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Belfast cross-border marketing: Irish cancellation rules, DPC and PECR checks before you hire a Dublin agency
Marketing from Belfast into Ireland: the 14-day cancellation rule under the Consumer Rights Act 2022, the Data Protection Commission, PECR and agency questions.
A Belfast firm that advertises to customers in the Republic of Ireland meets a second set of regulators. Consumer rights come from Irish law, Irish leads fall under the Data Protection Commission, and e-mail marketing still follows UK PECR for UK-based senders. Check each before you brief a Dublin agency.
What to take away
- In Ireland the cooling-off period for online purchases is 14 days, starting from the date the consumer receives the goods or agrees the service contract.
- The Consumer Rights Act 2022 lets a consumer cancel a distance contract without giving any reason.
- The Data Protection Commission is the Irish supervisory authority for the GDPR and also covers the Irish ePrivacy Regulations (2011).
- UK PECR treats sole traders and some partnerships as individuals for marketing.
- Ask an agency for a sample report and references from Irish campaigns before you sign.
Consumer rights south of the border
In Ireland the cooling-off period for online purchases is 14 days, starting from the date the consumer receives the goods or agrees the service contract (Competition and Consumer Protection Commission consumer guidance). The consumer must inform the trader within those 14 days to cancel and get a refund.
Section 112 of the Consumer Rights Act 2022 allows a consumer to cancel a distance contract or an off-premises contract before the expiry of the cancellation period without giving any reason. Under section 113, the cancellation period for a sales contract expires 14 days after the consumer acquires physical possession of the goods.
Put those rules into your terms and your Irish landing pages. Check the wider UK regulations and the advertising rules that apply to your claims before copy goes live.
Lead generation across the border and data protection
Cross-border lead generation means collecting personal data from people in the Republic of Ireland. The Data Protection Commission (DPC) is the Irish supervisory authority for the GDPR, and its functions also cover the Irish ePrivacy Regulations (2011).
Name your business on every lead form, explain what happens to the data and link to a privacy notice. A UK-only notice leaves a gap for Irish leads, so review your data protection setup first.
Marketing by e-mail and text follows different rules by recipient type. The ICO guidance on business marketing says sole traders and some partnerships are classed as individual subscribers and PECR treats them the same as individuals. The e-mail and text rule does not apply to corporate subscribers. That describes UK law only, so take advice on the Irish position before e-mailing Irish prospects.
Consent must be specific and recorded. Keep a timestamped record of what each Irish lead agreed to, for as long as you rely on it.
Questions to put to a Dublin or Belfast agency
Agencies in the two cities may price differently, so compare like for like on scope rather than on headline day rates. Ask each agency what is included: strategy, creative, media buying, reporting, landing pages and lead follow-up. A supplier comparison scored on the same rows makes gaps visible.
Ask whether media spend is billed separately from fees, for the hours and named people behind the day rate, the minimum term and notice period, and the currency of every invoice. Agree the terms in a written contract, using the commercial contracts checks.
Ask for a sample monthly report before you sign. Look for lead volume, cost per lead, source and conversion to sale. If the report stops at impressions and clicks, it will not show whether the campaign pays. Ask for references from clients in the Republic, because an agency that has never run an Irish campaign will learn at your expense.
Practical steps for a cross-border campaign
- Decide which Irish counties you will serve, and confirm you can deliver the service there at the price you plan to charge.
- Set your euro pricing and a conversion buffer, and decide the ad account currency before you run Irish ads.
- Add the 14-day cancellation information to your terms for consumers.
- Build a privacy notice and consent flow that covers Irish leads, and record consent for every e-mail or text you send.
- Agree agency contracts in writing, with currency, notice period and reporting specified.
- Review the campaign monthly for the first quarter against your marketing costs and pricing plan.
Example: lead economics in euro
This example is illustrative arithmetic, not a market benchmark. Assume forty leads and a conversion rate of one in two, so twenty jobs. At four hundred euro a job, revenue is eight thousand euro.
Divide your total cost by the twenty jobs to see the cost per job, then convert it to sterling at the rate on your invoice date.
Common questions
Can I use the same ads in Belfast and Dublin?
Not without a check. Irish consumer rules and the Irish ePrivacy Regulations (2011) apply to Irish customers, so review the copy and the consent wording for the Republic.
Which regulator handles a complaint from a Dublin customer?
Cancellation rights come from the Consumer Rights Act 2022, and complaints about personal data are a matter for the Data Protection Commission.
