Consumer complaints, returns and refunds in Bulgaria
In Bulgaria a seller is liable for goods that turn out faulty or not as described when the fault shows within two years of delivery. The seller owes a free repair or replacement and, where that is impossible or does not happen within a reasonable time, a price reduction or a refund. For purchases made online, by phone or away from the trader's premises, the Consumer Protection Act (Закон за защита на потребителите) adds a right to withdraw within 14 days without giving a reason: for goods the period runs from delivery, for services from the day the contract is made. The cost of sending goods back falls on the buyer unless the trader agreed to cover it or did not mention it before the sale.
The documents are in Bulgarian, the language a Bulgarian trader, bank or regulator works in, and each page describes its document in English. For faulty goods there is the complaint about faulty goods (рекламация), and for poor work the complaint about a service, which states whether you want the work redone, the defects put right or the price cut. An online purchase is returned with the notice of withdrawal from a distance contract, and money paid for a service that never happened is claimed with the refund request. A card payment or transfer you did not authorise is disputed with the bank using the dispute of an unauthorised payment, without undue delay and no later than 13 months after the debit date.
A mobile, internet or television subscription is ended with a written termination notice, and an electricity, water or heating bill that does not match consumption is challenged with an objection to the supplier. If a trader ignores or rejects a complaint, the Consumer Protection Commission (КЗП) takes complaints from consumers; the complaint to the commission goes with copies of the original complaint and the proof of purchase. When you leave something for repair, the record of an item handed in for repair shows the state it went in, which a later complaint about the repair rests on. Each template is filled in online and downloaded as a finished PDF, or blank; none of it is legal advice.
The documents
9 forms available to fill out or download.
Record of an item handed in for repair
You are leaving a phone, a laptop, an appliance or a machine at a repair shop. The record describes the item, the visible damage at the point of handover and the fault reported — and fixes whether a deadline and an estimated price were given. It is also the document a later complaint about a poor repair rests on, because it shows the condition the item was in when it went in.
Complaint about a poorly performed service
A complaint about a service follows a different logic from one about goods: nothing is returned, and what you ask for is that the work be done again, that the defects be put right, or that the price be reduced. The document sets out what was agreed, what was delivered and which of the three you are choosing — the choice is yours and has to be stated, or the trader makes it for you.
Dispute of an unauthorised payment transaction
Where a payment was not made or authorised by you, tell the bank at once — delay shifts the risk onto you. The dispute describes the transaction by date, amount and payee, says where the card was at that moment, and asks for the money back. File it in writing with a reference number, even if you have already phoned the call centre.
Request for a refund for a service not performed
You paid in advance and the service was never performed — a trip cancelled, a tradesman who never came, a course that never started. The request states what was paid, when and for what, establishes that the service was not provided, and sets a period for the money to be returned. Attach the proof of payment: without it the argument turns into whether there was a payment at all.
Complaint to the Consumer Protection Commission
The next step when a trader does not answer a complaint or rejects it. The commission examines complaints about unfair practices and about refusals of consumer complaints. The order matters: first a complaint to the trader, then one to the commission — a complaint with no prior attempt to resolve the matter is usually sent back. Attach a copy of the complaint and of the proof of purchase.
Notice to terminate a subscription contract
For a mobile operator, an internet or a television service. Ringing the call centre does not terminate a contract — the request has to be in writing and has to leave a trace of having been made. The notice identifies the contract, the service and the termination date, and asks for written confirmation and a final bill, which is exactly what is missing in a later argument about charges.
Objection to a utility bill
A bill for electricity, water or heating that does not match actual consumption is challenged in writing with the supplier, before paying under protest or letting it reach disconnection. The objection identifies the invoice, the meter reading and the ground. Keep proof that you filed it — that is what halts further action on the account.
Notice of withdrawal from a distance contract
The right to return an online purchase within fourteen days without giving a reason. The period runs from when the goods were received, not from the order, and it is met if you send the notice within it — even if the goods start their journey back later. The form identifies the order and the account the refund goes to.
Complaint about faulty goods
When something you have bought breaks, or turns out not to be what was promised, the trader owes you a repair, a replacement or your money back — but by law the complaint has to be made in writing. This form does that: what you bought, when, what is wrong with it and what you are asking for. Keep a copy with a reference number, or proof of posting; without evidence that you made the complaint, time does not run in your favour.