Please note: This page is an English translation of information originally written for clients in Bulgaria. If you are a foreign citizen or live abroad, additional considerations may apply to your case, such as signing documents from abroad, granting a power of attorney, travelling to Bulgaria or complying with specific legal requirements and deadlines. Feel free to contact me to discuss your situation and find out what applies to you.

How I won a case against a car rental company

“I came home to Bulgaria and rented a car from a car rental company. When I returned it, they found two scratches on the windscreen and kept my deposit of 1,700 leva. This is outrageous! 1,700 leva for two scratches? I want to sue them…” With these words a client came to me, and I defended him as a consumer rights lawyer in Plovdiv.

Consumer rights lawyer in Plovdiv

My client lived abroad and had come back to Bulgaria on holiday. He rented a car from a car rental company for one week. When he returned it, the company found two barely visible marks on the windscreen, demanded 943 euros and kept his entire deposit of 1,700 leva. It refused to return anything, so we filed a case. The case showed that such a repair costs between 40 and 60 leva. The court ordered the company to pay back 1,640 leva plus the costs of the case. I described the whole story in How do I sue a car rental company for my deposit? (in Bulgarian).

I bought a car with a hidden defect – what can I do?

More and more often, people come to me who have bought a “newly imported” car with low mileage. Their joy ends at the first garage, where it turns out that the car has been in a crash or flooded, and the mileage has been turned back. If the car or other item you bought has a defect that you could not have noticed at purchase, do not worry – the law gives you ways to protect yourself, and as a consumer rights lawyer in Plovdiv, I will help you use them. I discuss such a case in detail in I bought a car with a hidden defect: Can I return it and get my money back? (in Bulgarian).

How I won a case against the EKO petrol station

This case is real too. A petrol station attendant put petrol into my client’s diesel car. He asked the station manager for compensation, and she very politely told him that she could not make such a decision herself. So a court case was the only option. The court ruled that my client was right and ordered EKO petrol stations to pay him compensation for the pecuniary and non-pecuniary damage caused. I told the story in How I won a case against the EKO petrol station, and what followed in The EKO petrol station case – a lawyer’s complete satisfaction (in Bulgarian).

The petrol station put the wrong fuel in my car. Who pays for the repair?

The petrol station, if one of its employees put in the fuel. It is liable for the damage the employee caused – the repair, the roadside assistance, even a replacement car. Keep the receipt and the documents from the garage.

Questions to a consumer rights lawyer in Plovdiv

I bought a car and the garage told me the mileage had been turned back. Can I get my money back?

Yes, if the tampering is real and can be proved. You can terminate the contract and ask for your money back, or ask for a reduction of the price. Keep the contract, the advert and the garage’s report.

The car rental company kept my deposit because of a scratch. What should I do?

Ask in writing for the damage report and the repair invoice. The company may keep only the real cost of the repair, not the full amount from its own price list. If it refuses to return the difference, it can be claimed through the court.

I paid a builder an advance and he does not show up. Can I get my money back?

Yes. Give him a reasonable deadline in writing to finish the work and warn him that after that you will terminate the contract. If he still does not, you can ask for the advance back and, if needed, compensation.

I ordered goods online and I do not like them. Can I return them?

Yes. You have 14 days to withdraw from the purchase without giving a reason. The period runs from receipt of the goods.