To protect the rights of consumers, the government approved a new version of the draft law developed by the Ministry of Economy of Ukraine together with BRDO experts.
This is about modern mechanisms for consumer protection. Additionally, the draft law is aimed at fulfilling Ukraine’s obligations under the Association Agreement and the implementation of EU legislation.
Why is this important?
Today, consumer rights are not fully protected due to outdated laws. The current law on consumer protection has been in force since May 12, 1991.
What changes does the document provide for?
Consumers will have more opportunities to protect their rights and interests in case of their violation, in particular:
- New tools for consumer protection in e-commerce are introduced. For example, access to websites that contain no vendor information may be restricted.
- The list of unfair business practices was extended. For example, making invited product reviews to raise/lower the rating will be considered an unfair business practice and be fined UAH 25.5 thousand.
- The rights of consumers who buy goods with digital content are defined. If new updates are required to ensure the proper quality and safety of a product with digital content, consumers have the right to obtain it along with the information about its availability.
- A minimum warranty period (at least 2 years for new products and at least 1 year for second-hand goods) was established.
- Consumer rights are expanded in cases when purchased products are found to be defective. All goods will be returned for repair at the seller’s expense (under the current law, only those goods weighing more than 5 kg can be returned). If a product is beyond repair, the period for its replacement is reduced from 2 months to 14 days.
- The rights and obligations of buyers and sellers in case of pre-payment for goods are defined. Prepayment is accompanied by a mandatory contract that can be terminated by a buyer if he/she has not received the goods within the prescribed period. In this case, a seller is obliged to refund the money within 14 days.
We hope the draft law will be promptly adopted in the parliament!