Consumer rights in Slovakia: returns, faulty goods and disputes

Identify the type of purchase

This guide mainly covers goods bought by a consumer from a trader. Private sales, company-to-company contracts and business purchases using an IČO may follow different rules. Services, digital content, transport and financial products also have special provisions. Identify the seller on the invoice: the platform, courier or manufacturer may not be the contracting seller.

Fault-free goods: online and in-store purchases differ

Ordinary distance purchases of goods generally have a 14-day withdrawal period from receipt. Notify the seller within the deadline, then send goods back within 14 days of withdrawal, keeping proof. Service-contract periods generally start at conclusion. Specified unsolicited home visits and sales events have a 30-day period under the law.

Exceptions, subject to conditions, include personalised goods, perishables, unsealed hygiene-sensitive products and certain digital supplies after the required consent. Dated leisure tickets are not ordinary returnable online goods. Opening packaging does not automatically remove all rights, although handling beyond necessary inspection can reduce the refund.

Refunds are generally due within 14 days of notification, but the seller may withhold a goods refund until receiving the item or proof of dispatch. Standard initial delivery is refundable under statutory rules, not necessarily an upgrade surcharge. Consumers generally pay return postage if properly informed and the seller has not assumed it. Fault-free in-store returns depend on the shop’s voluntary policy.

Faulty goods: the seller’s liability

For new goods, sellers generally cover defects present at delivery that become apparent within two years. Report a defect within two months of discovering it and within the applicable liability period. Used-goods terms may be shortened, generally to no less than one year. Expected wear consistent with the agreed condition and normal use is not automatically a defect.

Repair or replacement normally comes first, where possible and proportionate. A price reduction or termination with refund arises under statutory conditions, for example failure to remedy properly, recurrence or sufficient seriousness. Not every fault entitles you to an immediate refund; minor defects restrict termination.

For contracts concluded from 31 July 2026, the liability period extends once by 12 months after the first repair of a defect, regardless of the number of repairs. Earlier contracts follow Civil Code §879aa’s transitional rule. This is a liability extension, not a fresh two-year period after every repair.

Making a fault complaint

1. Find the invoice, payment record or other purchase proof; record model, date and serial number. 2. Describe discovery and symptoms, adding photos or video. 3. Notify the seller and request a remedy. 4. Obtain written acknowledgement and the remedy deadline. 5. Keep handover records, correspondence and the outcome. Back up phones or computers and agree data-handling arrangements before handing them over.

Remedies must be free, timely and without significant inconvenience. Current rules normally cap the period at 30 days from notification, unless an objective cause outside the seller’s control justifies longer; the seller must prove that cause. Refunds are therefore not automatic in every case on day 31. Request a written reason for delay or rejection.

A short Slovak template: “Vytýkam vadu tovaru [názov, číslo objednávky], prevzatého dňa [dátum]. Vada sa prejavuje takto: [opis]. Zistil/a som ju dňa [dátum]. Žiadam odstránenie vady [opravou/výmenou] a písomné potvrdenie o vytknutí vady s uvedením lehoty na jej odstránenie.” Fill in the product, order, dates, symptoms and repair/replacement choice, attaching evidence. Adapt the template to the actual case.

If the seller refuses

Send a written request for redress (žiadosť o nápravu), keeping dispatch evidence. After rejection or no reply within 30 days, an appropriate alternative dispute resolution body (ARS) may help. SOI covers many, but not all, sectors. Applications may be refused for claims of €20 or less or filing more than a year after rejection or the reply deadline; check jurisdiction and filing rules.

SOI supervisory complaints and ARS are distinct. Inspection does not replace a court or automatically award you money. ARS seeks agreement; without it, a non-binding reasoned opinion may result. Court remedies remain available. The European Consumer Centre can assist with cross-border EU purchases. The old EU ODR platform closed on 20 July 2025 and no longer accepts disputes.