Right of withdrawal

The right in plain terms

When a consumer in Ireland buys something at a distance, meaning online, by phone or by message rather than in a shop, they normally have 14 days to change their mind and cancel without giving a reason. This comes from Irish consumer legislation implementing the European rules on distance selling.

The period runs for 14 days from the day the contract is concluded, in the case of a service. You do not have to justify the decision, and a trader cannot charge a penalty for it.

The digital services exception, and why it matters here

There is an important exception for digital content and services that begin immediately. Where you ask for the service to start within the cancellation period, and you acknowledge that starting it means losing the right to withdraw once it has been fully performed, the right can be lost or reduced.

This is the part of consumer law that many sellers in this market either ignore or bury. We would rather explain it before you order.

In practice: an IPTV subscription is normally activated within hours of payment because that is what customers want. That immediate activation is precisely what triggers this exception.

The choice we give you before activating

Because of the above, we make the choice explicit rather than assumed. When you order, you can tell us either:

• Activate immediately. You get watching straight away, and you acknowledge that beginning the service during the cancellation period affects your right to withdraw as described above.
• Wait until the cancellation period has passed. You keep the full 14-day right untouched, and we activate afterwards. Almost nobody chooses this, but it is genuinely available and we will honour it.

If you say nothing, we will ask before activating. We do not treat silence as a waiver of a statutory right.

How to withdraw

Tell us clearly, in writing, that you are cancelling. Email [email protected] and put "cancellation" in the subject line. A message on WhatsApp also counts as long as it is unambiguous, but email gives you a cleaner record.

You do not have to use any particular form of words, and you do not have to give a reason. Sending it within the 14-day period is what matters.

Model cancellation wording

You are welcome to copy this. It is not compulsory.

I hereby give notice that I withdraw from my contract for the supply of the following service: IPTV Ireland subscription. Ordered on [date]. Name: [your name]. Email used for the order: [your email]. Date: [today's date].

Replace the bracketed parts with your own details before sending.

What happens then

• If the service had not started, we refund the full amount.
• If you asked us to start immediately and the service has been partly used, you may be charged in proportion to what was supplied before you cancelled.
• Refunds are made using the same payment method you used, without a fee for doing so.
• We aim to process it promptly once we have acknowledged your cancellation, and the statutory time limits apply to us in any event.

This page covers the statutory right. Our own commercial position on refunds, which sits on top of it, is on the refund policy page.

The Competition and Consumer Protection Commission publishes independent guidance on cancellation rights in Ireland if you would like to check any of this against a neutral source. We would encourage you to do exactly that.