Poland - Rights of the youngest consumers - Children's Day

Roller blades – coolest ride ever! Incredible sale, one-day only! Buy them and you won't be sorry! Max could not have missed such e-bargain. He wasn't searching for other offers because it's a waste of time, he ordered them quickly and paid up. The seller has sent him rollerblades that were too big and the colour didn't match. I can still use them - he thought - I can't return them anyway. But is that so? Max decided to solve that puzzle by looking up www.konsumenckieabc.pl.

Max is thirteen. Every now and then he goes shopping with his mom. He himself buys yoghurt every day at a school cafeteria. They look up online shops with his sister, five years older than him, because Max really wants to get himself roller blades. He even got some money as a birthday gift from his grandma to buy them. Max is also a consumer - a person that buys products or services. He is not an adult, so he doesn't work like his mom, but he gets his allowance and goes shopping with her. He has his own money and spends it. But he doesn't know his rights. Max will learn what they are from UOKIK (Office of Competition and Consumer Protection), the institution that oversees consumer rights, including those of Max.

What can I buy?

Max wants to buy roller blades in a shop, but he is under eighteen. He has to remember that for this reason he cannot buy expensive things by himself. He should go to the shop with an adult. Otherwise, the shop assistant should refuse to sell him roller blades. But Max wouldn't give up. He found a shop where he bought the roller blades without telling the adults, but at home it turned out they wouldn’t accept his purchase. His mom checked the sales receipt for the shop where he bought the roller blades, returned them and got the money back. She could do that because Max was buying them without her knowledge and the money was already assigned to be spent on a holiday trip.

Finally, Max gave up the roller blades. He decided to buy something cheaper by himself, a book that cost PLN 35. Very smart choice - by law, Max can buy items which are not expensive, for example sweets, a notebook, a doughnut – items costing up to around PLN 40. In the shop he should always be getting his change and a receipt.

Receipt - a keyword

Max was wondering why he might need that piece of paper he got in the shop from the lady behind the counter. He wanted to throw it away, but ended up putting it in his pocket. That piece of paper is a receipt - it says what Max bought, from whom, when and how much he paid for it. He should be always getting it in a shop and not throw it away, regardless of whether he is buying a ticket, a book, or some juice. A receipt is like a key - it gives every consumer (including Max), a chance to notify the shop that the product is faulty. This process is called filing a complaint. Without the receipt, it would be hard to prove that Max bought the book precisely in that shop, since identical books are found at many other outlets. The same way, without his key, Max wouldn’t be able to open his own home.

Bad luck? File a complaint

Max bought a book that engrossed him entirely. His favorite hero was about to solve the riddle of the missing mystery treasure, when he turned the page, but twenty other pages were missing! What to do? Max has the right to file a complaint at all times, whenever the item is defective. Complaint – is a written notice to the seller that the product which Max bought does not meet his expectations. Usually it is a ready-made form on which we file a complaint and one that is available in every shop. Max has to know that complaints are filed by adults. That is why he should tell his mom, dad, aunt or other caretakers about the missing pages. Max, do you still remember about the receipt? You have to attach it to the complaint. You can file it within two years of the day on which you bought the book.

Roller blades through the Internet

Max has asked adults to file a complaint regarding the book, so he didn't know how it ended. He decided once again to try to convince them to buy roller blades. This time they were looking on the Internet together with his sister. They found an offer instantly: Roller blades – coolest ride ever! Incredible sale – one day only! Buy them and you won’t be sorry! Max's sister told him, they should check carefully who the seller is and see if his first and last name and a phone number are on the website. Then they called their parents and Max picked the model and size. They ordered the roller blades together and the adults paid up. It turned out that the seller has sent ones that were too big and that in reality they didn't look as well as on the picture. Max, don't worry - when consumers buy through the Internet they have ten days to return the product even when they just don't like it. Parents should just mail the roller blades back, enclosing the receipt and a letter informing the seller about their decision. Because Max and his sister have checked the seller's data before, adults know how to contact them. Buying rollerblades didn't work out, but in the end Max has gotten a new copy of the book - this time he was able to check how it ended because the seller accepted a complaint filed by adults.

S.O.S

Tell your parents first always in the case of problems with the seller - both online retailer and a traditional one, for example when you get incorrect change or you've got a payment notice because you have used the services of a paid website. Together you will think about what to do next. The parents can call a free of charge infoline 800 007 707 to learn how to deal with the problem. All the information is also available on a special website set up by UOKiK for the youngest consumers - www.konsumenckieabc.pl. We would like to encourage children, their parents, educators and teachers to visit the website.

Read the press release.