Consumer · Right to Cancel
Right to Cancel a Purchase in Rhode Island
How long you have to cancel a door-to-door purchase in Rhode Island, the longer windows for timeshares and other categories, and why there is no general three-day right to return a car. Cited to the statute.
When the cooling-off right applies in Rhode Island
The door-to-door window, the categories with their own clocks, and the purchases that are not covered.
| When it applies | What it means |
|---|---|
| Three business days, by registered mail | The buyer may cancel by posting registered or certified notice by midnight of the third day after signing, excluding Sunday and mail holidays, under R.I. Gen. Laws § 6-28-3. Saturday counts. |
| 25 dollars, cash or credit | The right reaches a sale of consumer goods or services of 25 dollars or more solicited at a home other than the solicitor's, or away from the seller's regular place of business, including a solicitation you invited. |
| Double damages for a kept deposit | Rhode Island is the only state in its region that writes double damages into the statute. If the agreement lacked the required notice, you cancelled by registered mail, and the seller kept your deposit past twenty days, you recover double, under § 6-28-4. |
| A 10-point boldface notice is mandatory | No agreement is effective unless it is signed, dated, and carries the required five-item notice in ten-point boldface type directly above your signature, under § 6-28-4. |
| When there is no right | What it means |
|---|---|
| Arts and crafts at fairs | Arts and crafts sold at fairs or malls are excluded, along with real property, insurance, and registered securities. |
| Store, mail, and repair sales | Sales after prior negotiations at the seller's permanent business, sales conducted entirely by mail or telephone, and buyer-requested repair visits are excluded, along with anything under 25 dollars. |
| Emergency waivers | A buyer-initiated emergency purchase with a signed waiver is excluded, as is a sale that already carries a federal Consumer Credit Protection Act rescission right. |
What you can do right now
Concrete, neutral steps to cancel a covered purchase in Rhode Island. This is consumer information, not legal advice.
- Use registered or certified mail
Rhode Island's statute demands registered or certified mail, not ordinary mail, sent by midnight of the third day. Saturday counts, so do not wait for a weekday.
- Check your contract for the boxed notice
If the agreement lacked the required 10-point boldface notice, it is not effective against you, and a kept deposit can trigger double damages under § 6-28-4.
- Older homeowner hiring a contractor?
The separate elder track, § 5-65-27, gives a three-day right on contractor work solicited in the home, including by phone or online.
- Complain if a valid cancellation is refused
File a complaint with the Rhode Island Attorney General, Consumer Protection Unit.
If a seller refuses a timely, valid cancellation, a state consumer-protection office can take your complaint and enforce the cooling-off rules.
→ Rhode Island Attorney General · Consumer ProtectionThis is general consumer information, not legal advice. The category, the notice, and the deadline all matter, so confirm your right against the statute and use the complaint route if a valid cancellation is refused.
What Rhode Island buyers get wrong about cancelling
Rhode Island is the only state in its region that writes double damages into the door-to-door statute itself. Under R.I. Gen. Laws § 6-28-3 you can cancel a sale of 25 dollars or more by posting registered or certified notice by midnight of the third day after signing, and if your agreement did not carry the required ten-point boldface notice, you cancelled by registered mail, and the seller sat on your deposit past twenty days, section 6-28-4 doubles your recovery. The catch is that Rhode Island is strict about method: it wants registered or certified mail, not ordinary mail, so a buyer who sent a plain letter should also assert the federal rule, which accepts any written notice. Rhode Island covers both cash and credit sales and includes solicitations you invited. Saturday counts here, because only Sunday and mail holidays are excluded. Rhode Island also runs a separate elder-protection track: section 5-65-27 gives elderly homeowners a three-day right on contractor work solicited in the home, and unlike the general statute it expressly reaches telephone and online solicitation. The official host blocked direct access, so the sections were read through a reader route to the official page.
Common questions
Does Saturday count toward my three days in Rhode Island?
Yes. Only Sundays and mail holidays are excluded, so Saturday counts against you.
Do I have to send my cancellation by certified mail?
The state statute says registered or certified mail. The federal FTC rule accepts ordinary written notice, so if you sent a plain letter, assert the federal rule too.
What do I get if the company keeps my deposit?
Double damages under § 6-28-4, where the agreement lacked the required notice and you cancelled by registered mail, plus a possible Deceptive Trade Practices Act claim.
Are there extra protections for older homeowners hiring a contractor?
Yes. Section 5-65-27 gives elderly homeowners a three-day right on contractor work solicited in the home, and it also covers phone and online solicitation.
Not legal advicePlainStatute provides plain-language summaries of public law for general information only. This is not legal advice. Statutes change; always confirm current requirements with the official source linked above before acting.