IT, online stores and brand protection · Czechia and Slovakia
Complaints procedure
Complaints are where online and physical shops face unhappy customers, and where regulators inspect most frequently. We prepare a complaints procedure under current liability-for-defects rules: deadlines, handling methods, customer rights and a process for your support team. For Slovakia, Czechia or both together.
- Based on the rules effective from 31 July 2026
- Online and physical shops
- Prices agreed upfront
What we'll do for you
We write the procedure around your products and actual processes, rather than a template promising customers more or less than the law provides.
Select an item to see the details.
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Tailored complaints procedure
Customer rights concerning defects, deadlines and procedures for submitting and handling claims under the liability-for-defects rules as effective from 31 July 2026 and the Consumer Protection Act.
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Claim form
A simple form guiding customers through submitting a claim and giving your support team all necessary information the first time.
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Support team process
Step-by-step instructions for the people handling complaints — deadlines, confirmations and communications — so everyone follows the same procedure.
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Country-specific versions
Slovak, Czech or both legal versions with a consistent process. One round of comments is included; further amendments are agreed upfront.
Deliverablea complaints procedure with a claim form and implementation recommendations
How it works
Does this process fit your matter? Describe it to the attorney →
- Questionnaireday 0
A short questionnaire about products and the complaints process.
- Draft
We prepare the procedure, form and support team process.
- Comments and implementation
We incorporate comments and deliver recommendations on where and how to display the documents.
A complaints procedure has two audiences: customers wanting to know their rights and your support team needing a consistent process. It fails when written for a third audience — nobody, as a downloaded template.
We write procedures under current rules and around how your business actually operates, with Slovak and Czech versions from one firm.
No-obligation enquiry
Ready to start?
Send us an enquiry. We usually reply within 24 hours with a price confirmation and next steps. The first 30-minute consultation is free and commits you to nothing.
- 1Send your enquiry via this form
- 2Usually within 24 h you get a price confirmation and plan
- 3We start work only after your approval
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Prefer to book a time right away? Book a consultation →
Or email us about this matter.
What clients ask
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Am I legally required to have a complaints procedure?
A seller must properly inform consumers about the conditions and method of making claims. A complaints procedure is the standard way to fulfil this obligation while giving staff a consistent process. Compliance with the law and reality matters more than the mere existence of a document: a procedure promising less than the law provides is itself a breach.
What changed in complaints most recently?
Slovakia substantially restructured consumer law from 1 July 2024. The new Consumer Protection Act (Act No. 108/2024 Z. z.) and Civil Code amendment changed the system of remedies for defective performance, their order and certain deadlines. Act No. 310/2025 Z. z. added two further stages: from 1 January 2026 the thirty-day cap applies to the repair or replacement itself, and from 31 July 2026 the seller must inform the buyer, before remedying the defect, about the choice between repair and replacement and about the liability period being extended by 12 months after the first repair. The third stage, from 27 September 2026, changes pre-contractual information: customers must be informed about the legal guarantee of conformity through the harmonised notice in the uniform format set by an EU regulation, and the complaints procedure must be consistent with it. Older procedures based on the previous rules now mislead customers — precisely what regulators sanction.
How long do we have to handle a claim?
The item must be repaired or replaced within a reasonable period which, since 1 January 2026, may not exceed 30 days from the defect being notified; longer is permitted only for an objective reason beyond the seller's control, which the seller must prove. The same cap applies to the period stated in the confirmation of the notified defect. We incorporate it alongside a process that makes compliance realistic, including the confirmation of the notified defect and the written statement of reasons where you reject liability.
Do the same rules apply to business customers?
No — strict protection belongs to consumers. Liability for defects towards businesses can be arranged much more freely in terms or an agreement. We separate the regimes so business customers do not receive additional consumer rights.
We also sell to Czechia. Is a translation enough?
No. Sales to Czech consumers generally fall under Czech rules, which differ from Slovak law in detail. We prepare both legal versions with a consistent process so support works uniformly while the legal basis fits each country.
Legal Q&A
Common questions on this topic
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How many days do we have to resolve a defect complaint, and what if we miss the deadline?
For goods, the seller must repair or replace the item within a reasonable period not exceeding 30 days after the defect is reported. A longer period is permitted only for an objective reason beyond the seller's control. The same cap applies to the period stated in the defect acknowledgement and to remedying a service defect. If the deadline expires without a remedy, the buyer may seek a proportionate price reduction or withdraw from the contract. The supervisory authority may penalise handling failures regardless of whether the defect actually existed.
Read the answer -
May we reject a complaint where the customer has no receipt or original packaging?
Not on that ground alone. The Civil Code governs where and how a defect may be reported; it does not make production of a receipt a condition, and a purchase in an e-shop can generally be verified from your own order and payment records. The law does not link the original packaging to liability for defects, so a term requiring “complaints only in the original packaging” limits the consumer's rights. You may reject a complaint about an item the customer demonstrably did not buy from you, or about a defect for which you are not liable, and you must notify the reasons in writing.
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Who pays the postage when a customer makes a defect complaint about goods from an e-shop?
On a justified complaint, the seller. The Civil Code expressly provides that the seller bears the cost of taking over an item for repair or replacement and delivers the repaired or replacement item back to the buyer at its own expense; the buyer is also entitled to reimbursement of the costs reasonably incurred in connection with reporting the defect. Where the seller is not liable for the defect, that entitlement does not arise. Czech law leads to the same result.
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Further reading
Complaints after 31 July 2026: what an e-shop must change in its complaints procedure
For purchases made from 31 July 2026, the seller’s period of liability for defects is extended by 12 months after the first repair, and before remedying a defect the seller must inform the buyer of the choice available. We examine which purchases the new rules cover and what an e-shop’s and a bricks-and-mortar store’s complaints procedure must reflect.
Read more →
A complaints procedure for Slovakia and Czechia: where the two regimes diverge
An e-shop selling into both countries cannot make do with one complaints procedure translated into two languages. We compare the Slovak and Czech rules on liability for defects on the points support staff work with daily: time limits, the burden of proof, notification of a defect, extension after repair and confirmations for the customer.
Read more →
A dispute over a .sk, .cz or .eu domain: court or alternative dispute resolution
A domain carrying your name or brand can be obtained from its holder either by a court action or in faster alternative dispute resolution under the registry rules. Each extension has different conditions. This article is for companies and e-shops deciding which route to take.
Read more →