Slovak Trade Inspection

What it means

The Slovak Trade Inspection, abbreviated SOI, is the state authority supervising consumer protection. It inspects shops, online stores, service premises and markets, and checks whether businesses follow the rules when selling goods and providing services to consumers.

It focuses mainly on prices and how they are displayed, handling of complaints, terms and conditions, information in distance contracts, notice of the right of withdrawal, product labelling and instructions in Slovak, and compliance with the rules on discount promotions.

SOI also handles consumer complaints and tip-offs. If an inspection finds a breach, it can impose a fine, order a remedy, ban the sale of a dangerous product or temporarily close the premises. In consumer disputes it also acts as an alternative dispute resolution body.

How it works in practice

For clients with an online shop or physical store, we check the items SOI inspects most often: the seller’s identification details, the complaints procedure, pre-contract information, the withdrawal form and correct price display, including the previous price when discounting.

During an inspection we recommend cooperating, providing the requested documents and responding to findings factually. The inspection report should be read carefully and, where the company disagrees, objections should be stated, as the decision on any fine is based on them.

Terms and conditions and website texts should be reviewed whenever consumer protection law changes, which has happened often in recent years. Templates from the internet or competitors rarely match either the current law or the specific business.

What to watch out for

SOI fines depend on the seriousness, duration and consequences of the breach and can be considerably higher for repeat offences. Even minor gaps, such as missing seller details or incorrect information, are not worth ignoring.

Discount promotions are particularly risky. When announcing a discount, the lowest price at which the product was sold during a set period beforehand must be shown. Artificially raising the price before a sale is an unfair commercial practice that SOI monitors and fines.