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I want my refund! How to get your money back in Sweden

If you pay for an item or service in Sweden that you do not receive or isn't up to the expected quality, you should be able to get a refund. But the process isn't always simple, so here's how to get your money back.

I want my refund! How to get your money back in Sweden
Drottninggatan in Stockholm, one of the capital's major shopping streets. Photo: Jonas Ekströmer/TT

Your rights 

You’re entitled to a refund if you buy a product that is defective, or in many cases if you pay for a service or event that you don’t receive.

For defective products, the law protects you if there is an ‘original fault’ – and that covers all faults that arise within the first six months after buying the item unless the company can prove otherwise. Even after six months, you still have the right to complain, but will need to prove that the fault was original. 

For events and services, the guiding principle is that if you paid for something that didn’t happen, you’re usually entitled to a refund – but only if it was the company that cancelled the service, not if you changed your mind. The specific circumstances will influence the outcome, including the terms of your agreement (although these have to be reasonable).

For a more detailed look at consumer rights in Sweden, read the article below.

Contact the company

The first step is to take it up directly with the company you purchased from, either in person at the shop you bought it from or by contacting the company’s customer service department online or over the phone. Explain what’s happened; clearly detailing the fault and/or circumstances.

As a first step, the company has the right to try to fix the problem, so they might offer you a replacement item or repair of your item. If they do this and they fix the problem, you aren’t able to ask for a monetary refund, but you are entitled to one if they don’t fix it. When it comes to cancelled events, you might be offered an alternative date if the event is rescheduled, but as a general rule you don’t have to accept this since the date is such an important part of an event.

Photo: Tove Freiij/imagebank.sweden.se

Submit your complaint

At this stage if you haven’t got the result you want, you can submit an official complaint. This might be if they refuse to help you altogether, or if you’re not happy with their proposed solution (such as a partial refund or vouchers instead of cash).

You should do this in writing, as soon as possible after discovering the fault, and should keep a copy for your own records so that you can prove you contacted the retailer.

Get expert help

At this point, you can also reach out to other organisations for support, especially if you want clarity on your rights. 

Many municipalities have a specialist consumer advisor who can give you detailed information about your rights and tips on the right course of action to take, all for free – you can find the options in your area here. Alternatively or in addition, consumer organisation Hallå Konsument can offer free impartial advice about your rights.

File a report

The next step is filing a report with Sweden’s National Board for Consumer Disputes (ARN), which will assess the case for free if a business has rejected or failed to respond to a complaint.

Your complaint must fulfil a few conditions: there are minimum price thresholds, depending on the type of item, and you must submit your claim to the ARN no later than one year after your first complaint to the company in question.

You submit the complaint online, by filling in a form on the website or sending an email, and the board says it takes on average about six months to assess each case.

It is worth noting that ARN’s decisions are not legally binding, but companies do generally respect them.

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How to avoid falling victim to tax scams in Sweden

Sweden's tax agency, Skatteverket, warns of an increase in scams when it's time for Swedish tax-payers to declare their taxes.

How to avoid falling victim to tax scams in Sweden

Anyone who earned more than 22,208 kronor last year received their tax returns digitally last week, marking the start of tax season.

That also means an expected peak in tax-related scams, Skatteverket warns.

Most of the scams are so-called phishing scams, meaning attempts to steal the victims’ personal information. Fraudsters may for example email a person, pretending to represent Skatteverket, and ask them for, among other things, their banking details.

“We’re seeing these in all channels. They use fake emails, SMS, letters and in some cases even phone calls. It is particularly common in tax declaration times – just when we’re about to send out the tax returns, the e-service opens and it’s possible to declare – but above all when it’s time for tax rebates,” Jan Janowski, a Skatteverket expert, told Swedish news agency TT.

A scam email might for example state that you’re entitled to a tax rebate and that you should click a link to receive it. Don’t click any links, open any attachments or reply to the message. Skatteverket advises that you immediately delete the email or text message.

Another common scam is that you receive a text message claiming to be from Skatteverket, telling you that you owe them money and you need to log in to calculate the amount. The website you’re urged to log in via does not belong to Skatteverket. Don’t click the link.

The agency stresses that it never asks people for their banking details. The exception is that you may be asked for your bank account information if you log into Skatteverket’s website to declare your taxes, but that always first requires you to log into the site.

To receive your tax rebate, you need to inform Skatteverket of your bank account number. You do this not by clicking a link in an email or SMS, but by logging into their website using a digital ID, for example BankID, and submitting your details. Only do this on your own initiative. If someone calls you and asks you to log in with your BankID during the phone call, don’t do it. That’s another common scam.

Skatteverket will also never call you to ask for your bank account or credit card number.

It will be possible to declare your taxes from March 19th. You’ll receive any tax rebate you’re owed by mid-April or early June, depending on when you submit your tax return. These are the dates when fraudsters are likely to attempt the most scams.

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