As part of the commemorations marking World Consumer Rights Day, which took place on 15 March, ANACOM launched a video highlighting the precautions which consumers should take when entering into contracts concluded at a distance, i.e. by telephone, over the Internet or through door-to-door sales agents. These contracts impose stricter obligations on operators, with the aim of protecting consumers, who, in these situations and in most cases, do not have time to reflect before subscribing.
In ANACOM's videohttps://anacom-consumidor.pt/-/contratos-por-telefone-e-porta-a-porta, available on its Consumers' Website, it is explained that:
- operators are required to provide a set of information before contracts are concluded (on prices, included services, lock-in period, penalty for breach of contract and conditions governing cancellation of contract in case of withdrawal by the customer);
- operators are obliged to send the conditions which have been agreed by telephone, within a maximum of 5 consecutive days and using a medium that can serve as proof, for example paper, SMS or email;
- the rules of telephone contracts vary depending on whether or not the call is made by the operator or the customer;
- to be valid, door-to-door contracts must be written and signed;
- operators are obliged to inform consumers that they have a period of 14 days to cancel contracts and, where they fail to do so, consumers then have 12 months.
The subject of distance contracts was addressed by ANACOM at the information session in Póvoa de Varzim, and will also be addressed on 26 March in Porto, organised by DGC - Direção Geral do Consumidor (Directorate General for the Consumer), held as part of a programme of events taking place in several cities of the country, between 6 and 26 March. ANACOM was also present at the meeting held in Coimbra on 13 March.
To mark World Consumer Rights Day, on 6 March, ANACOM also launched the leaflet ''Are you going to buy any of these devices?''https://www.anacom.pt/render.jsp?contentId=1431827 highlighting what consumers should check for before purchasing radio or electronic communications equipment. The leaflet is being distributed as part of the information programme organized by DGC and will also be available in all CIAC - Centros de Informação Autárquicos (Local Authority Information Centres) across the country.
Consult:
- Vídeo ''Contratos à distância - Cuidados a ter''https://anacom-consumidor.pt/-/contratos-por-telefone-e-porta-a-porta
- Portal do Consumidor da ANACOM ''Dia do Consumidor: 15/3''https://anacom-consumidor.pt/-/dia-do-consumidor-15-3
- Portal do Consumidor da ANACOM ''O consumidor de comunicações eletrónicas em 2017 (infografia)''https://anacom-consumidor.pt/-/o-consumidor-de-comunicacoes-eletronicas-em-2017
- ANACOM alerts consumers to the requirements to be verified before purchasing radio and electronic communications equipmenthttps://www.anacom.pt/render.jsp?contentId=1431831
Further information:
- Direção-Geral do Consumidor
https://www.consumidor.gov.pt/
