Retailers must inform consumers about guarantee

For whom?

• retailers who sell products to consumers
• online shops that sell products to consumers

What has changed?

Do you sell products to consumers? You must provide them with clearer information on their right to statutory guarantee (legal guarantee) and any additional manufacturer’s guarantee (warranty). You have to use new European guarantee labels to do so. This applies to both physical shops as well as online shops.

There are 2 types of labelling:

The EU legal guarantee notice (harmonised notice): this notice is always mandatory. With this notice you inform your customers about their legal guarantee rights: this label is mandatory.

The EU GARAN label: this label is compulsory under certain conditions. It provides information about an additional manufacturer’s guarantee.

EU harmonised notice on the legal guarantee of conformity

You must clearly show the EU legal guarantee notice before the customer buys a product. To this end you use a standard European document with a QR code You do not need to draw up the document yourself.

In your physical shop: make sure the notice is in a prominent place, for example near the till (cash register). Use A4 size or larger.

In your online shop: make sure the notice catches people’s eyes before they buy a product. It should be in a clearly visible spot, for example in the header of your website or on the product page. You may also use a clear link that leads tot the notice. A reference in the terms and conditions alone is not sufficient.

With the QR code consumers can access more information on the statutory guarantee. You must also put a clickable link to the same information on your online shop’s website.

You must also supply your customer with the notice after their purchase, for example via email.

EU GARAN label for additional (commercial) guarantee

The EU GARAN label is mandatory if:

• the manufacturer offers more than 2 years guarantee (warranty) at no additional cost
• the guarantee applies to the entire product, not just part of it
• the manufacturer has informed you of this guarantee

You do not have to look for this information yourself on the manufacturer’s website. 

On the label you state the duration of the guarantee, the manufacturer’s name and the name of the product model.

The label must be clearly visible in your shop and must be placed with the product it applies to. In your online shop you must show the label right before the customer places their order. You must also supply your customer with the full label after their purchase, for example via email. A link to the label alone is not sufficient.

Official EU labels

You must use the official European guarantee labels. You can find the labels and practical guidelines on the European Commissions’ website in all EU languages. On the website of the Netherlands Authority for Consumers and Markets (ACM) you can find the labels and an explanation of how to use them in Dutch. Note that you are not allowed to adjust the colours, design, texts, or QR codes yourself.