South Africa's familiar seven-day online cooling-off rule comes from the Electronic Communications and Transactions Act, commonly called ECTA. It applies to qualifying electronic transactions and lets a consumer cancel without reason or penalty within seven days after receiving goods. The consumer may have to pay the direct return cost, and statutory exclusions matter.

Quick Answer

For eligible goods bought through an electronic transaction, ECTA Section 44 allows cancellation within seven days after receipt. These are calendar days unless the applicable text or a specific agreement gives more. You do not need to prove a defect. The supplier must refund payments within the statutory period, while the consumer bears the direct cost of return. Certain goods and circumstances are excluded under Section 42, including goods made to specification or clearly personalised. Obtain current advice for a disputed order.

📦 Count from receipt and preserve the goods

Save the delivery notification and send written cancellation before the seventh day ends. Include the order number, collection address and a clear request under ECTA.

Use the product only as much as reasonably necessary to inspect it. Keep packaging, accessories and seals. Separate exclusions can apply to opened software or other listed categories.

Evetech's PC best-sellers and wider best-seller list show the kinds of online orders whose exact configuration should be saved at checkout.

🧩 Check whether custom specification changes the right

ECTA excludes certain goods made to the consumer's specifications or clearly personalised. A custom-built PC can raise that question. A standard preconfigured system selected from a page may present different facts from a machine assembled to unique instructions.

Ask before ordering and keep the configuration record. A store policy cannot shrink an applicable statutory right, but the statutory exclusion itself can still apply.

🔧 Keep defects on the CPA track

Cooling-off is for cancellation without a defect reason. A PC that fails quality standards can fall under the CPA implied warranty for six months. That route has different costs, remedies and evidence.

Frequently Asked Questions

Which law grants the 7-day online cooling-off right?

The Electronic Communications and Transactions Act, through its consumer-protection provisions for eligible electronic transactions.

Are the 7 days calendar days or business days?

The provision states seven days, generally read as calendar days. Send notice early and keep proof.

Does cooling-off apply to in-store purchases too?

The ECTA right concerns electronic transactions, not an ordinary purchase completed in a physical store.

Can custom-built PCs be excluded from cooling-off?

Yes, goods made to the consumer's specifications or clearly personalised can fall within an ECTA exclusion.

Do I need a reason to cancel within 7 days?

Not for an eligible Section 44 cooling-off cancellation.

Who pays return costs during a cooling-off cancellation?

ECTA places the direct cost of returning goods on the consumer in this cooling-off route.

Does cooling-off overlap with the six-month CPA cover?

They can both exist around a purchase, but address different problems: cancellation without reason versus defective quality.

Ordering a gaming PC online and want the dates to stay unambiguous? Compare systems at Evetech, save the final configuration and keep the delivery timestamp with the order record.