Complaint & Appeal: templates and forms

For a consumer in Italy who has already asked the seller to repair or replace a faulty product, without result: you ask for a proportionate price reduction, or declare the contract terminated and ask for the whole price back (Articles 135-bis and 135-quater of the Italian Consumer Code). It applies if the seller refuses or does not act within a reasonable time, if the defect comes back or if it is serious. Italian consumer associations also offer free models. Send this Italian letter by registered post with proof of receipt or by PEC to the seller’s certified address.

For a broadband, landline or mobile customer in France who wants to complain about a failing service or a bill, or to end the contract. As you choose: a complaint, a termination, which takes effect at the latest ten days after receipt (Article L. 224-39 of the French Consumer Code), or a termination without penalty after a change to the contract, within four months (Article L. 224-33). If you switch operator and keep your number, the new operator ends the old contract for you. In French, to send by registered post with proof of receipt.

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.

For a taxpayer whose complaint, request for remission or request for time to pay was rejected in whole or in part by the tax office, and who asks for a fresh look. The referral is free and can be made by simple e-mail; the conciliator's contact details are usually given on the refusal and on impots.gouv.fr. This French letter recalls the request, the decision disputed and your reasons. The referral stops neither payment nor the deadlines for going to court.

For a consumer in France whose order never arrived, arrived late or shows as 'delivered' without being received. The letter goes to the seller, not the carrier: the seller answers for the goods until you receive them. You choose either to give the seller formal notice to deliver within an extra period or, once that period has passed, to notify the end of the contract; the seller must then refund everything paid within 14 days (Articles L. 216-6 and L. 216-7 of the French Consumer Code). In French, to send by registered post with proof of receipt.

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.

For a consumer in Spain who already asked for a faulty product to be repaired or replaced and did not get it: the company did not do it within a reasonable time, refused, the fault came back or it is serious. The letter requires the seller to reduce the price in proportion or to end the contract and refund the money (arts. 119 to 119 ter of the Spanish Consumer Protection Act, TRLGDCU), and includes the invitation to negotiate that Spanish Organic Law 1/2025 requires before suing. Send it by burofax with certified content. In Spanish.

A Cypriot tenant's written notice asking the landlord to repair defects in the home, such as damp, leaks, electrical faults or a broken air conditioner. It describes the defects and when they were found, sets a deadline and gives a phone number to arrange the work, states that the rent will continue to be paid, and reserves a claim for damages if the repair is not made. It is sent by registered post, with photographs.

Marketing calls, messages and letters stop on an objection under Article 21 of the General Data Protection Regulation. Unlike the other rights, there is no balancing here and no exceptions: on an objection to direct marketing, processing for that purpose ends. The document lists the channels separately, because unsubscribing from the newsletter does not stop the phone calls.