Q: A local salesman contacted me to install electrical panels on my roof. He came to my house and convinced me to place the order and pay a deposit of €200.

Now I feel that I have not made the right decision and think that I should have shopped around before committing myself.

Does the cooling-off period apply in this situation? Can I recover the deposit paid?

A: If the sale of the electrical panels was concluded at your house and, hence, away from the seller’s business premises, then legally you are entitled to a 14-day cooling-off period, applicable from the date you signed the contract of sale.

With the contract, you should have been given a cancellation form which you can fill in to cancel the sale. If you were not given such a form, then you should inform the seller in writing about your intention to end the sales agreement and that you are requesting a refund of the deposit.

It should also be pointed out that when an off-premises contract is concluded, the law stipulates that traders cannot request any payment from consumers before the delivery of goods. In cases where the goods are delivered in parts, the trader can only request the payment that represents the price of the part delivered.

Furthermore, if the trader requires the payment of a deposit, this must not exceed 10 per cent of the price of the goods ordered and is not be payable before 14 days from the date of the off-premises contract.

This means that the seller should not have requested you to pay the €200 deposit before the 14-day cooling-off period elapsed.