Buyer protection: calming promise or dangerous illusion?

Buyer protection: calming promise or dangerous illusion?

Dorsten, Deutschland - On March 23, 2025, World Consumer Day is dedicated to the important topic of buyer protection. The Consumer Center Dorsten recently informed about the risks and collateral that are connected to the use of payment services such as PayPal, Klarna and Amazon Pay. These providers attract with the promise of a carefree online shopping, but in practice there are considerable problems.

Consumer protector Sonja Lichtenberg points out that many buyers do not get their money back despite the buyer protection, even if the ordered goods have not been delivered. Complaints about buyer protection are not uncommon in the Dorsten advice center. The buyer protection is often perceived as a all-round carefree package, but this does not always correspond to reality.

challenges in buyer protection

The exceptions that apply to buyer protection are particularly problematic. For example, digital products such as apps, music downloads or e-books are not covered. In addition, there are no buyer protection with the "Friends and Family" option. Buyers must also adhere to strict deadlines and provide evidence such as return or shipping documents, since the decision on the reimbursement is ultimately at the discretion of the payment service providers.

Some returns are lost during mailing and are not covered by buyer protection. Protection often does not apply to damaged or destroyed articles either. Nevertheless, buyer protection is particularly helpful for orders for so -called fake shops, since it promises a refund if the goods are not preserved.

rights of consumers

The consumer center emphasizes that buyer protection programs are voluntary services of the payment service providers. These providers determine their own conditions, which are often not anchored in statutory consumer protection. A large part of the online purchases are handled through payment services, but support in practice is often poor. Wolfgang Schweltzinski, board member of the Consumer Center North Rhine -Westphalia, talks about the difficulties that consumers have to enforce their rights.

In the event of problems, customers should first contact the shop and inform the payment service provider in the event of disagreement. It is important to find out about deadlines and requirements at an early stage. In the best case, the money is reimbursed immediately, but buyer protection is not a legal claim and does not affect the actual legal situation.

recommendations for safe online shopping

The consumer advice center advises to read the general terms and conditions before online purchases and to prefer alternative payment methods such as purchase on account. You also offer a fakeshop finder on your website, with which the seriousness of online shops can be checked. Buyer protection offers valuable support if consumers fall for fake shops and do not receive any goods. However, the often difficult reimbursement processes must be observed.

For more information and professional advice on buyer protection and other consumer questions, interested parties can directly to the Consumer Center Dorsten or the [consumer center Nrw] (https://www.verusveruserzentrale.nrw/Pressemeldungen/Presse-nrw/falsche-sicherheit- Derka-bank protection). Also the consumer center provides information about safer payment methods.