The libro de reclamaciones: who must have one and what it costs not to
Every commercial establishment open to the public — and since November 2025, every e-commerce platform — must have a complaints book, display the notice, and answer within 15 business days with no extensions.
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El Peruano · Congress of Peru · Peruvian State portal (gob.pe)
Checked 1 Oct 2026Next review 12 Dec 2026
Table 4 of Decreto Supremo 032-2021-PCM was read in the official El Peruano publication hosted on gob.pe, and the Complaints Book Regulation in the Third Official Edition of the Consumer Code (Minjus).
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Ley 32495 gave the Executive thirty days to adapt the regulation to e-commerce and we could not find that decree published: the detailed rules for digital platforms are still pending.
The clock running against you
15 business days from the reclamo being registered in the book.This is a procedural deadline: miss it and you lose that route and have to start another.
Ley N.º 31435, artículos 24.1 y 152
Who has to have one
The base rule is simple: if you serve the public from commercial premises, you need a complaints book, physical or virtual. And since 11 November 2025, Ley 32495 extended the duty to every e-commerce platform — web stores, apps, marketplaces.
The notice must be “in a visible and easily accessible place.” On a digital platform, the equivalent is a permanent, visible link to the book.
The 15 business days
This is the single most misreported fact on the Peruvian internet, major news outlets included.
The original 2011 text said 30 days. Ley 31435, in force since May 2022, points to article 24.1 of the Code: fifteen business days, not extendable. It applies to both reclamos and quejas.
“Improrrogable” means what it says — the business cannot ask for more time.
If you are not sure which box to tick, the Reclamo or queja? tool tells you in three questions.
Reclamo or queja
| Compared on | Reclamo | Queja |
|---|---|---|
| About | The product or the service | The treatment, the staff, the premises |
| Basis | DS 011-2011-PCM, art. 3 | DS 011-2011-PCM, art. 3.4 |
| Deadline | 15 business days | 15 business days |
| Useful for | Opening a consumer case on the merits | Putting it on record |
If your problem is with the product, mark it as a reclamo. If you already ticked the wrong box, what the rule says is on reclamo, queja and denuncia.
What comes after the book
The book is the first rung, not the last. Indecopi states it directly: “Un reclamo no es una denuncia ni inicia un proceso sancionador contra un proveedor.”
- Reclamo → to the business, or to Indecopi via Reclama Virtual to conciliate.
- Denuncia → to Indecopi via the mesa de partes, to open a sanctioning procedure.
They are different things, and many people stop at the first believing they did the second.
If you run a business here
Three cheap ways to avoid a fine that people routinely miss: display the notice where it can actually be seen, answer inside fifteen business days, and keep the sheets for two years. Formal defects are the most commonly fined part of this regime, and the most avoidable.
What if the product you’re complaining about was under warranty?
Many complaints logged in the book are about defective products. Before you write yours, it helps to know that the legal warranty exists even without a warranty slip: see legal warranty on products in Peru.
How long it takes
You
You log your reclamo or queja in the book and keep your copy
The business's deadline counts from here
The business
The business answers
Up to 15 business days, not extendable
You
If there is no answer or it falls short, you take it to Indecopi
No legal deadline cited on this page
These periods are counted differently, so we don't add them up.
How to file
- Ask for the book and fill in the sheetKnow the difference: a *reclamo* concerns the goods or service; a *queja* concerns how you were treated. Only a reclamo opens the door to a consumer case on the substance.
- Keep your copyIf the book is virtual, the regulation requires that you can print a free copy of your sheet. No copy, no evidence.
- Count 15 business daysNot calendar days. The deadline cannot be extended: if it lapses with no answer, you now have a second breach to report.
- Take it to IndecopiReclama Virtual is the conciliation route. To have the business sanctioned you need a denuncia, filed through the mesa de partes.
Want it drafted for you? Escrito listo — S/ 29 · available soon →
What people fail to ask in time
You signed the complaints-book sheet. Do you know what happens if the deadline passes with no answer?
Find out before it matters →What most people believe — and what the law says
The complaints book is only for physical shops.
Since Ley 32495 (11 November 2025), every e-commerce platform must have one and must show a permanent, visible link to it.
They have 30 days to reply.
Fifteen business days, not extendable, since Ley 31435. The 30-day figure circulates because it was the original 2011 text.
Filing in the book is the same as reporting the business to Indecopi.
It is not. Indecopi says so plainly: a reclamo is not a denuncia and does not open a sanctioning procedure. They are two separate steps.
If they won't give me the book, there's nothing I can do.
Refusing to hand it over is itself a sanctionable breach. Note the time, keep evidence, and report it — that fact alone carries a fine.
Frequently asked questions
What's the difference between a reclamo (complaint) and a queja (grievance) in the complaints book?
A reclamo is about the product or service itself — something that didn't work, didn't arrive, or didn't match what was offered. A queja is about the service or treatment you received. Only a reclamo opens the door to a consumer case on the merits before Indecopi, so distinguish them when you fill out the form.
Does filing a complaint in the book count as reporting the business to Indecopi?
No. The complaint is logged with the business, not with Indecopi. Indecopi states this plainly: a complaint is not a formal report and does not start a sanctions process. If the business doesn't respond or responds poorly, the next step is a formal report or a Reclama Virtual claim, which is a separate track.
Do online stores have to have a complaints book too?
Yes, since Ley 32495 of 11 November 2025. Every digital e-commerce platform must have a complaints book and show the link permanently and visibly, the same way a physical store must display the notice.
How long does the business have to respond to my complaint?
15 business days, with no extensions, under Ley 31435. These are business days, not calendar days, and the deadline cannot be extended. If it passes with no response, that is itself a second violation you can report to Indecopi, on top of the original complaint.
What the fine is
| Conduct | Severity | Range | Authority |
|---|---|---|---|
| No complaints book; refusing to handle a complaint — micro business DS 032-2021-PCM, Table 4, breach type A | variable | 1 – 2.5 UIT S/ 5,500.00 – S/ 13,750.00 $1,591 – $3,977 | Indecopi |
| No complaints book; refusing to handle a complaint — small business DS 032-2021-PCM, Table 4, breach type A | variable | 2.5 – 5 UIT S/ 13,750.00 – S/ 27,500.00 $3,977 – $7,955 | Indecopi |
| No complaints book; refusing to handle a complaint — medium or large business DS 032-2021-PCM, Table 4, breach type A | variable | 5 – 10 UIT S/ 27,500.00 – S/ 55,000.00 $7,955 – $15,910 | Indecopi |
| Missing the legal deadline; book not accessible — medium or large business DS 032-2021-PCM, Table 4, breach type B | variable | 2.5 – 5 UIT S/ 13,750.00 – S/ 27,500.00 $3,977 – $7,955 | Indecopi |
| Not handing over the complaint sheet; displaying the notice without the conditions in article 9 of the Regulation — medium or large business DS 032-2021-PCM, Table 4, breach type C | variable | 1 – 2.5 UIT S/ 5,500.00 – S/ 13,750.00 $1,591 – $3,977 | Indecopi |
| General ceiling for very serious breaches of the Consumer Code Ley 29571, art. 110 The 10% (micro) and 20% (small) gross-income caps apply only to those two categories — not to large companies. | muy grave | up to 450 UIT up to S/ 2,475,000.00 up to $715,939 | Indecopi |
Fines are set in UIT. When the UIT moves, every fine moves with it. UIT 2026 = S/ 5,500 (Decreto Supremo N.º 301-2025-EF). Reference conversion only. The debt is owed in soles.FX rate as of2026-10-12: US$ 1 = S/ 3.457.
The exact law
Ley N.º 29571Articles 150 and 151read
Consumer Protection and Defence Code — duty to keep a complaints book and display the notice
«Los establecimientos comerciales, así como toda plataforma digital de comercio electrónico, deben contar con un libro de reclamaciones, en forma física o virtual.»
Ley N.º 32495Article 1read
Extends the complaints-book duty to every e-commerce platform
Ley N.º 31435Articles 24.1 and 152read
Sets the response deadline at fifteen business days, not extendable
«...dar respuesta a los mismos en un plazo no mayor de quince (15) días hábiles improrrogables.»
Decreto Supremo N.º 011-2011-PCMArticles 1, 3.4, 4, 9 and 12read
Complaints Book Regulation, as amended by DS 006-2014-PCM, 058-2017-PCM and 101-2022-PCM
Decreto Supremo N.º 032-2021-PCMTable 4read
Indecopi fine methodology — reference scale by breach type and company size
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What this page already lets you do
- Name the rule that protects you
- Copy the exact article and send it
- Follow the steps, in order
- Know how far the fine goes