Withdrawal, legal guarantee, complaints and cancellations for consumers in Italy
Anyone in Italy who buys online, by phone or from a doorstep seller can withdraw within 14 days without giving reasons (notice of withdrawal); the seller’s model form and, for contracts concluded from 19 June 2026, the «Recedere dal contratto qui» button are free. If goods break within two years of delivery, the seller is liable, not the manufacturer (repair or replacement); if the seller does nothing, you ask for a price reduction or termination. A parcel paid for and never delivered is chased with a new deadline (non-delivery), and a charge you never authorised is disputed with your own bank within 13 months (unauthorised payments).
The documents are written in Italian, under Italian law, for all of Italy. In regulated sectors the letter is the first step of a free route: the complaint to an energy or water supplier opens ARERA’s conciliation service, compulsory for electricity and gas before court; the complaint to a phone operator opens conciliation on AGCOM’s ConciliaWeb, also compulsory; the complaint to an insurer opens the Arbitro Assicurativo after 45 days. A phone contract can be ended at any time on at most 30 days’ notice (ending a phone contract), and nothing is owed for a contract you never asked for.
A cancelled or badly delayed flight gives 250, 400 or 600 € per person (flight compensation); for a package holiday you claim a price reduction and damages for a ruined holiday. The set also covers cancelling a gym or other subscription or an insurance policy, and a formal demand to a trader. Updated 13 October 2026; DocMuse is a private paid service: these are not official documents and not legal advice.
The documents
15 forms available to fill out or download.
Complaint to a phone, internet or pay-TV operator (Italy)
For anyone in Italy with a landline, mobile, internet or pay-TV contract who disputes a bill, a charge never asked for, a fault, a slow line or a botched switch to another operator: the written complaint to the operator is the first step, and the operator must answer within 45 days. If the answer does not satisfy you, conciliation on AGCOM’s ConciliaWeb platform, through your region’s CORECOM, is free, online and compulsory before going to court. Send this Italian letter by PEC to the operator’s certified address or by registered post with proof of receipt; the complaints channel in the service charter also counts.
Written complaint to an electricity, gas or water supplier (Italy)
For anyone in Italy with an electricity, gas or water contract who disputes a bill, a catch-up charge, a wrong meter reading or a poor service: the written complaint to the supplier or water operator is the first, free step, and without it the conciliation procedure is not open. For electricity and gas the supplier must give a reasoned reply within 30 days; if it does not satisfy you, the ARERA conciliation service is free, online and compulsory before going to court. The supplier also offers its own complaint form. Send this Italian letter by PEC to the supplier’s certified address or by registered post with proof of receipt.
Notice cancelling an insurance policy (Italy)
For anyone in Italy who wants to end an insurance policy – home, accident, liability, health – at expiry so that it does not renew tacitly, or to withdraw from a policy lasting more than five years once five years have passed (Article 1899 of the Italian Civil Code). The notice period is the one the policy sets and counts from receipt of the letter. Motor liability insurance, by contrast, needs no notice: it never renews tacitly. Many insurers also accept cancellation free of charge from the customer area or through the agent. Send this Italian letter by PEC to the insurer’s certified address or by registered post with proof of receipt.
Delivery reminder and termination for goods not delivered (Italy)
For a consumer in Italy who paid for an online order, or for goods to be delivered home, and has not received them by the promised date or, failing one, within 30 days: you invite the seller to deliver by a new, appropriate deadline and announce that otherwise you will terminate the contract and ask for everything paid back (Article 61 of the Italian Consumer Code). The risk of loss in transit stays with the seller until delivery (Article 63). Send this Italian letter by registered post with proof of receipt or by PEC to the seller’s certified address.
Cancelling a gym membership or another subscription (Italy)
For anyone in Italy who wants to end a subscription – gym, swimming pool, magazine, online service – or stop it renewing: the letter gives notice at expiry, withdraws on the contract’s terms or, if a documented illness or injury prevents you from using the service, asks for termination because performance has become impossible (Articles 1463 and 1464 of the Italian Civil Code). Italy has no specific law on gyms: the contract and the Italian Consumer Code’s rules on unfair terms decide. Many providers state in the contract how to cancel. Send this Italian letter by PEC to the company’s certified address or by registered post with proof of receipt.
Claim for compensation for a cancelled or delayed flight or denied boarding (Italy)
For a passenger whose flight was cancelled with less than 14 days’ notice, arrived three hours or more late, or who was denied boarding: you ask the airline that operated the flight for 250, 400 or 600 € per person, depending on distance (EU Regulation 261/2004), unless there were extraordinary circumstances. It covers flights leaving an EU airport and flights into the EU on a European airline. Many airlines offer a free online form; with no answer within six weeks, a complaint to Italy’s civil aviation authority ENAC is free and online. This Italian letter goes by registered post with proof of receipt, or by PEC if the airline has a certified address.
Complaint to an insurance company (Italy)
For a policyholder, insured person or injured party in Italy who disputes with an insurer a claim left unpaid or paid in part, a delay, a wrong premium or an agent’s conduct: the written complaint to the insurer’s complaints office is the first, free step. If within 45 days there is no answer or it does not satisfy, since 15 January 2026 you can turn to IVASS’s Arbitro Assicurativo, online, for a 20 € fee refunded if you win. Insurers also offer a complaint form on their websites. Send this Italian letter by PEC to the insurer’s certified address or by registered post with proof of receipt.
Price reduction or termination for a defect not repaired (Italy)
For a consumer in Italy who has already asked the seller to repair or replace a faulty product, without result: you ask for a proportionate price reduction, or declare the contract terminated and ask for the whole price back (Articles 135-bis and 135-quater of the Italian Consumer Code). It applies if the seller refuses or does not act within a reasonable time, if the defect comes back or if it is serious. Italian consumer associations also offer free models. Send this Italian letter by registered post with proof of receipt or by PEC to the seller’s certified address.
Repudiating a contract you never asked for (energy, phone) (Italy)
For anyone in Italy who finds a contract in their name that they never asked for – electricity or gas moved to another supplier, a phone line or service switched on, a subscription – often after a phone call or doorstep visit: you repudiate the contract and ask for it to stop, for the bills to be cancelled and for a refund. A consumer owes nothing for an unsolicited supply, and silence is not consent (Article 66-quinquies of the Italian Consumer Code). For electricity and gas, ARERA has a restoration procedure; Altroconsumo publishes a free model. Send this Italian letter by PEC to the company’s certified address or by registered post.
Notice ending a phone, internet or pay-TV contract (Italy)
For anyone in Italy who wants to end a landline, mobile, internet or pay-TV contract, even before it expires: the law lets you withdraw at any time, on no more than thirty days’ notice and without costs other than those justified by the operator’s own costs (Article 1(3) of Italian decree-law 7/2007, the «decreto Bersani»). Operators also offer free cancellation channels in the customer area or in their shops; to move to another operator and keep your number, just go to the new one. This Italian letter proves the date: send it by PEC to the operator’s certified address or by registered post with proof of receipt.
Package-holiday complaint and claim for a ruined holiday (Italy)
For a traveller who bought a package holiday from an Italian organiser – flight and hotel, cruise, organised tour – and found services other than those promised: you ask the organiser for a price reduction, reimbursement of expenses and damages, including damages for a ruined holiday (Articles 42, 43 and 46 of the Italian Tourism Code). Defects must be reported promptly during the trip, to the organiser or the travel agency; damages are claimed within three years of returning. Italian chambers of commerce publish free guides on package travel. Send this Italian letter by PEC to the organiser’s certified address or by registered post with proof of receipt.
Disputing unauthorised payment transactions with your bank (Italy)
For an account or card holder in Italy who finds charges they never made or authorised (cloned or stolen card, phishing, unknown transfers): you dispute them with your own bank – not the merchant – without delay and at the latest within 13 months of the debit (Article 9 of Italian Legislative Decree 11/2010), and ask for a refund by the end of the next working day (Article 11). Block the card first through the bank’s free number. If the bank rejects the complaint, the Arbitro Bancario Finanziario decides online for a 20 € fee. Send this Italian letter by PEC to the bank’s certified address or by registered post with proof of receipt.
Notice of withdrawal from an online or off-premises purchase (Italy)
For a consumer in Italy who bought online, by phone, by mail order or from a doorstep seller and has changed their mind: you withdraw within 14 days without giving reasons (Article 52 of the Italian Consumer Code) and ask for everything you paid back within 14 days. The model form the seller must give you and, for contracts concluded from 19 June 2026, the «Recedere dal contratto qui» button on shopping websites are free and enough on their own. This Italian letter leaves written proof: send it by registered post with proof of receipt (raccomandata A/R) or by PEC to the seller’s certified e-mail address.
Request for repair or replacement under the legal guarantee (Italy)
For a consumer in Italy whose purchase, made in a shop or online, breaks or does not work as it should within two years of delivery: you ask the seller – not the manufacturer – to repair or replace it free of charge (Articles 128 ff. of the Italian Consumer Code). If the defect appears within a year of delivery, it is presumed to have existed then. The Italian business ministry (MIMIT) explains the legal guarantee free on its website; no particular form is required, but a written request proves the date and content. Send this Italian letter by registered post with proof of receipt or by PEC to the seller’s certified address.
Formal demand to perform and notice of default to a trader (Italy)
For a consumer in Italy who paid a trader – a shop, a tradesman, a service company – and did not get what was agreed, or was charged sums not owed: you formally call on the trader in writing to perform within at least 15 days, put it in default (Article 1219 of the Italian Civil Code) and interrupt limitation (Article 2943). You choose whether, once the deadline passes, the contract ends by law (Article 1454) or you will sue for performance. Energy, phone, bank and insurance disputes also have a free sector route. Send this Italian letter by registered post with proof of receipt or by PEC to the trader’s certified address.
Can't find the document you need?
Asking is free. Tell us which form or letter you need, for which country and in which language. We write the ones people ask for — leave your email and we will tell you when yours is ready.