Shoppers can make a complaint about faulty goods up to two years after delivery, even if the defect was visible and could have been spotted when they bought them. Gabriela Rumenova, founder of the online platform "We, the Consumers", told Bulgarian National Radio (BNR).

The case involves a pair of trainers bought in a high street shop. At home, the buyer found that the stitching on the front was crooked, but the seller rejected the complaint. It said the flaw was visible and should have been noticed in the shop before the trainers were bought.

Rumenova says such an answer may sound logical, but refusing to look at the complaint is unlawful. "The fact that a fault was visible does not automatically mean the buyer has lost the right to complain," she said.

Under the law, goods must be as agreed at the time of sale and match what is normal for items of that kind. Crooked stitching like this does not meet those rules, Rumenova said. For a defect like this, the law can assume it was there on the day of purchase. If the seller says otherwise, it must prove it. Rumenova says this is the buyer's main protection.

The two-year limit applies when the goods do not match the sales contract. Sellers often reject complaints by saying the "warranty has expired", meaning the company's own warranty, the platform says.

Rumenova said the platform hears of cases where a seller turns down a complaint as soon as it sees it. The law sets penalties for this. Other buyers see a visible flaw as a manufacturing defect but did not notice it when they bought the item, and the seller sends them away.

"Dishonest sellers count on being able to convince the buyer that they have no right to complain in this particular case," she said.