Consumer awareness of rights and responsibilities

Well functioning markets are an important driver for economic growth and for the creation of new opportunities for consumers. In well functioning markets businesses compete for consumers by offering the best products and services at the lowest prices; and consumers act competent by:

  • Choosing the products which give them greatest value. This sends a strong message to businesses about consumer preferences and ensures that the most competitive businesses succeed. Consumers hereby contribute to competition, growth and innovation.
  • Knowing their rights and responsibilities according to consumer legislation. Consumer awareness of rights and responsibilities and the certainty that these are enforced efficiently ensures that consumers can act confidently in the market. Consumers that know and exercise their rights and responsibilities enhance businesses’ incentives to comply with legislation and contribute to a level playing field among firms.

In general Denmark has a high level of consumer protection, but consumers must know their rights in order to exercise them. The Danish Competition and Consumer Authority have surveyed Danish consumer’s awareness of their rights and responsibilities by asking approximately 1.000 representative consumers. The consumers have answered 16 questions about their awareness of central elements of The Danish Sale of Goods Act, The Danish Contracts Act and The Danish Marketing Practices Act.

Main conclusions:

  • On average consumers give the right answer to about half of the 16 questions.
  • Awareness is lowest among women, young consumers and consumers with short-cycled education or low household income.
  • Approximately 40 percent of consumers don’t know the two year claims deadline following the The Danish Sales of Goods Act. Approximately 70 percent know that they have to show a receipt in order to make a claim.  
  • About 70 percent of consumers are not aware that they do not have a fixed by law right to annul a purchase when buying in physical stores.
  • About 80 percent of consumers know that they have a fixed by law right to annul a purchase for 14 days when buying on the internet in Danish web-shops.
  • Around 80 percent of consumers are aware that when a good is bought with a defect they can have the good repaired or replaced. Approximately half of consumers know that the business where they bought the good is allowed to try and remedy the defect within reasonable time – typically1-2 attempts.