Distance-Selling Information Duties Under the Consumer Rights Directive

When you sell to consumers online, the sale is a “distance contract” — the buyer and seller never meet in person, and the customer decides based only on what your store shows them. Because of that information gap, the Consumer Rights Directive (2011/83/EU) places a set of pre-contract information duties on the trader. These duties are not optional extras; they are the baseline of a lawful online sale across the EU.

This guide explains what you must tell customers before they buy, why the details matter, and how a small omission can quietly extend your liability for months. It pairs naturally with our complete withdrawal button guide and the underlying withdrawal-button law page.

Why pre-contract information matters

The Directive’s logic is simple: a consumer buying at a distance cannot inspect the goods, question a shop assistant, or read the terms taped to a till. The law therefore requires the trader to supply the missing context up front, in a clear and comprehensible way, before the consumer is bound by the contract. The information must also be given on a durable medium — typically the order confirmation email — so the customer can keep it.

Getting this right is not only about avoiding fines. Clear pre-contract information reduces disputes, chargebacks, and returns driven by mismatched expectations. It is a genuine trust signal that quietly improves conversion.

The required pre-contract information checklist

Before the consumer places the order, your store must clearly present all of the following:

• The trader’s identity and contact details — your trading name, geographical address, telephone number and email, so the customer knows exactly who they are contracting with.
• The main characteristics of the goods — an accurate description appropriate to the medium, covering what the product is and does.
• The total price including taxes and delivery — the all-in price, or the manner in which it is calculated, plus any additional freight, delivery or postal charges.
• Payment, delivery and performance arrangements — how the customer pays, when the goods will arrive, and how the contract is performed.
• The existence and conditions of the 14-day right of withdrawal — including the time limit, the procedure for exercising it, and the model withdrawal form.
• The legal guarantee of conformity — a reminder that goods must match their description and be fit for purpose, backed by statutory rights.
• Complaint handling — how customers can raise complaints and, where relevant, access dispute-resolution channels.

The identity and contact details

A brand name alone is not enough. The consumer must be able to identify the legal entity behind the sale and reach it easily. A dead contact form or an unmonitored inbox is a common — and avoidable — compliance gap.

The total price, with nothing hidden

Surprise charges revealed only at the final checkout step are a classic source of complaints. The Directive requires the total, tax-inclusive price — and any delivery costs — to be clear before the order is placed. If the consumer is not informed of additional charges before ordering, they are not obliged to pay them.

The right of withdrawal and the model form

This is the duty most often mishandled. Consumers generally have 14 days to withdraw from a distance contract, and you must explain the time limit, the conditions, and how to exercise the right — and provide the model withdrawal form. A one-click withdrawal button is the cleanest way to meet this expectation.

The cost of getting it wrong

The single most important consequence to remember: if you fail to inform the consumer about the right of withdrawal, the withdrawal period is extended by up to 12 months. In practice, a customer could return goods — and reclaim the price — long after you assumed the sale was final. What looks like a minor missing paragraph can convert a 14-day window into a year-long liability across every affected order.

An omitted withdrawal notice does not simply risk a fine — it silently extends your refund exposure by up to a year on every order it touches.

Putting the checklist into practice

Treat the list above as an audit template. Walk through a real checkout on your own store and confirm each item is visible before the “buy” button — not buried in a footer link or a policy PDF nobody opens. Then confirm the same information reaches the customer on a durable medium in the confirmation email.

• Map each required item to a specific, visible place in your funnel.
• Show the total price, including tax and delivery, before order confirmation.
• Attach the model withdrawal form and explain the 14-day right plainly.
• Send all of it on a durable medium the customer can retain.

If you would like a structured review of how your PrestaShop store handles these duties, our PrestaShop compliance audit maps each requirement against your live checkout.

This article is educational and does not constitute legal advice.