What a consumer is actually owed depends on where the seller sits. These pages set out the rules per jurisdiction, with the statute or regulation named, so you can see what a claim rests on before anyone writes a letter.
Consumer protection is not one body of law. Within the European Union it is harmonised to a floor that every member state must meet. The United Kingdom kept a comparable regime after leaving and then moved on separately. Australia has strong statutory guarantees that cannot be contracted away. Canada regulates at provincial level. The United States has no general federal right to cancel an online purchase at all, and the practical route there runs through the payment network rather than the courts.
That difference decides everything about how a claim is run. Below, per jurisdiction, what the rules are and which route actually gets money back.
| Jurisdiction | Cancellation right | What it rests on |
|---|---|---|
| European Union | 14 days, harmonised | Consumer Rights Directive, Sale of Goods Directive |
| United Kingdom | 14 days, plus a 30-day right to reject | Consumer Rights Act 2015, CCRs 2013 |
| United States | None as of right online | FTC Merchandise Rule, Fair Credit Billing Act, state law |
| Canada | Varies by province | Provincial consumer protection acts |
| Australia | None as of right, but strong guarantees | Australian Consumer Law |
| Netherlands | 14 days | Books 6 and 7, Dutch Civil Code |
A cancellation right and a defect claim are different things, everywhere. Cancellation is a window in which you may walk away for no reason, and it closes. A defect claim is about the seller failing to deliver what was agreed, and it lasts far longer. Consumers routinely lose a good defect claim because they framed it as a late cancellation.
Where the consumer and the seller sit in different countries, the first question is which law applies and which court may hear the case, not what the shop's terms say. Within the EU both are settled by regulation and both favour the consumer. See international recovery.
Know what you are entitled to but the seller will not respond? Submit the case and we will write on your behalf.