cooling-off period
Meaning(s)
1. a time permitted to change your mind, or return a purchase in consumer rights law.
Popularity
High
Professional
Low
Social
How to Memorize
cancel/return goods/services within a 30-day cooling-off period
Analysis
A 'cooling-off period' is an amount of time within which you are permitted to receive a refund or exchange on an item due to simply changing your mind. This is an option that some shops and salespoints choose to offer their customers in order to encourage them to buy and minimise the risk or purchasing for the consumer. "All of our items come with a 14-day cooling-off period within which you are entitled to change your mind." This is an expression used in professional and commercial contexts.
Professional Examples (Basic)
- I enjoy shopping on this website. They have a generous cooling-off period so I can return anything I'm not happy with, without any problems.
- A 14-day cooling-off period applies to new subscriptions to our broadband service.
Social Examples (Basic)
- I used the cooling-off period to send back my items and get a refund.
- Some people abuse the cooling-off period by using items once and then returning them.