Shopping and consumer protection
You can buy food and other things you need on a daily basis in grocery shops, shopping centres and specialist shops. But the same goods do not always cost the same in different shops. Particularly good value prices – special offers – are often only valid for a short period. It is therefore worth finding out the exact details of offers, and comparing quality and prices.
If you are purchasing larger items, it can be a good idea to read test reports about the products. There are lots of ways of finding out how good an offer really is. The Warentest foundation and the consumer advice bureaux in the Federal Länder (roughly 200 advice bureaux all over the country) provide information and product assessments in press reports, specialist magazines and publications on the Internet.
Shop opening times
Shops in Germany do not all have the same opening hours; they differ from Land to Land. As a rule, shops are open from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. from Monday to Saturday. In some Federal Länder the opening hours are longer.
Paying for purchases
You can pay for purchases with cash all over Germany. The option of paying cash-free is also available in almost all shops. To do this you need an account at a bank or Sparkasse that will provide you with an EC debit card or a credit card with which you can pay for purchases. The amount you pay will then be automatically deducted from your account.
Shopping on the Internet
Nowadays, you can buy many goods over the Internet. However, not all offers on the Internet are genuine. You should therefore be careful when shopping on the Internet and participating in Internet auctions. One safe way of shopping on the Internet is choosing options where you only have to pay once you have received the goods and the invoice. Another secure method is the direct debit system that deducts funds directly from your bank account. For this to happen you must first give your permission. This method has the advantage that you can claim your money back from your bank within eight weeks.
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If you are the victim of Internet fraud, you should report the incident to the police as soon as possible and inform the website operator. Don't waste time! Every day counts in the hunt for fraudsters.
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Beware of competitions
Do be careful if you are to give your address. These are often collected in competitions, after which customers receive large amounts of advertising, either by post, e-mail or telephone. Many people consider this a nuisance. Loyalty and bonus cards can also be used to collect addresses for unsolicited advertising.
Warranty and guarantee
Every seller must ensure that his goods are not faulty. If the customer notices faults or defects within two years that existed at the time of purchase, he or she has a statutory entitlement to a warranty. This also applies to goods purchased at a reduced price and special offers. This entitlement naturally does not apply if a product wears out through use. If a fault occurs within the first six months after purchase, the seller must prove that the goods were sold to you without faults or defects. If more than six months have passed, you as the customer must prove that the goods were faulty at the outset.
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Guarantees (Garantie) and warranties (Gewährleistung) are not the same thing. A guarantee is the manufacturer’s promise that his product has particular features and will function for a particular length of time. Guarantees are given on a voluntary basis. Manufacturers are not obliged to give a guarantee for their goods.
Exchanging goods
The exchange of goods always takes place on a voluntary basis. Shops are not obliged to exchange purchased goods if the goods are not faulty.
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If you want to return or exchange something because it is faulty, you do not need the original packaging. No one can demand that you keep boxes or plastic wrappers. You also do not necessarily need the till receipt. The receipt does make it easier, however, to prove where a product was bought. A bank statement or a witness statement may also serve as proof.
Door-to-door sales and contracts concluded by letter, fax or e-mail, or over the Internet
A contract is agreed and signed quickly – sometimes too quickly, above all at your front door, on the Internet or over the telephone. Therefore you have as a rule a statutory right to withdraw from such contracts within 14 days. This means that you can revoke your contractual declaration and are then no longer bound by the contract. You do not have to give reasons for your revocation. For evidential reasons, it is nonetheless wise to state your revocation in text form (that is by letter, fax or e-mail). You can contact a consumer advice bureau if problems should arise in spite of this.
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This rule generally applies to
- agreements that are entered into in your workplace, at a private residence, on the telephone, on the street or on public transport,
- (purchase) contracts that are agreed on business premises, but where you were personally and individually approached by the seller beforehand outside the business premises,
- (purchase) contracts that are agreed on the Internet,
- catalogue orders
- agreements concluded by letter, fax or e-mail,
- agreements concluded on promotional excursions (often called Kaffeefahrten).
As a general rule, never sign anything that you have not understood properly. Before making a purchase, make sure you know how you can revoke the contract and what the exceptions are (e.g. in the case of hotel reservations). Generally, you will only have 14 days to declare your revocation. You should therefore not wait too long!
Date 17 December 2015
