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Notice of defects in goods, demanding repair, replacement or a price cut, in German (Switzerland)
Switzerland · in German · for consumers
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Made for use in Switzerland
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For buyers in Switzerland whose goods are faulty, in German: gives notice of the defect under Art. 201 CO as soon as it is found, and demands with a deadline repair under the guarantee terms, a fault-free replacement (Art. 206 CO), a price reduction or the unwinding of the sale (Art. 205 CO). Claims become time-barred two years after delivery (Art. 210 CO). Swiss law has no right to return goods bought online when nothing is wrong with them. Send it by registered post.
- Made for use in Switzerland
- Last updated November 4, 2026
Published byDocMuse
When to use this document
- A new appliance you bought from a shop in Switzerland has broken down.
- Goods you ordered online arrived damaged or do not work properly.
- The seller just refers you to the manufacturer and you want to report the fault in writing.
- You want a repair, a replacement or money off for faulty goods bought in Switzerland.
What you fill in
The details the document asks for.
- Buyer
- Buyer's address
- Seller
- Seller's address
- City
- Date
- Description of the item
- Date of purchase
- Price
- Invoice number
- Noticed on
- Defect
- What you demand: repair, replacement, price reduction or unwinding the sale
- Deadline
- IBAN
Common questions
- Can I simply return goods bought online in Switzerland?
- Not by law: unlike in the EU, Switzerland has no right of withdrawal for online purchases; you can return goods only if the shop offers it voluntarily. A statutory 14-day withdrawal right exists for doorstep and telephone sales where the customer pays more than CHF 100 (Art. 40a ff. CO). This letter is for goods with a defect, which the seller must answer for under the warranty.
- How quickly must I report a defect in Switzerland?
- At once. You must inspect the goods as soon as is practical in the normal course of business and report visible defects immediately; a hidden defect you report immediately after discovering it (Art. 201 CO). Waiting too long loses the warranty for that defect. So send the notice within a few days, by registered post, and keep the receipts. For building materials built into a house whose defect they caused, the period has been 60 days since 2026 (Art. 201 para. 4 CO).
- Am I entitled to a repair, a replacement or my money back in Switzerland?
- The law gives you rescission — return against a refund — or a price reduction (Art. 205 CO), and for generic goods also a fault-free replacement (Art. 206 CO). A right to repair exists only where the contract or guarantee provides it; many shops replace the statutory warranty with a repair guarantee in their terms. That is allowed in principle, but not for defects the seller fraudulently concealed (Art. 199 CO).
- How long does the warranty on a purchase last in Switzerland?
- Claims become time-barred two years after delivery of the goods (Art. 210 para. 1 CO). When you buy from a trader for personal or family use, the trader may not cut this below two years, or one year for second-hand goods (Art. 210 para. 4 CO). The notice of defects alone does not stop the clock: if the seller does not give in, file a conciliation request with your canton's conciliation authority before the period ends (Art. 135 CO).
How you can sign this document
- Print it and sign by hand. The signature lines in the document are left blank on purpose — sign on them in ink.
- Sign it yourself with a qualified electronic signature. If you already hold a QES — Evrotrust, B-Trust, StampIT, ZealiD or any qualified provider on the EU Trusted List, on a card, a USB token, in a mobile app or in the cloud — our signing guide explains step by step how to sign this exact file without invalidating it. Step-by-step help, and a way to check it worked
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