Demand Letter Pack

Netherlands · Refund from a seller

A business in the Netherlands owes you a refund: ask for it in writing

A business owes you money and has not paid it back. Perhaps you withdrew from a purchase made online or by phone, or your order was cancelled. Or the product never arrived or is faulty, or a service was not provided. A formal letter sets out the rules and gives a final deadline. For a faulty product, it first asks for free repair or replacement if you have not asked for that yet. You get the letter in Dutch or English.

Start your letterFrom €49, paid once. No account needed.

The questions, and the documents that come with the letters (checklist, timeline, next steps and memo), are in English. The letters can be written in Dutch or English.

Other languages: Nederlands

The rules your letter follows

Taken from the official sources listed below. Interest rates change from time to time; these are the current ones.

Refund after withdrawal from a purchase online or by phone
14 days
From the day the seller received your withdrawal. The refund includes the standard delivery costs. Unless the seller offered to collect the product, it may wait until it has the product back or proof that you sent it.
Final deadline in the letter
14 days
You can choose up to 30 days.
Faulty or not as described
Repair or replacement first
Free of charge. If that fails, is refused or takes too long, the letter ends the purchase and asks for the price back.
Statutory interest
4%
Until 31 December 2026. Runs from the date the seller is in default.
Limitation period for a defect
2 years
From the day you told the seller about the defect.
Court
Kantonrechter
The subdistrict court, for a consumer sale, whatever the amount. You do not need a lawyer.
Disputes committee (Geschillencommissie)
Binding decision
Only if the seller belongs to a disputes committee for its sector. You pay a registration fee.
How to send it
Registered post
With acknowledgement of receipt (aangetekend met ontvangstbevestiging). Send it by email too.

What the letter does

After a withdrawal, a cancelled order, or a product the shop agreed to take back, the letter asks for the money back by a final deadline and puts the seller in default.

If the product was not delivered or the service was not provided, the letter gives a final deadline to deliver or perform, or to refund you instead. If neither happens, the final notice in the Complete pack ends the contract and asks for the money back.

If the product is faulty or not as described and you have not yet asked for repair or replacement, the letter asks for that first, and lets the seller refund you instead. If neither happens, the final notice in the Complete pack ends the purchase. If repair failed, was refused or did not happen within a reasonable time, the letter itself ends the purchase. It then asks the seller to say by the deadline whether it will collect the product or you should send it back at its cost. Either way, the price falls due once the seller has the product or proof that you sent it back.

Who the letter is for

It is written for consumers who bought from a business, and it relies on the consumer rules. Those rules generally do not apply if you bought as a business or bought from a private seller, so the letter does not fit those purchases.

If the seller still does not pay

A dispute about a consumer sale goes to the subdistrict court (kantonrechter) whatever the amount, and you can act there without a lawyer. If the seller belongs to a disputes committee (Geschillencommissie), you can take the dispute there instead. Its decision is binding, and you pay a registration fee. The escalation memo in the Complete pack explains each of these routes, but does not choose one for you.

Where the rules come from

  • art. 7:17 BWConformity of goods in consumer sales

    checked 7 October 2026

  • arts. 7:21 and 7:22 BWConsumer remedies for non-conforming goods

    checked 7 October 2026

  • art. 6:230r BWRefund after withdrawal from a distance contract

    checked 7 October 2026

  • art. 6:82 BWNotice of default (ingebrekestelling)

    checked 7 October 2026

What is in the envelope

Word and PDF files you can edit before you send anything.

  1. 01

    Demand letter

    The formal letter, in the language you choose, with your amount and payment details. The deadline, and any interest and costs, follow the local rules.

  2. 02

    Evidence checklist

    What to keep and what to enclose, checked against the files you uploaded.

  3. 03

    Timeline

    Your dispute date by date, including the dates still to come.

  4. 04

    Next steps

    How to send the letter so you can prove it arrived, and what to do with each kind of reply.

  5. 05

    Final demandComplete

    A shorter second letter with a last deadline, for when the first one passes.

  6. 06

    Escalation memoComplete

    Court, collection agencies and lawyers: what each route involves. It describes the options; it does not choose one for you.

How it works

  1. Today

    You answer the questions. It takes about ten minutes, and your answers are saved as you go.

  2. Today

    You check the summary and pay. A few minutes later your documents are ready, in Word and PDF.

  3. When you are ready

    You sign the letter and send it yourself, so it comes from you.

Questions

How long does a webshop have to refund me after I withdraw?

It must refund everything you paid, including standard delivery costs, without delay and at the latest 14 days after it received your withdrawal. Unless it offered to collect the product, it may wait until it has the product back or you have shown that you sent it.

When do I have to report a defect?

Within a reasonable time after you discover it. In a consumer sale, reporting it within two months of discovery is always in time. The limitation period of 2 years runs from that report.

I bought from a private seller.

Then the consumer rules generally do not apply. This letter relies on them, so it does not fit your purchase.

Can I have the letter written in English?

Yes. Dutch is the default; you can choose English if the seller reads it more easily.

P.S.

Your documents are written by an AI system and checked automatically against your answers and the local rules. No lawyer reviews them. They are document drafts and general information, not legal advice. Your answers are deleted 30 days after delivery, or sooner if you ask.

How we use AIPrivacy noticeRefunds

Start your letter

Also for the NetherlandsUnpaid invoice in the Netherlands: a notice of default