Consumer rights in France: guarantees, returns, cold calls and complaints

Every new or refurbished item bought from a professional is covered by the legal guarantee of conformity (garantie légale de conformité) for two years from delivery. It covers defects and items that do not match the description or the use you could reasonably expect. It also applies to digital content and services.

• For second-hand goods bought from a professional, the guarantee also lasts two years, but defects are only presumed to have existed at purchase during the first year.
• Contact the seller, not the manufacturer, ideally in writing with your receipt.
• You can ask for repair or replacement; the seller can impose the other option if yours is disproportionately expensive. It must be done within 30 days and free of charge.
• If repair and replacement are impossible, take too long or cause major inconvenience, you can obtain a price reduction or a refund, which must be paid within 14 days.
• A repair under the guarantee extends it. A commercial warranty (garantie commerciale) offered by the seller or manufacturer, sometimes paid, comes on top of the legal guarantee and never replaces it. There is also a separate guarantee against hidden defects (vices cachés) under the Civil Code.

For purchases at a distance (internet, phone, mail) and away from business premises (for example door-to-door), you have 14 days to withdraw without giving a reason: from the day after delivery for goods, from the day after signing for services. If the seller did not inform you of this right, the period extends to 12 months.

• Notify the seller, then return the goods within 14 days. You usually pay the return postage unless the seller agreed to pay it.
• The seller must refund everything, including standard delivery, within 14 days of your notice, but may wait until it receives the goods back.
• Exceptions include goods made to your specifications or clearly personalised, perishable goods, unsealed hygiene products, services fully performed, and accommodation, transport, catering or leisure services for a specific date. In a physical shop, there is no legal right to change your mind; returns depend on the shop's policy.

Since 11 August 2026, a business may only call you to sell something if you have given explicit prior consent. Consent is valid for at most one year and can be withdrawn at any time, including orally during a call. The old opt-out list Bloctel has ended. Exceptions include calls linked to a contract you already have and newspaper or magazine subscriptions. Calls are limited to weekdays at set hours, and sales calls are banned in some sectors such as energy renovation. Report unwanted calls on SignalConso.

Many contracts can be ended easily: internet and mobile contracts after the commitment period without commitment-related fees, and home insurance at any time after the first year. Check the cancellation section of your contract, and always keep proof of your cancellation request.

1. Write to the business first, by email with acknowledgement or registered letter, describing the problem, what you want (repair, replacement, refund) and a deadline. Keep copies and receipts.
2. Report the problem on SignalConso, the DGCCRF's free service. You can notify the business so it can respond, and the fraud control authority may act on repeated problems.
3. Use consumer mediation. Every business must give you access to a free consumer mediator. You must first have made a written complaint to the business, and you have one year from that complaint to refer the case. The mediator proposes a solution within 90 days, which both sides are free to accept or not. Sector mediators exist, for example for telecoms, energy and insurance.
4. Cross-border purchases within the EU: the European Consumer Centre France helps consumers living in France with disputes with businesses in other EU countries, Iceland or Norway, free of charge.
5. Consumer associations offer advice and can support you, usually for a membership fee.
6. Court: as a last resort. For small amounts, an attempt at amicable resolution, such as conciliation or mediation, is often required before going to court; ask a consumer association or the court's information service.