Signed up at your door or on the phone? How to cancel and get your deposit back

A salesperson came to your door, or rang you, and you signed up for solar panels, a heat pump, new windows or an energy deal. Now you want out. In the EU and the UK you can cancel a contract made at home, at work, in the street or by phone within 14 days, without a reason. For a service the days run from the day you signed. The seller must refund your deposit within 14 days of your notice, and finance set up with the sale ends with it. In the US you have until midnight of the third business day for doorstep sales of $25 or more. In Japan it is 8 days, in Brazil 7.

First, find your last day to cancel

Three facts decide it.

How it was sold. At your home, at work, in the street, at a hotel or a fair, or by phone. A sale finalised at the seller's own shop is not covered.

What you bought. For a service, or a contract that includes installation, count from the day you signed. For goods delivered later, the EU and UK period runs from delivery. If you are not sure which it is, use the earlier date.

What paperwork you got. If the seller never gave you the cancellation information, the period in the EU and the UK is extended by up to 12 months.

Your cooling-off rights by country

Where	How long you have	Refund
EU (France, Germany, Spain, Italy, Portugal, the Netherlands, Poland and others)	14 days, from the contract date for a service and from delivery for goods	All payments within 14 days of your notice, by the same means of payment
UK	14 days after the contract for a service, 14 days after delivery for goods (Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013)	All payments within 14 days of your notice, or of the goods or proof of sending reaching the seller
US	Until midnight of the third business day, for sales of $25 or more at home or $130 or more at a temporary location such as a hotel or fair. Phone sales are not covered by this rule	Within 10 days
Japan	8 days for door-to-door and phone sales, counting the day you received the contract document as day 1	Money paid is returned; the seller pays to collect the goods and cannot charge a penalty
Brazil	7 days from signing or receiving the product, for sales made at home or by phone	Returned immediately, adjusted for inflation

In France a doorstep seller may not take any payment, deposit or direct debit before 7 days after the contract.

What the cooling-off right does not cover

The main exceptions are goods made to your exact specifications or clearly personalised, and urgent repairs you called the trader out for. Anything extra they sold you on that visit is still covered. A standard heat pump, battery or set of panels fitted to your house is not usually "made to measure", whatever the salesperson says.

Work that started early is a common trap. In the EU and the UK a trader may start a service in the period only if you asked in writing, on paper or by email. If you did, you pay for what was done up to the day you cancel. If you did not, you owe nothing for it.

How to cancel, step by step

1. Find the contract and the dates. The day you signed, the day the paperwork arrived, and whether it included a cancellation form.
2. Work out your last day. Count from the right date for your country, and put it in your diary.
3. Stop anything starting. Do not let installation or work begin, and do not sign anything else.
4. Send a written notice today. Email an address on the contract, use the seller's online form, or post it with proof of posting. In the US, mail it postmarked in time, ideally by certified mail. Say "I am cancelling". Give no reason.
5. Tell the finance company the same day. In the EU and the UK, finance arranged with the sale ends when you cancel, at no cost to you.
6. Ask for written confirmation. If none comes in two working days, send one short line. A notice sent in time counts even if they never reply.
7. Put the refund date in your diary. In the EU and the UK, 14 days after your notice. Chase it the day after.

The message to send

Subject: Cancellation of contract BRE-20417 dated 31 October 2026

Dear BrightRoof Energy,

I am cancelling my contract BRE-20417 for solar panels and a home battery, which I signed at my home on 31 October 2026. I am doing so within the cancellation period under the Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013.

Please refund my £500 deposit to the debit card I paid with, within 14 days of this notice, by 18 November 2026. The finance agreement with Northgate Finance was arranged with this sale and ends with it. Please confirm that you have told Northgate Finance.

Please do not carry out the installation booked for 23 November, and confirm this cancellation by email.

In the EU, say "my 14-day right of withdrawal" instead. In the US, name the FTC Cooling-Off Rule. If the salesperson rings to talk you round, say "I have cancelled in writing" and nothing more.

If they push back, and where to go next

• "There is a cancellation fee." Inside the period, no. Ask for the full refund.
• "You are too late." Check your dates and whether you got the cancellation information.
• "Work has started." No written request from you means nothing owed for it.
• No refund by the due date. Send a formal complaint with a final date, then ask your card provider about a card deposit. In the UK, the Citizens Advice consumer service passes reports to Trading Standards. In the EU, use your national consumer body, or the European Consumer Centre for a seller in another country. In Japan, call 188. In Brazil, use consumidor.gov.br or your local Procon.

The short version

Find your last day to cancel today and send a written notice before it, with no reason given. Tell the finance company the same day, do not let work start, and put the refund date in your diary. In the EU and the UK that is 14 days, and the seller must refund you within 14 days of your notice.

Questions

Do I need a reason to cancel a doorstep sale?

No. In the EU, the UK, the US, Japan and Brazil the cooling-off right needs no reason. Do not give one, and do not argue about the product.

The work has already started. Can I still cancel?

Yes, inside the period. In the EU and the UK you pay for work done only if you asked in writing for it to start early; if you did not, you owe nothing for it.

They say there is a cancellation fee. Do I have to pay it?

Inside the cooling-off period, no fee is lawful beyond the few costs the rules list, such as return postage you were told about. Reply that you cancelled in time and ask for the full refund.

I never got a cancellation form. Is it too late?

Probably not. In the EU and the UK, if the seller never gave you the cancellation information, the period is extended by up to 12 months. In Japan, call the consumer hotline 188 before assuming it is over.

General information, not legal advice. Rules change and depend on where you live: check the official source before you rely on a date or an amount.

Sources

• Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013, Part 3 (legislation.gov.uk, checked November 2026)
• Consumer Rights Directive 2011/83/EU, Chapter III (legislation.gov.uk, checked November 2026)
• FTC: Buyer's Remorse, the FTC's Cooling-Off Rule May Help (checked November 2026)
• Service-public.gouv.fr: démarchage à domicile (France, checked November 2026)