Case law

  • Case Details
    • National ID: VIII ZR 200/05
    • Member State: Germany
    • Common Name:link
    • Decision type: Other
    • Decision date: 16/08/2006
    • Court: BGH (Supreme court)
    • Subject:
    • Plaintiff:
    • Defendant:
    • Keywords:
  • Directive Articles
    Consumer Sales and Guarantees Directive, Article 1, 1.
  • Headnote
    The following question is referred to the European Court of Justice for a preliminary ruling under Art. 234 EC:
    Are the provisions of Article 3(2), read in conjunction with the first subparagraph of Article 3(3) and Article 3(4) thereof, or of the third subparagraph of Article 3(3) of the Directive 1999/44/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 25 May 1999 on certain aspects of the sale of consumer goods and associated guarantees to be interpreted as precluding national legislation which provides that, where consumer goods are brought into conformity with the contract by means of delivery of replacement goods, the seller may require compensation from the consumer for use of the goods originally delivered, which were not in conformity with the contract?
  • Facts
    In 2002, the buyer had ordered a ‘stove-set’ from the defendant, a mail-order company for the purchase price of EUR 524,90. It was delivered in August 2002. In January 2004, the buyer noticed that the enamel layer on the inside of the stove was peeling away. She returned the appliance to the defendant, who replaced it with a new appliance. However, the defendant required the buyer to pay initially EUR 119,97 and later EUR 69,97 by way of compensation for the benefit she had obtained from the use of the appliance initially delivered. The buyer paid the amount. The plaintiff, a consumer organisation, demanded reimbursement of that amount on the grounds that the buyer had assigned her claim to it. In addition, it applied for an order prohibiting the defendant from invoicing consumers for the use of those goods which had been replaced due to non-conformity with the contract of sale. The Regional Court has upheld the claim for repayment but dismissed the application for injunctive relief (ZGS 2005, 399). The appeals of both parties have been rejected by the Higher Regional Court. (ZGS 2005, 438).
  • Legal issue
    The Federal Court of Justice has asked the ECJ for a preliminary ruling on the question whether the statutory provision of § 439(4) BGB, which requires the buyer to pay compensation to seller for the use of a defective good if it is later replaced by the seller, is compatible with European Community Law.
    Under § 439(4) BGB, the seller who delivered goods free from defects for the purpose of “subsequent performance” could require the purchaser to return the defective goods “pursuant to § 346- 348 BGB”. As decided by the legislator, this expressly included the benefits derived from the other party’s performance. This claim had been denied by the previous instances by way of restrictive interpretation. Although the FCJ shared the doubts of the court of first instance and the appellate court, their interpretation was countered by the express wording of the relevant provision and the intention of the legislator, which was expressed by the traveaux préparatoires. A restrictive interpretation of § 439(4) BGB conflicting with its wording was inadmissible with respect to the judiciary being bound by law and statutes (Art. 20(3) GG [basic law]). However, the FCJ had doubts whether the provision was compatible with the Directive 1999/44/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 25 May 1999 on certain aspects of the sale of consumer goods and associated guarantees, according to which the bringing into conformity of the goods is to be effectuated free of charge and without any significant inconvenience to the consumer. The decision whether Art. 3(2)-(4) of the directive were to be interpreted as precluding the duty of the consumer to pay compensation to seller for the use of the initially delivered, defective goods if they were replaced at a later stage (§ 439(4) BGB in conjunction with §§ 346-348) was reserved to the ECJ under Art. 234 EC.



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