The EU’s attempts to create equal rights for consumers in all its member states may lead to a reduction in the warranty on online purchased products from five to two years.
For goods that are intended to last significantly longer than two years, presently, the buyer has five years of warranty to make a complaint, regardless of where they were purchased.
According to Aftenposten newspaper, the EU proposal, which will be dealt with in October, would reduce the warranty on goods purchased online down to only two years.
Then there will be a major difference in the consumer rights of those who shop directly in a store, and those who shop online, and Randi Flesland, director of Consumer Policy, is not in love with the idea.
If the EU gets the policy through, Norwegian authorities won’t be able to guarantee any consumers rights that last beyond two years for any goods bought via e-commerce.
Flesland will strongly discourage e-commerce if the proposal becomes a reality.
She is also worried about the possibility of a decline in the quality of goods if they only need to last for two years before their warranty expires.
Manufacturers now have to make products that are more durable because the right of cancellation is presently at five years.
The government has sent the matter to a hearing. Virke, the Confederation of Norwegian Enterprise (NHO) for shops and the electronics industry, agrees that the rules of trade must be similar between online shopping and shopping in a store, so that the conditions of competition are the same, and both are operating on a level playing field.
Source: NTB scanpix / Norway Today