Cooling-Off Period

A cooling-off period is a consumer-protection right that allows a person to withdraw from certain contracts within a set number of days without penalty. In the UK, the Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013 (implementing the EU Directive) provide a 14-day cooling-off right for goods and services bought online, by phone, or away from business premises. The period starts when goods are received or the service contract is concluded. If the trader failed to provide written notice of the right, the period extends to 12 months.

In the US, the FTC's Cooling-Off Rule gives a 3-day right of rescission for sales of $25 or more made away from a seller's normal place of business (e.g., at a home, workplace, or trade fair). This rule is narrower than the UK equivalent and does not cover most online purchases.

Scam relevance: high-pressure salespeople often create artificial urgency to prevent consumers from exercising cooling-off rights. Legitimate businesses respect these rights; any seller who resists, ignores, or applies fees to a cooling-off cancellation is acting unlawfully. The right cannot be waived in the contract terms — any clause purporting to remove it is void.