Notice of a defect: demand for repair or replacement (Austria)
Published byDocMuse
This document is in German
The PDF you download is in German — 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.
The notice to the seller when goods you bought are defective, in Austria: you rely on the statutory warranty (Gewährleistung), ask at your choice for repair or replacement, and set a dated deadline. Under the Austrian Consumer Warranty Act (VGG) for purchases from 2022 and §§ 922 ff of the Austrian Civil Code (ABGB), with the first-year presumption (§ 11 VGG). Note: the rights must be taken to court no later than three months after the warranty period ends; the letter alone does not stop that clock. In German, ready to sign and send by registered post or e-mail.
What you fill in
The details the document asks for.
- Buyer
- Buyer's address
- Seller
- Seller's postal address (for the complaint)
- City
- Date
- Invoice number
- Date of purchase
- Item
- Price
- Date the goods were received
- Date discovered
- Defect
- When the defect came to light
- Repair or replacement (Austria)
- Deadline
Preview
This document is produced for you. Your answers are typed into it and the finished PDF is yours to keep.
Common questions
- How long does the statutory warranty last in Austria, and what is the three-month period?
- For goods, two years from delivery (§ 10 VGG, § 933 ABGB); for used goods one year may have been agreed. The defect must come to light within that time. After it, there are three more months to take the rights to court (§ 28 VGG). This letter alone does not stop the clock: if the seller does not give in, the claim must be filed before the period runs out. A defect that shows in the first year is presumed to have existed at delivery (§ 11 VGG).
- Can the buyer choose between repair and replacement in Austria?
- Yes. First you ask, at your choice, for repair or replacement, unless the one chosen is impossible or disproportionately costly for the seller (§ 12 VGG, § 932 ABGB). The seller must carry it out within a reasonable time, free of charge and with as little inconvenience to you as possible. For sales from 1 October 2026 a repair extends the warranty period by one year, and the seller must tell you about the choice and the extension (WaRUG).
- Is a manufacturer's guarantee the same as the statutory warranty in Austria?
- No. The warranty (Gewährleistung) is the seller's statutory liability for defects present at delivery; a trader cannot exclude it towards consumers. A guarantee (Garantie) is a voluntary extra promise, usually the manufacturer's, and must point to the statutory warranty. Both apply side by side; this letter goes to the seller. Between private persons, on the other hand, the warranty can be excluded entirely (OGH 4 Ob 96/24g).
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
DocMuse sells documents, not legal advice. Acceptance always depends on the recipient's rules and your local law.
Related documents
- Complaint to a trader with a deadline before conciliation (Austria)
Your written attempt to settle with a trader in Austria before turning to a conciliation body: which contract, what went wrong, what you ask for and by when. The recognised conciliation bodies — the Verbraucherschlichtung Austria, the Internet Ombudsstelle and the sector bodies — may refuse a case that was not first raised with the trader, or that is filed more than a year afterwards (Austria's Alternative Dispute Resolution Act, AStG). This complaint is that first step, and your proof of it. In German.
- Ending a household, liability or legal-expenses insurance (Austria)
A letter ending your household contents, personal liability or legal-expenses insurance in Austria: at the end of the insurance period or term; under § 8 Abs 3 of Austria's Insurance Contract Act (VersVG), for a contract of more than three years, on one month's notice for the end of the third and each later year; or after a claim. With policy number, type of insurance, start date, revocation of the direct debit and a request for written confirmation. Motor insurance has its own document. In German.
- Application for conciliation at the Verbraucherschlichtung Austria or the Internet Ombudsstelle (Austria)
Both conciliation bodies offer their own free online form. This document is your written application — to send, or as ready text to paste into the form: the trader, the contract, the facts, your earlier complaint and the answer, what you ask for and the amount, with the declarations a conciliation body needs. The Internet Ombudsstelle handles contracts made online, the Verbraucherschlichtung Austria all other consumer contracts. Free; taking part is voluntary for the trader (Austria's Alternative Dispute Resolution Act, AStG). In German.
- Objection to a mobile or internet bill (Austria)
A written objection to a bill from your mobile, landline or internet provider in Austria: with the bill's number and date, the amount disputed and the reasons, such as unknown premium services, roaming, data use or charges billed twice. You ask for the charges to be reviewed and confirmed or corrected in writing (§ 145 of Austria's Telecommunications Act, TKG 2021), with an itemised bill, and pay the undisputed part. Object within three months of the bill; it opens the way to free conciliation at the RTR, Austria's telecoms regulator. In German.
- Objection to an electricity or gas price change (Austria)
E-Control, Austria's energy regulator, offers a free model letter for this. This document is your own objection to a price or terms change announced by your electricity or gas supplier in Austria. For electricity, households can object within four weeks of receiving the notice, free and whatever the binding period (§ 21 of Austria's Electricity Act, ElWG); the contract then ends after the statutory period, on the old terms until then. Outside a binding period you can also give two weeks' notice (§ 24 ElWG). Gas is governed by the GWG 2011. With customer number, metering point and a request to confirm the end date. In German.
- Application for conciliation at E-Control – electricity and gas (Austria)
E-Control, Austria's energy regulator, offers its own free online form for its conciliation body. This document is your written application — to send by post or email, or as ready text to paste into that form: the company, metering point, the facts, your earlier complaint and the answer, what you ask for and the amount in dispute, with your consent to its being passed to the company. For disputes with electricity or gas companies about bills, switching or disconnection (§ 26 E-ControlG). Free; the companies must take part. In German.