Q: When consumers buy goods from a retailer and these are returned, a credit note is usually issued. Can a retailer unilaterally decide the validity period of the credit note? If it expires, can the retailer refuse to accept it?

If this is the case, then the seller would have profited of the value of the credit note. Is this legal? For how long should a credit note be valid?

A: When consumers return a product to the seller because of a wrong buying decision, legally they have no right to claim a free of charge redress. Despite this, in such situations, consumers are usually offered the possibility to exchange the product or get a credit note which they can use at a later date.

Such credit notes are not regulated by law and therefore the seller may decide for how long they are valid and how they should be used by the consumer.

Once a credit note, with its terms and conditions of use, is given to the consumer, it is the latter’s responsibility to ensure that it is used while still valid and not after it expires as this may lead to losing its value.