The difference between a warranty, the seller’s liability for defects and a right of return confuses many people, and the receipt is often lost just when you need it. Based on the Finnish Consumer Protection Act and guidance from the Finnish Competition and Consumer Authority, this guide explains your rights in Finland, how long to keep receipts and how the Kvitox app keeps your receipts and deadlines safe.
Under the Finnish Consumer Protection Act, the seller is liable for defects in goods even after the warranty has ended. This liability has no fixed time limit in law, and a defect that appears within a year is presumed to have existed at delivery. A warranty is a voluntary promise that cannot weaken these rights. Faultless goods bought in a shop have no statutory right of return, but online purchases usually come with a 14-day right of withdrawal. Keep receipts for bigger purchases for at least three years.
When a product breaks, you may have two rights side by side: the seller’s statutory liability for defects and a voluntary warranty.
Under the Finnish Consumer Protection Act, the seller is liable for defects in the goods it sells. This liability has no time limit in law. Its duration is assessed case by case, based on how long the product can reasonably be expected to last.
A warranty is a voluntary promise by the seller, manufacturer or importer about the condition of the goods for a certain period. A warranty must not limit the seller’s statutory liability, and the end of the warranty period does not mean that liability for defects ends.
If a defect appears within a year of delivery, it is presumed to have existed at the time of delivery. The one-year presumption applies to purchases made after 1 January 2022. For earlier purchases the period was six months.
The seller is primarily responsible for defects, and it is best to start with the seller. You can also report a defect to the manufacturer or importer. As a consumer, you decide whom to notify.
A right of return and the seller’s liability are different things. You can always complain about a faulty product, but whether you can return a faultless one depends on where you bought it.
Faultless goods bought in a shop have no statutory right of exchange or return. Many shops still offer one voluntarily, for example for 8 or 30 days, and set the terms themselves. The shop may ask for the receipt. If you agree on a sale-or-return purchase, have the terms written on the receipt.
In distance selling, such as online shopping, consumers usually have a 14-day right of withdrawal that starts when you receive the goods. You do not need to give a reason. The seller must refund the money within 14 days of receiving your notice of withdrawal. You pay the return costs yourself, unless the seller has agreed to pay them or did not tell you about them in advance. The right does not apply to, for example, made-to-measure goods or opened hygiene products.
A receipt is the easiest way to show where and when you bought a product. These tips help you find it when you need it.
A complaint means notifying the seller of a defect. Follow these steps to keep your rights.
Kvitox is a receipt and warranty app for iPhone, iPad and Android devices. It works without an account or a server and reminds you before a return window or warranty ends.
Scan a paper receipt with the document scanner, which crops and straightens the image, or import a photo from your library or a PDF invoice. You can also share a receipt or invoice to Kvitox from another app, such as your email.
Kvitox reads the text on your phone and fills in the merchant, date, total and products, plus any return window or warranty printed on the receipt. Products can also get details such as a serial number, IMEI or EAN code if they appear on the receipt. Always check the details after recognition.
Choose a return window of 14, 30, 60 or 90 days or your own date, and a warranty of 6 months, 1, 2, 3 or 5 years or your own date. Every product can have its own return window and warranty.
Kvitox reminds you two days before a return window closes, and 30 and 7 days before a warranty ends. Remember that the end of the warranty does not end the seller’s liability, so keep the receipt after that too.
Create a PDF of the products you choose, with the receipt and attachments, and send it to the seller or a repair shop. Each receipt can have up to ten attachments, such as a warranty card, a manual or a photo of the product.
Search by merchant, product, note, serial number or the receipt’s text. Export your data to a CSV file and make a backup file that you can also restore on a phone with the other operating system. The backup is not encrypted, so keep it somewhere safe.
Kvitox is free to download. Kvitox Pro is a one-time purchase, not a subscription, and its price is shown in the app store.
Five receipts and every other feature: text recognition, return windows and warranties, reminders, warranty claim PDF, attachments, CSV export, backups and App Lock.
Unlimited receipts and folders that organise your receipts up to four levels deep. You buy Pro once and never need to renew it.
The seller’s liability for defects is based on the Finnish Consumer Protection Act and has no time limit set in law. A warranty is a voluntary promise by the seller, manufacturer or importer and cannot limit your statutory rights. When the warranty ends, the seller’s liability may still apply.
There is no time limit in law. The duration is assessed case by case, based on how long the product can reasonably be expected to last. If a defect appears within a year of delivery, it is presumed to have existed at the time of delivery.
No. Faultless goods bought in a shop have no statutory right of return; a return policy is a voluntary benefit offered by the shop. Online shopping and other distance selling usually come with a 14-day right of withdrawal.
The Finnish Competition and Consumer Authority recommends keeping receipts and bank statements for at least your biggest purchases for three years. Because the seller’s liability can last longer, keep the receipt for an expensive product for its whole lifetime.
Yes. You can show where and when you bought the product with, for example, a bank statement or a card payment slip. For a voluntary return or exchange, however, the shop may require the receipt.
Within a reasonable time after you noticed the defect or should have noticed it. A notice made within two months is always in time.
On your phone, in the app’s own storage. Kvitox has no account, servers, ads or analytics. Google’s on-device text recognition (ML Kit) may send anonymous diagnostics to Google. You can lock the app with Face ID, a fingerprint or a passcode.
Kvitox is free for five receipts, and every feature except folders is free. Kvitox Pro is a one-time purchase that removes the receipt limit and adds folders. The app is available in English, Finnish, Swedish, German, Spanish and French.
The legal information was checked against these sources on 6 November 2026 and applies to purchases between consumers and businesses in Finland. Kvitox’s features were checked against the app’s source code. This guide is not legal advice.
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