Consumer Rights in Distance Contracts
Automatically translated summary. The full text is available in Romanian.
A note produced by the Independent Think Tank “Expert-Grup” explains distance contracts, which are concluded by telephone, internet or post without the physical presence of both parties. It sets out their defining features, how they differ from other contract types, and the conditions for validity under Moldovan law.
The note recalls that, besides traditional written contracts, the law recognises distance contracts, off-premises contracts and contracts concluded by electronic means. All have the same legal effects and are subject to special rules protecting consumers, who are often vulnerable. A distance contract is concluded between a trader and a consumer without simultaneous physical presence, within an organised distance system and exclusively through distance communication. Because consumers cannot examine the product, traders face more numerous and complex obligations.
Distance contracts differ from off-premises contracts, which involve physical interaction outside the trader’s usual premises, and from electronic contracts, which are concluded only via specialised digital platforms or applications. To be valid, they must meet general contract rules (free consent, legal capacity, lawful object) as well as specific requirements on information and its form. The material is part of the National Consumer Information Campaign, funded by the European Union and Soros Foundation Moldova.
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