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Difference between revisions of "Making a Purchase"
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Under BC law, you have a cooling-off period when you sign a contract: | Under BC law, you have a cooling-off period when you sign a contract: | ||
* for a product or service you buy at home: for any direct sales contract, where you buy something in person at a place other than the seller’s permanent place of business, you have a cooling-off period of 10 days after you receive a copy of the contract | * for a '''product or service you buy at home''': for any direct sales contract, where you buy something in person at a place other than the seller’s permanent place of business, you have a cooling-off period of 10 days after you receive a copy of the contract | ||
* to join a fitness club or yoga studio: for any continuing service contract, where you receive services on an ongoing basis, you have a cooling-off period of 10 days after you receive a copy of the contract | * to '''join a fitness club or yoga studio''': for any continuing service contract, where you receive services on an ongoing basis, you have a cooling-off period of 10 days after you receive a copy of the contract | ||
* for cellphone service: you have a cooling-off period of 15 days after your cellphone service begins | * for '''cellphone service''': you have a cooling-off period of 15 days after your cellphone service begins | ||
* to lease a car: you have a one clear day cooling-off period after you sign the lease | * to '''lease a car''': you have a one clear day cooling-off period after you sign the lease | ||
* to buy a newly-built condo: you have a cooling-off period of seven days after you sign the contract or acknowledge seeing the developer’s disclosure statement, whichever comes later | * to '''buy a newly-built condo''': you have a cooling-off period of seven days after you sign the contract or acknowledge seeing the developer’s disclosure statement, whichever comes later | ||
===Giving notice during the cooling-off period=== | |||
If you decide you do not want to go ahead with a purchase during the cooling-off period, you need to give the other party written notice telling them this. Once they get the notice, you have no further legal obligations under the contract. | |||
The number of days starts counting on the day after the cooling-off period begins. Let’s say you sign up for a fitness club membership on February 10 and they give you a copy of the contract when you sign up. Your 10-day cooling-off period starts counting the next day, on February 11, and goes up to and including February 20. | |||
===No cooling-off period=== | |||
Even though there is a cooling-off period when you lease a car, there is no cooling-off period when you buy a car. In fact, most purchases have no cooling-off period. | |||
Examples of common purchases where there is no cooling-off period in British Columbia include: | |||
* making a retail purchase, whether in a store or online | |||
* booking a flight | |||
* buying or financing a car | |||
* buying a home (except if it’s a newly-built condo) | |||
===What if you change your mind and there is no cooling-off period?=== | |||
You get something home and decide you don't like it, can't afford it, or could find it cheaper somewhere else. Can you bring it back even if there is no cooling-off period? | |||
Generally, no you can’t. But many retail stores have a return policy that allows you to bring goods back, on certain conditions. They may say items need to be returned within a certain number of days, or items may be exchanged but not returned for a refund. Many stores post their return policy near the cash register or state it on the back of their receipt. | |||
In law, a return policy that is posted in the store or included on your receipt would become a term of your sale contract with the store. The result is that you have the legal right to return items within the terms set out in the return policy. | |||
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