Right to cancel
When shopping in a physical shop, you’re at the mercy of the shop’s own product exchange policy. You’re only entitled to a cooling-off period if you didn't buy the goods in a permanent shop, e.g. online or doorstep purchases.
When may I exercise my right to cancel a purchase?
You may cancel a purchase if:
- it was made online or by telephone (and the vendor actively sells goods in that way).
- it was made at home, in the street or at a stall – and the purchase price exceeded NOK 300.
The right to cancel applies across all EEA countries.You don’t have to give a reason for cancelling a purchase, but you must cancel before the end of the cooling-off period.
You may open the packaging and examine the product. But beware, if you’re too rigorous in your examination or if you damage the product, you may not get a full refund.
Exceptions from the right to cancel
- residential property purchases or home-building contracts
- personal travel such as coach and train trips, flights etc.
- package holidays (but click here for information about cancellation insurance (in Norwegian)
- purchases made on websites serving as portals for third-party vendors
- products tailor-made to your specifications
or
- perishable products such as food and flowers
- items that can’t be returned such as heating oil or soil scattered across a garden
- hotel accommodation, shows and concerts
- urgent repairs carried out in your home
- sealed media and hygiene products once you’ve opened them
May I cancel once I've started receiving the service?
The vendor is entitled to charge you for what you’ve already received
You may have agreed that the vendor should start to supply a service, e.g. a mobile phone contract, before the end of the cooling-off period. If you’ve explicitly agreed to start receiving the service before the end of the cooling-off period, the vendor may charge you for what you’ve already received if you decide to cancel.
NB! If you’ve purchased a product on credit, you should tell your lender that you’ve cancelled the purchase.
What should I do if I want to cancel a purchase?
Tell the vendor before the cooling-off period is up
It’s a good idea to email the vendor and tell them that you want to cancel the purchase. You can also attach the cancellation form given to you by the vendor. You have 2 weeks to cancel the purchase, starting on the day you received the product and all necessary information or on the day after you agreed to purchase a service.
If you didn't receive a completed cancellation form (in Norwegian) from the vendor, the cooling-off period is extended by up to 12 months. The cooling-off period is 30 days for life insurance and personal pension plans.
Return the goods on time
NB! Post or deliver the goods to the vendor within 14 days of telling them that you want to cancel the purchase.
It’s your responsibility to ensure that the goods are safely returned. Pack the item securely, and hang on to the proof of posting.
Who pays for the return?
The vendor can’t charge you a fee for cancelling the purchase. You’re entitled to get all of your money back, but you must pay for the return yourself if you were told so in advance or unless you and the vendor have agreed otherwise. If the item can’t be sent in the post, you should not pay to have it shipped back to the vendor if you received it by home delivery in the first place, in which case the contract of sale was made at the place of delivery.
Exchanging goods and money-back guarantees
Exchanging goods
Most shops will let you exchange what you’ve bought, provided the product is unused and undamaged. This is not a statutory right, but the practice is so common that you can expect to be able to exchange the goods you've purchased. Hold on to the receipt or exchange tag, and adhere to the deadline printed on it. It’s up to the shop to set its own terms and conditions. You may not be able to exchange products purchased in a sale. Hygiene products can almost never be exchanged.
You can’t demand your money back, but you will usually get a voucher that you can use another time. The voucher is valid for 3 years unless otherwise stated.
Satisfaction/money-back guarantees
Many of the large chains offer very generous terms and conditions for exchanging products. Some will give you your money back if you return the product unused for up to 6 months. Others may allow you to try out the product for a month before letting you return it and refunding you the money.