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Three weeks ago signed up for an online course. I agreed to pay the price of the course in ten single monthy installements, but now I have come to the conclusion that the course is not something that I want to have anymore and I would like a refund.

They refused to give me the refund, claiming that they don't give out refunds if it has been more than 48 hours after purchase, or if the the payment plan agreed to was the 10 installement monthly plan, claiming that I can't back out of the debt I agreed to. Aren't they obligated by international laws to give refund or cancel the payments, by the request of the consumer, in the 30 day window after the digital product has been purchased?

Is this something worth filing a complaint for, or is there no way I can get the refund?

The company is U.S. based, and I'm in a european Union country.

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[Just seen the edit - EU laws are likely to be similar to UK, and there is likely to be the equivalent of a Citizens Advice Bureau.]

You might be covered by local laws - depending on your jurisdiction.

But three weeks is a long time to change your mind. The UK, for example, gives two weeks for purchases you've not seen in person.

Generally, though, you're entitled to a refund for goods or services that were defective or misrepresented. Changing your mind after entering a contract does not - of itself - constitute a reason to consider the contract void.

Again, it's dependent on jurisdiction, but if the law defines it as "from date of receipt of the product or service", this might give an angle you can use. If you have the equivalent of a Citizens' Advice Bureau, it might be worth asking for an opinion.

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  • I have used MB Way to make the payment. Could the company enforce legal action if the card were to be cancelled? To be clear, I am not admitting to or considering canceling the card. The question is purely educational and not to be interpreted as intent to any sort of action related to this particular case. – Skatinima Dec 8 '18 at 10:38
  • @Skatinima - Nice disclaimer - if it hasn't happened yet it's only a matter of time before SE comments are used in court. The company could take legal action based on damages - and it's worth bearing in mind that these might include legal costs. Is there an option of accepting a cancellation charge - particularly if the service has not yet been delivered? – ItWasLikeThatWhenIGotHere Dec 8 '18 at 10:49
  • According to the company, i have consumed enough percentage of the content (not 100% or 0%) to not be eligible for cancellation. Also, they state they don't accept cancellation of future payments, so, if what the company claims is true, I can't back out of the debt. – Skatinima Dec 8 '18 at 10:57
  • I would like to add that not all the videos in the program are accessible yet. Is this a possible angle that I could use? – Skatinima Dec 8 '18 at 11:03
  • @Skatinima - Regarding the videos, if they're being delivered when you could reasonably expect (ie. not necessarily all at the beginning), I don't think that would work. And if you've been looking through the course enough to know that, I can see why the company would say they've already made a delivery. Sorry I couldn't tell you what you wanted to hear. – ItWasLikeThatWhenIGotHere Dec 8 '18 at 11:07
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There are practical considerations: If you are in the EU and they are in the USA, then they may have a hard time getting their hands on your money. Whether you want to go down that route, that's up to you.

They can take you to a US court and get an order that you have to pay, and you might take them to a EU court and that court says you owe nothing. That makes for an interesting situation.

There are no international laws concerned with this. And certainly not within 30 days of purchase. In the UK, for purchasing downloadable movies or videos, it's 7 days where you can get a refund, but not after downloading. This may or may not be EU law.

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  • Do Extradition Laws apply if they request my presence in a US court? Let us supose I were to be in a country where it doesn't have/has limited extradition laws with US and/or I'm not a US citizen, could they rightfully demand my presence in a US court? Disclaimer: This question is purely educational and does not and cannot represent my intentions to escape or not fullfil the contract I have made with any company at any given time. – Skatinima Dec 8 '18 at 20:44
  • @Skatinima the US can only request your extradition if you are accused of a crime. This is not a criminal matter. – phoog Dec 10 '18 at 3:54

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