Q: My husband and I recently bought a new mattress from a local supplier. Since we are both over 70, we asked the seller whether the deliverymen could help us take the old mattress downstairs for eventual disposal. Unfortunately, the seller refused to do so, claiming that for hygiene reasons, the deliverymen cannot carry the old mattress. We would like to know whether the seller can refuse our request. What rights do we have?

A: Sellers are legally obliged to provide consumers with the products or services as agreed in the contract of sale. So if the sales agreement that you have with the seller only concerns the purchase and delivery of the new mattress, and does not mention the disposal of the old mattress, the seller is not legally obliged to accept your request to help you move the old mattress downstairs.

Consumers are advised to discuss such requests and conditions of sale before concluding a sales contract. If an agreement is reached, all the details must be clearly written in the sales agreement. In this way, if the seller refuses the consumers’ request before the purchase is concluded, the latter may consider shopping around as other sellers may be willing to provide them with the required service or assistance as part of the sales agreement.