第五章 網路團購於消保法無條件解約權規定之適用與檢討
第二節 網路團購之適用與疑義
綜上,契約解除後,消費者應負返還商品或償還金錢之義務,而企業經營者 應負返還價金之義務。然若消費者係以書面通知解除契約者,除當事人間另有特 約外,企業經營者應於通知到達後一個月內,至消費者之住所或營業所取回商品 (消保法施行細則第二十條);且須負擔消費者退回商品或以書面通知解除契約所 支付之必要費用162,因此消保法實質上較民法課與企業經營者較多義務,對消費者 之保護相當周全。
第二節 網路團購之適用與疑義
網路團購透過團購券之使用,使消費者親自到店家受領商品、服務的給付方 式,將許多過去性質上不適合郵寄者亦有機會成為郵購買賣之交易客體。此新型 態之交易模式,在行銷手法、履行方式上多有創新,為過去立法者所難以預見,
亦於現行消保法之適用上產生疑義,本文以下分述網路團購適用消保法解約權規 範所生之疑義並將我國消保法規定與歐盟遠距離契約消費者保護指令、消費者保 護指令之規範作分析、比較。
162 民國 83 年 5 月消費者保護法施行細則草案(初稿)第 23 條規定:「本法第十九條第一項所稱無須 負擔任何費用或價款,指消費者無須負擔退回商品或以書面通知企業經營者解除買賣契約所支 用之必要費用以外之費用或價款。」要求消費者應負擔解除契約之必要費用,但後並未納入正 式條文中。此外,101 年 6 月 7 日「消費者保護法部分條文修正草案」研修第 2 次會議之會議 紀錄,會議結論亦認為消費者保護法第 19 條所稱「費用」解釋上包含退回商品所需之費用,以 使讓消費者毋需因有經費負擔之顧慮而影響到解除權之行使。會議記錄資料來源:彰化縣政府消 保官網站,http://www.chcg.gov.tw/senior/03bulletin/bulletin03_con.asp?bull_id=123867 (最後瀏覽 日:10/20/2012)。
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第一款 猶豫期間起始日之計算
第一項 現行消保法之適用疑義
依消保法第十九條規定,七日猶豫期間之計算應係以消費者收受交易標的之 商品、服務的翌日起算七日。因此,欲探究網路團購之七日猶豫期間如何計算,
首先須釐清網路團購之交易標的究為團購券或最終之商品、服務。承前所述,本 文認為網路團購之交易標的應為消費者憑團購券自店家兌換之商品或服務,團購 券本身僅為間接給付之工具而已,故網路團購之七日猶豫期間應自消費者收受商 品、服務之翌日起算。此外,消費者取得團購券後,通常須等待一段時間(一般為 兩周到一個月),至優惠期間開始後,才能持券到店家請求兌換商品或服務。是以,
若以消費者收受團購券之翌日作為猶豫期間起始日,七日期間勢必於優惠期間開 始前經過,消費者實際受領給付時無條件解約權早已消滅。惟消費者取得團購券 至實際受領商品、服務前,其所掌握之交易資訊相較於瀏覽網頁、下訂購買、給 付價金時並無顯著不同,再多給予額外之考慮時間並無多大實益。故若團購網站 之定型化契約以消費者收受團購券之翌日作為猶豫期間起始日,不但對消費者較 為不利且與消保法第十九條第一項規定相悖,依照消保法第十九條第二項該約定 應屬無效。
網路團購之交易標的依其性質可分為商品及服務兩種。就商品而言,依消保 法第十九條第一項規定,消費者對所收受之商品不願買受時,得於收受商品後七 日內無須說明理由及負擔任何費用或價款,退回商品或以書面通知企業經營者解 除買賣契約。而七日期間之計算,依民法第一百二十條第二項規定,始日不算入。
故以商品為交易標的之網路團購,係以消費者持團購券至店家請求給付,「收受商
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品之翌日」起算七日。而交易標的為餐廳餐飲者,亦係自消費者收受餐廳飲食之 翌日起算七日猶豫期間,只是餐飲通常不只單一品項,如西餐可能有前菜、湯、
主菜到甜點、飲料,中式餐點如合菜等,其解約期間應係「自消費者受領郵購買 賣契約上有記載之餐飲之翌日」起算。至於,以服務為團購交易標的者,依消保 法第十九條之一準用同法第十九條第一項之結果,以「消費者受領服務之翌日」
起算七日期間。惟服務為無形之勞務,勞務之給付不論短期(十分鐘、一小時)或 長期(一星期、一個月)皆具一段時間之延續性,不若交付物品、移轉所有權般,
在轉瞬間即可完成,使得收受服務之時點較難以判定。以美髮服務為例,消費者 進入美容院後,店家即提供茶水,接著按摩肩頸、洗髮、剪髮、至最後之吹整,
消費者究係自何時開始接受美髮服務,容有疑義。現行消保法第十九條之一準用 第十九條第一項規定「接受服務」之時點究應如何認定,目前學說、實務有下列 三種見解:
一、消費者接受企業經營者提供服務時
消費者只要開始接受企業經營者提供之服務,不論該服務是否屬主要服務,
即屬於接受服務。並於該翌日,起算七日猶豫期間。
二、消費者接受企業經營者提供主要服務時
此說認為所謂「收受服務」,係指消費者收受「主要服務」而言,因消費者在 接受企業經營者提供之主要服務前,無法實際檢視、審思該服務是否符合其需要,
故基於立法意旨,猶豫期間應自消費者接受主要服務之次日起算。至於何為主要 服務,須視契約類型或約定之內容個案認定。
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167 DIRECTIVE 97/7/EC OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND OF THE COUNCIL of 20 May 1997 on the protection of consumers in respect of distance contracts,英文版請參見 http://eur-lex.
europa.eu /LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri=CELEX:31997L0007:en:NOT。
168 Article 1
169 Article 2
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(1) ‘distance contract’ means any contract concerning goods or services concluded between a supplier and a consumer under an organized distance sales or service-provision scheme run by the supplier, who, for the purpose of the contract, makes exclusive use of one or more means of distance commu-nication up to and including the moment at which the contract is concluded;
170 Article 2(4)
171 Article 6
1. For any distance contract the consumer shall have a period of at least seven working days in which to withdraw from the contract without penalty and without giving any reason. The only charge that may be made to the consumer because of the exercise of his right of withdrawal is the direct cost of returning the goods.
172 (14) Whereas the consumer is not able actually to see the product or ascertain the nature of the service provided before concluding the contract; whereas provision should be made, unless otherwise speci-fied in this Directive, for a right of withdrawal from the contract;
173 郭佳玫(2004),〈遠距交易契約之解除權規定之探討—以歐盟遠距契約消費者保護指令、德國民 法與我國消費者保護法規定為例〉,《消費者保護法制論文集》,行政院消費者保護委員會編印,
頁 254。
174 Article 6
2. Where the right of withdrawal has been exercised by the consumer pursuant to this Article, the sup-plier shall be obliged to reimburse the sums paid by the consumer free of charge. The only charge that may be made to the consumer because of the exercise of his right of withdrawal is the direct cost of returning the goods. Such reimbursement must be carried out as soon as possible and in any case within 30 days.
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遠距契約指令第六條第一項後段175規定,消費者之七日解約期間,於交易標的 為商品之情形,自消費者收受商品之日起算;於交易標的為服務之情形,自契約 締結之日起算。若企業經營者怠於履行書面確認義務(Written confirmation of in-formation) 176,猶豫期間將延長為三個月;若供應商之書面確認義務於此三個月內 補履行完成,則猶豫期間仍維持為七個工作天並自該義務履行時起算。
二、歐盟消費者權利指令
二○一一年歐洲理事會及歐洲議會制定「消費者權利指令」(Directive 2011/
83/EU )177,修正並整合不公平契約條款指令(Council Directive 93/13/EEC)與消費商 品擔保指令(Directive 1999/44/EC),及廢止保護營業所外交易契約消費者指令 (Council Directive 85/577 /EEC)與遠距離契約消費者保護指令(Directive 97/7/EC)。
各會員國應於二○一三年十二月十三日前將消費者權利指令內國法化,最遲應於 二○一四年六月十三日適用於所有會員國178。
175 The period for exercise of this right shall begin:
— in the case of goods, from the day of receipt by the consumer where the obligations laid down in Article 5 have been fulfilled,
— in the case of services, from the day of conclusion of the contract or from the day on which the ob-ligations laid down in Article 5 were fulfilled if they are fulfilled after conclusion of the contract, pro-vided that this period does not exceed the three-month period referred to in the following subpara-graph.
If the supplier has failed to fulfil the obligations laid down in Article 5, the period shall be three months. The period shall begin:
— in the case of goods, from the day of receipt by the consumer,
— in the case of services, from the day of conclusion of the contract.
If the information referred to in Article 5 is supplied within this three-month period, the seven work-ing day period referred to in the first subparagraph shall begin as from that moment.
176 Article 5
177 Directive 2011/83/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council of 25 October 2011, on con-sumer rights, amending Council Directive 93/13/EEC and Directive 1999/44/EC of the European Par-liament and of the Council and repealing Council Directive 85/577/EEC and Directive 97/7/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council,英文版請見 http://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.
do?uri=OJ:L:2011:304:0064:01:EN:HTML。
178 European Commission Justice 網站,http://ec.europa.eu/justice/consumer-marketing/rights-contracts /directive/index_en.htm(最後瀏覽日:12/11/2012)。
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消費者權利指令第一條規定,該指令之規範目的為:藉整合各會員國關於企業 經營者與消費者間契約訂定之特定規範,建立更高層次的消費者保護,促進歐盟 共同市場的適當運作。由於歐盟共同市場內的跨國遠距離交易(cross-border distance selling)因遠距契約指令僅係對會員國之規範作最低限度之限制179,會員國得規定或 維持相符但更為嚴格的規定,使得各會員國間規範仍有不同,造成企業經營者與 消費者適用之不便及相關成本之增加,相較於過去數年各會員國國內遠距銷售的 顯著成長,跨國遠距銷售的成長相當有限。為了達到規範上完全的一致性(full harmonisation)180,以增加會員國之商業機會,進而建立更完善的共同市場,故將 過去規範內容歧異的遠距契約消費者保護指令與保護營業所外交易契約消費者指 令刪除,將告知義務、解約權等規定一致化,統一規定於單一的指令中。
消費者權利指令所稱之遠距離契約,依第二條第七款181規定係指企業經營者與 消費者藉由規畫好的遠距離行銷或服務系統(organised distance sales or service -provision scheme)訂定契約,過程中商人與消費者並無實際同時在場,且直到包含
Member States may introduce or maintain, in the area covered by this Directive, more stringent provi-sions compatible with the Treaty, to ensure a higher level of consumer protection. Such proviprovi-sions shall, where appropriate, include a ban, in the general interest, on the marketing of certain goods or services, particularly medicinal products, within their territory by means of distance contracts, with due regard for the Treaty.
180 Marco Loos, Rights of Withdrawal, in MODERNISING AND HARMONISING CONSUMER CONTRACT LAW
180 Marco Loos, Rights of Withdrawal, in MODERNISING AND HARMONISING CONSUMER CONTRACT LAW