Overview

• The Verbraucherzentrale Hamburg has formally warned against signing mobile contracts in physical shops due to hidden fees and altered conditions.
• Data from the Verbraucherzentrale show that in the first half of 2025 roughly half of complaints about undisclosed contracts and 80 percent of grievances over changed terms stem from store signings.
• Contracts signed in physical shops generally lack the statutory 14-day withdrawal period available for online agreements.
• Elderly consumers, non-native German speakers and people with impairments are disproportionately vulnerable to misleading in-store sales practices.
• Despite the advisory, no new laws have been enacted; the Verbraucherzentrale is pressing for statutory safeguards to close in-store loopholes.