Shopping

Updated : 12/2011

Buying services

New consumer rights in the EU

New EU legislation gives you more rights when you purchase services abroad, for example:

shopping at a supermarket
buying products online
getting your hair cut
contracting a construction company to build or renovate your house
booking your holidays at a travel agency
hiring a lawyer.

For these types of services, and others, you have the right to buy from a service provider located in another EU country without

price discrimination
having the seller refuse to sell to you simply because you live in a different EU country.

However, if there are objective reasons for the seller to refuse to sell to you, that seller may be within their rights.

You do not necessarily enjoy the same rights with certain services, notably financial and transport services.

Sample story

Insist on obtaining your new rights under EU law

Many companies and individuals offering services in the EU currently discriminate against customers living in a different EU country. Some will probably continue to do so, even with new EU rules in force.

If an online shop refuses to sell you an item, or a supermarket refuses to give you a loyalty card, or you are charged a higher booking fee for your holiday simply because you live in a different EU country, then your rights are not being respected.

To get help defending your rights in such a situation, contact your local European consumer centre.

Stay informed

Before offering you their service, traders in the EU are required to give you their contact details and detailed information on:

the main features and price of the service
the general conditions and clauses they intend to apply
the competent authorities or the professional bodies responsible for supervising them.

If you want to buy services from a seller based in a different EU country (such as an architect to design your house, or workmen to renovate it) you can use the contact point in your country [158 KB] to get information on:

the rules that apply to the seller
the means of redress available in case of a dispute
the associations and organisations which can help you.

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Footnote

In this case, the 27 EU member states + Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway

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