Doorstep sellers (venta a domicilio): alarms, energy and charity

Key rules

• Withdrawal: You have 14 calendar days to withdraw from a contract signed at your door, with no reason and no penalty.
• Refund: The trader must refund you within 14 calendar days of being told, using the same payment method.
• Low-value exclusion: A doorstep contract priced at 50 euros or less has no withdrawal right.
• Alarms: Only a registered private security company can install an alarm linked to a monitoring centre.
• Charities: A donation is not covered by the withdrawal right, so stop it through the charity and your bank.

You can say no, and you can cancel

You never have to sign at the door. Keep it short: "No, thank you. Please leave." You do not need to explain, let anyone in, or show a bill. If someone pushes, close the door.

If you already signed a contract at home, you have 14 calendar days to withdraw, with no reason and no penalty. The same right applies to contracts made by phone.

Which contracts are covered

The right covers contracts you sign with a seller who is physically with you somewhere other than their own shop or office, such as your home or workplace. It also covers:

• a contract you offered to make in that situation;
• a contract finished at the shop or online right after personal contact away from it;
• a contract signed on a trip the seller organised to sell you things.

Some contracts have no withdrawal right. The main ones for doorstep sales:

• a price of 50 euros or less;
• custom-made or clearly personalised goods;
• goods that spoil quickly;
• sealed goods you opened that cannot be returned for health or hygiene reasons;
• urgent repairs you asked for;
• a service already fully performed, after you agreed and accepted you would lose the right.

Check the current list if your purchase is unusual.

When the 14 days start

• Service contract (for example an alarm or energy supply): from the day you sign.
• Goods: from the day you, or someone you name (not the carrier), receive them.
• Several goods delivered separately: from the last item.
• Regular deliveries over a period: from the first delivery.

How to withdraw

Tell the trader in writing, within the 14 days. Use the cancellation letter below or any clear statement that you withdraw. Keep proof that you sent it.

Refunds and returns

The trader must refund you within 14 calendar days of being told, using the same payment method and with no fee. This includes standard delivery costs. For goods, the trader may wait until the goods are back or you prove you sent them, unless the trader offered to collect them.

Send goods back within 14 days of telling the trader. You pay the cost of returning them unless the trader agreed to pay or never told you that you would. For bulky goods delivered to your home that cannot normally go by post, the trader must collect them at its own cost.

If you expressly asked a service to start during the 14 days, you pay a proportion of the price for what was supplied up to your withdrawal. You owe nothing if the trader did not give you the withdrawal information, or if you did not expressly ask for an early start.

Alarm sellers

Alarms connected to a monitoring centre may only be installed by a registered, authorised private security company. A doorstep seller must work for one. Ask for the company's registration number and check it with the national police's private security unit, or the regional police in Catalonia and the Basque Country. If they cannot give a number, do not sign.

Energy sellers

Do not sign or hand over a bill, account number or ID at the door. Ask for the offer in writing and take time to compare. If you sign, the 14-day right above applies.

Charity collectors

A donation is not a purchase, so the withdrawal right generally does not apply. You can still stop it:

• Tell the charity to stop a regular donation, and tell your bank to block future payments.
• Ask your bank to refund a direct debit within 8 weeks if you authorised it, or within 13 months if you did not.

Before signing a regular direct debit, ask the charity for its donation terms.

If you signed under pressure, see the "What if" section below. Other pages cover consumer complaints.

Timeline and deadlines

• Check the contract is not excluded, for example a price of 50 euros or less or custom-made goods: before you sign

• Withdrawal period starts for a service contract: on the day the contract is concluded

• Withdrawal period starts for goods: on the day you or a person you name, not the carrier, receive the goods; for several deliveries, when the last item arrives

• Stop a regular charity direct debit by telling the charity and your bank: as soon as you decide to cancel

• Ask your bank to refund a direct debit you authorised: within 8 weeks of the payment

• Ask your bank to refund a direct debit you did not authorise: within 13 months of the payment

Checklist

• Check whether your contract is excluded from withdrawal, for example a price of 50 euros or less, custom-made goods or an urgent repair you requested.

• Confirm the alarm is connected to a monitoring centre run by an authorised, registered security company.

• Ask who pays the cost of returning goods, and ask the trader to collect bulky goods delivered to your home at its own cost.

• Check that you are charged only for a service you expressly asked to start early.

• Check the refund arrives within 14 calendar days of telling the trader, by the same payment method and with no fee.

• Tell the charity and your bank to stop a regular donation you want to cancel.

What if you signed a contract at your door or under pressure

You have 14 calendar days to withdraw from a contract signed at your door, by phone or in a timeshare sale, with no reason and no penalty. Act now, in writing, and keep proof of everything.

Do this first

1. Find the start date. Count the 14 calendar days from the day you signed. If goods came later, count from the day they arrived.
2. Check whether the seller gave you the withdrawal information. If the seller never told you about your right to withdraw, or left out required details, the period is longer. It then ends 12 months after the first 14 days. If the seller supplies the information within those 12 months, a new 14-day period starts the day you receive it.
3. Send a written withdrawal notice before the period ends. Use the withdrawal form if the seller gave you one. The safest route is a registered letter that proves its content (burofax), or registered post with a copy kept. An email with a timestamp is a useful extra.
4. Pay nothing more while the period runs. This matters most with timeshare and holiday clubs. Do not hand over a deposit or sign anything else.
5. Ask for your money back. After you withdraw, the seller must refund you within 14 days.

Keep your evidence

Collect these now, before anything goes missing:

• The signed contract, every annex, the withdrawal form and any information sheets.
• Proof of payment: card receipts, bank statements, deposit slips.
• Proof of your notice: the burofax receipt and content certificate, the registered post receipt, or the timestamped email.
• All messages with the seller, including emails and WhatsApp.
• Brochures, scratch cards, vouchers, gifts, and photos of the presentation material.
• The company's name and address, the salespeople's names, and the date, time and place of the sale.
• Notes on what was promised, and names and contact details of anyone who was with you.

You may record conversations you take part in. Ask a lawyer before you rely on a recording in court.

If the seller refuses to refund you

• Complain to your town hall's consumer office or your region's consumer authority. The regional authority can open a sanction case against the seller.
• Ask for consumer arbitration if the seller has joined the arbitration board. It is free to the consumer.
• If you paid by card, ask your bank for a chargeback.
• If you suspect fraud, report it to the police and keep a copy.

If the deadline has already passed

You still have options:

• Cancel the contract as void. This can apply if it breaks mandatory rules, such as the specific rules on timeshare and holiday clubs. Abusive terms are void, though the rest of the contract may stay in force.
• Claim you were pushed into it. Aggressive or unfair sales tactics, or being misled, can be grounds to annul the contract.
• Use ordinary ways out. These include notice periods or the seller's breach of the contract.
• Complain or go to court. Use the consumer authority, arbitration or the courts, as above.

Time limits apply to annulment claims, so see a consumer lawyer soon. First check whether the seller left out required information, because that may mean you can still withdraw.

Cancellation letter for a contract signed at your door (desistimiento)

A withdrawal notice has no official form. It only has to say clearly that you are cancelling, and you have to send it in a way you can prove, before the period ends. The notice only needs to be sent in time, not to have arrived by then.

What the notice must include

• Your name, address and ID or passport number.
• The trader's name and address.
• The contract: its date, what you bought and the contract number, if there is one.
• A clear statement that you withdraw from the contract.
• A request for a refund of everything you paid.
• The date and your signature, if you send it on paper.

The EU model withdrawal form is also accepted, but you do not have to use it. If the trader gave you a withdrawal form with the contract, you can use that instead.

Send it so you can prove it

• Best option: a burofax from Correos, a postal service that certifies the content of your letter and gives you an acknowledgment of receipt.
• Also good: registered post with acknowledgment of receipt.
• Email is valid. Keep the sent message with its date and time, and ideally also send a burofax.
• If the contract names a withdrawal address or email, use it too.
• Keep a copy of the notice, every receipt and the tracking record. If there is a dispute, you must prove you sent the notice within the period.

The usual period is 14 days. Count from the date shown in your contract, check the period that applies to your contract type, and send the notice well before the last day.

Spanish wording to copy

Fill in the brackets. Delete anything that does not apply.

[Ciudad], [fecha]

A la atención de: [nombre de la empresa] Dirección: [dirección de la empresa]

Asunto: Desistimiento del contrato

Yo, [nombre y apellidos], con [DNI / NIE / pasaporte] número [número], y domicilio en [su dirección en España], le comunico por la presente que desisto del contrato que firmé el [fecha del contrato] con su empresa, relativo a [producto o servicio], con número de contrato [número, si lo hay].

Ejerzo este derecho dentro del plazo legal. Le solicito la devolución de todas las cantidades que he pagado, por un importe total de [importe] euros, a la siguiente cuenta: [IBAN].

Le ruego que confirme la recepción de este escrito.

Atentamente,

[Firma] [Nombre y apellidos] [Teléfono y correo electrónico]

What each part says in English

• "Desisto del contrato" means "I withdraw from the contract."
• "Le solicito la devolución de todas las cantidades que he pagado" means "I ask you to refund everything I have paid."
• "Le ruego que confirme la recepción" means "Please confirm that you have received this."

If you send the letter by email, paste the same text into the message and attach a signed scan or photo of the letter.

Frequently asked questions

Can I cancel a charity sign-up I made at the door?

The 14-day consumer withdrawal right does not generally cover donations, but you can still cancel a regular donation by telling the charity to stop. You can also ask your bank to stop future direct debit payments. Ask the charity for its donation terms too.

Can I get money back from my bank after a direct debit to a charity?

Yes, you can ask your bank for a refund within 8 weeks of a payment you authorised. For a payment you never authorised, you have 13 months. Contact your bank as soon as you spot the charge.

Do I have to pay if an alarm seller already started the service?

You pay only a proportion of the price for what was supplied up to your withdrawal, and only if you expressly asked for the service to start early. If the seller never gave you the withdrawal information, nothing is owed.

Does the withdrawal right cover a cheap doorstep purchase?

No, a doorstep contract with a price of 50 euros or less has no withdrawal right. Some goods are also excluded, such as custom-made items, sealed hygiene goods once opened, and fast-perishing goods.