Consumer law for businesses
Your customer relationships in order
Brazil’s Consumer Protection Code protects buyers, but it also sets clear rules for sellers. Companies that know these rules and apply them transparently avoid complaints, fines and lawsuits.
Preventive work organises the company’s relationship with consumers: terms of use, exchange, return and warranty policies, right-of-withdrawal rules for online purchases and the information that offers are required to include.
When a dispute arises, the work turns to defending the company in complaints filed with Procon and on customer-service platforms, in administrative proceedings and in lawsuits before the Small Claims Courts and the ordinary courts.
The goal is to reduce the number of disputes and handle each case proportionately, seeking a settlement when it makes sense and a technical defence when the company is right.
When to seek advice
- When opening an online store or changing the exchange and return policy.
- When the company receives a notice from Procon.
- When a summons in a consumer lawsuit arrives.
- When complaints keep repeating and the cause needs to be understood.
- When the company imports products and needs to define warranty and after-sales service.
How it works
Assessment
Review of policies, offers and recent complaints to identify where the risks lie.
Documents
Drafting or reviewing terms of use and exchange, return and warranty policies suited to the type of sale.
Defence
Responses to Procon and defences in administrative and court proceedings, with settlement assessed case by case.
Ongoing prevention
Guidance for the customer-service team on how to act in the situations that most often lead to disputes.
Frequently asked questions
Can a consumer cancel any purchase made online?
For purchases made outside a physical store, such as online, the consumer may withdraw within 7 days of receipt, without having to give a reason.
Is the company required to exchange a product that has no defect?
As a rule, no, unless the store itself offers that exchange in its policy. When it does, it must honour what it announced.
What is the legal warranty period?
The consumer has 30 days to complain about a defect in a non-durable product and 90 days for a durable product, in addition to any contractual warranty offered by the company.
Is it worth settling every consumer lawsuit?
Not necessarily. Each case should be assessed: in some situations a settlement is the best way out, and in others a technical defence is the right path.