Withdrawal Exceptions
The cases listed in Article 15 of the Distance Contracts Regulation in which the right of withdrawal cannot be used. Personalised products prepared in line with the consumer's requests or personal needs, and goods whose protective elements have been opened and whose return is not suitable in terms of health and hygiene, fall within this scope.
The shared logic of the exceptions is that the goods are not resaleable once taken back. A product manufactured to order cannot be sold to another customer, so it is left outside the right.
- Goods prepared or personalised in line with the consumer's requests.
- Goods that spoil quickly or whose expiry date may pass.
- Goods whose return is not suitable in terms of health and hygiene once their protective elements have been opened.
- Books, digital content and computer consumables supplied on a physical medium, where the packaging has been opened.
- Services performed instantly in electronic form and intangible goods delivered instantly to the consumer.
On the industrial control side this exception comes up most often in custom production work: boards loaded with parameters or software specific to you, cable harnesses prepared to custom lengths and kits that do not appear in the standard catalogue may fall within this scope. Before ordering, clarify whether the product is standard or prepared specifically for you; that distinction directly determines your right of return.
The context in which this term is used: Return and cancellation terms