Request to end the sale or reduce the price for lack of conformity (France)
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This document is in French
The PDF you download is in French — that is the language it has to be filed in, so it is not translated. Everything on this page is here to tell you what it says.
For a consumer in France whose faulty item was not repaired or replaced: the seller refused, did nothing within thirty days, the defect persists after repair, or it is too serious to wait. You choose between ending the sale, with the price refunded against return of the item, and a price reduction while keeping it (Article L. 217-14 of the French Consumer Code). In French, to send by registered post with proof of receipt, with the proof of purchase and your first request.
- Made for use in France
- Last updated October 13, 2026
When to use this document
- The seller in France refused to repair or replace your faulty item and you want your money back.
- Your item was repaired but the same fault came back.
- The seller did nothing after your repair request and you would rather keep the item at a lower price.
- You want to ask the seller in writing to cancel the sale or cut the price of a faulty purchase.
What you fill in
The details the document asks for.
- Customer
- Customer's address
- Trader
- Trader's postal address (customer service)
- City
- Date
- Invoice number
- Product
- Date of purchase
- Price
- Defect
- Date of the complaint
- Why the item was not brought into conformity
- End the sale or reduce the price
- IBAN
Preview
This document is produced for you. Your answers are typed into it and the finished PDF is yours to keep.
Common questions
- When can a buyer in France ask to end the sale or for a price reduction?
- When the seller refuses to bring the item into conformity, when that is impossible, when it does not happen within thirty days or not without major inconvenience, when the defect persists despite an attempt, or straight away when the defect is serious enough to justify it (Article L. 217-14 of the French Consumer Code). Ending the sale is not available for a minor defect; only the price reduction remains. The letter offers these situations as choices; pick the one that fits your case.
- What happens to the item once the sale is ended for lack of conformity in France?
- You give it back to the seller, who refunds the price paid. The letter says the item is at the seller's disposal; agree on how it will be collected and keep a written record of the return. If you would rather keep the item, choose the price reduction instead: it must be proportionate to the difference between the value of the item received and the value it would have had without the defect.
- The seller refuses to end the sale or reduce the price: what free remedies exist in France?
- First go to the consumer mediator the seller belongs to: mediation is free for the consumer (Article L. 612-1 of the French Consumer Code), after a written complaint such as this letter. You can also report the dispute on SignalConso, the DGCCRF's free service, which passes the report to the business without deciding the dispute. After that, the tribunal judiciaire has jurisdiction; for a claim of up to €5,000, an attempt at an amicable settlement, for example before a free conciliateur de justice, is in principle required before going to court.
How you can sign this document
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