Price reduction or termination of the sale for a defect (Austria)
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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 declaration to the seller when repair or replacement of defective goods has failed, in Austria: you claim an appropriate price reduction or termination of the sale (formerly Wandlung), giving the ground, the amount, a payment deadline and your account. Under § 12 of the Austrian Consumer Warranty Act (VGG) for consumer purchases from 2022 and § 932 of the Austrian Civil Code (ABGB). Termination is excluded for a minor defect; a price reduction remains. After termination the seller pays for the return. The rights must reach a court within three months after the warranty period ends (§ 28 VGG). In German.
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
- Defect
- Date of the complaint
- Why repair or replacement failed (Austria)
- Price reduction or termination of the sale
- Amount claimed
- Payment deadline
- 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 the buyer claim a price reduction or termination of the sale in Austria?
- When repair and replacement are impossible or disproportionate for the seller, when the seller refuses them or does not carry them out within a reasonable time, when they would cause you considerable inconvenience, or when the defect is so serious that an immediate reduction or termination is justified (§ 12 VGG; outside the VGG, § 932 ABGB). You choose the ground in the letter, and you decide yourself between price reduction and termination.
- What became of Wandlung in Austria, and when is termination excluded?
- Wandlung is now called termination of the contract (Vertragsauflösung; § 12 VGG, § 932 ABGB). It is excluded for a minor defect, in which case the price reduction remains. The law sets no fixed percentage; whether a defect is minor is for the courts to judge case by case. After termination you return the goods at the seller's expense and the seller refunds the price, but may wait until it has the goods or proof that they were sent.
- Does the buyer still have to sue in Austria after this letter?
- If the seller does not pay, yes: warranty rights must be taken to court no later than three months after the warranty period ends (§ 28 VGG, § 933 ABGB), and a letter does not stop that clock. Alongside, you can turn to Verbraucherschlichtung Austria or, for online purchases, the Internet Ombudsstelle; both are free, and taking part is voluntary for the trader. Advice is available from the Arbeiterkammer or the VKI, for instance.
How you can sign this document
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