In short: the reply your customers give via the Quidly response page ("Accept") is non-binding — it does not create a contract, so no withdrawal duty arises at that point. The actual contract is only concluded when you close it with your customer afterwards — and that is where a withdrawal instruction (Widerrufsbelehrung) may be required by German law.
Note: this article is general information and not legal advice. For binding answers, contact your chamber of crafts (Handwerkskammer) or a lawyer.
When is a withdrawal instruction mandatory?
Two conditions must both be met:
- Your customer is a private individual (consumer). Business customers (B2B) have no statutory right of withdrawal.
- The contract is concluded at a distance or away from your business premises — for example entirely by email, phone or WhatsApp, or at the customer's home (including during an on-site measuring appointment).
If both apply, your customer has a 14-day right of withdrawal — and you must inform them in text form before the contract is concluded (withdrawal instruction + model withdrawal form).
Why this matters
Without a (correct) instruction:
- the withdrawal period extends from 14 days to 12 months and 14 days,
- the customer can still withdraw after the work is finished,
- and in the worst case you lose the entire remuneration — materials and working time included.
What to do in practice
- For private customers, attach the withdrawal instruction + model withdrawal form directly to your quote (for example as an extra page in the quote PDF you send via Quidly).
- Reviewed templates are available free of charge from your chamber of crafts (HWK) or the German Confederation of Skilled Crafts (ZDH).
- If work is to start before the 14 days expire, have the customer explicitly confirm this in text form (request for early performance) — otherwise you risk your claim to payment for that period.
What Quidly covers — and what it does not
- Quidly marks your customers' reply as non-binding (notice in the email and on the response page). The click therefore does not create a distance contract — and no withdrawal button is required on the response page.
- The conclusion of the contract itself and the withdrawal instruction are handled outside Quidly. That remains your responsibility as the contracting party of your end customers (see our Terms of Service, § 7).