floor. Our experience shows that consumers and businesses still do not know their rights and obligations nor the institution of conciliation enough. Our Staff presents the Board, the procedure and the way decisions are made. The participants can look at the meeting rooms, may also sit in to auditions, seek advice and can get help filling out the attached documents related to the request. Looking forward meeting you on the Board’s open days!