Request for repair or replacement under the legal guarantee (Italy)
Published byDocMuse
This document is in Italian
The PDF you download is in Italian — 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 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.
- Made for use in Italy
- Last updated October 14, 2026
Fill out the form
Your answers stay on this device for 7 days, or until you clear them.
Your answers appear in place as you type. The full wording is in the PDF you download.
When to use this document
- The washing machine you bought in Italy last year has stopped working.
- The shop sends you to the manufacturer instead of dealing with the repair itself.
- A phone ordered online developed a fault a few months after it was delivered.
- You want to ask the seller in writing to repair or replace a faulty product under the legal guarantee.
What you fill in
The details the document asks for.
- Customer
- Customer's address
- Sender's codice fiscale (Italian tax code)
- How the letter is sent (printed above the recipient)
- Seller
- Seller's postal address (for the complaint)
- City
- Date
- Product
- Date of purchase
- Date the goods were received
- Purchase reference (receipt, invoice or order number)
- Defect
- Date the defect appeared
- Repair or replacement
Common questions
- Under the Italian legal guarantee, do I turn to the seller or the manufacturer?
- To the seller: by law it is the seller who answers to the consumer for lack of conformity (Articles 128 ff. of the Italian Consumer Code), even if someone else made the product. The manufacturer’s commercial guarantee, if any, comes on top and takes nothing away from the legal guarantee. For contracts concluded from 1 January 2022 there is no longer a duty to report the defect within two months of discovering it, but it is wise to write at once. The MIMIT website explains the legal guarantee free of charge, and Italian consumer associations also offer free models.
- How long does the legal guarantee last in Italy, and what changes after the first year?
- The seller answers for defects existing at delivery that appear within two years of delivery (Article 133 of the Italian Consumer Code); for second-hand goods the parties may shorten this, but not below one year. If the defect appears in the first year it is presumed to have existed at delivery (Article 135); after that, you have to prove it, for example with an expert report. A court action is time-barred 26 months after delivery, so do not let time pass after a refusal.
- What can I do in Italy if the seller neither repairs nor replaces the product?
- If the seller refuses, does not act within a reasonable time, or the defect comes back or is very serious, you may ask for a proportionate price reduction or end the contract (Article 135-bis of the Italian Consumer Code), with a second letter. Until the seller performs, you may also withhold any part of the price still owed. If the seller is based in another EU country, the European Consumer Centre Italy helps free of charge; otherwise a court claim remains.
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 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.