Refund, Repair or Replacement for Faulty Goods

If something you have bought is faulty, you have the right to claim a refund, repair or replacement depending on how long you have had the item¹. The rule that decides which of those you can ask for is the 30-day right to reject: return a faulty item within 30 days of receiving it and you are entitled to a full refund, whatever the retailer's own returns policy says².

After those first 30 days, the retailer must be given the opportunity to repair or replace the faulty goods before you can claim a refund³. And after the first six months, the burden of proof switches to you: you would need to show the fault was present when you bought the item².

The rights come from the Consumer Rights Act and apply to goods that are of unsatisfactory quality, unfit for purpose or not as described⁴. They cover new and used goods, in-store and online purchases, and cars bought from a dealer⁵.

Your rights when goods are faulty: refund, repair or replacement

The Consumer Rights Act gives you the right to make a claim for a refund, repair or replacement depending on how long you have had the faulty item¹. The three tests goods must meet are that they are of satisfactory quality, fit for purpose, and as described⁴. If what you have bought fails any one of those, you have a claim against the retailer¹.

The remedy you can ask for changes over time. In the first 30 days you can reject the goods and get your money back. Between 30 days and six months, the retailer has the right to attempt a repair or replacement first. After six months, you can still claim, but you carry the burden of proving the fault was there from the start⁷.

Some faults fall outside these rights. If the item was damaged by wear and tear, an accident or misuse, the retailer is not responsible⁴. The same applies if the fault is simply that you have changed your mind, which is a different situation with different rules.

If your order arrives damaged or faulty, you have the right to refuse it and get a refund, repair or replacement¹⁰. Faulty downloads are covered too: if you are having a problem with a faulty download you may be able to claim a refund, repair or replacement under the Consumer Rights Act¹¹.

The 30-day right to reject: a full refund

You have 30 days from taking ownership of a product, which could be the date of purchase or the date it was delivered to you, whichever is later⁷. Within that window you have the legal right to a refund if you return your faulty item, regardless of what the retailer's returns policy says². You get a 30 day right to reject the faulty product and get a full refund, and the retailer should cover the cost of the return³.

The 30 days runs from the day after the goods were supplied under official guidance¹². If you exercise your short-term right to reject for a refund, that is, to reject the goods within 30 days, you are entitled to your money back¹³.

The right applies to a wide range of goods. It covers refurbished products bought from an online retailer or a physical store². It covers a faulty car bought from a dealer: the Consumer Rights Act gives you an initial 30 days to reject the vehicle if it is faulty and claim a full refund⁶. It even covers fake goods: you are legally entitled to a full refund on fake goods within 30 days of paying for them¹⁴.

There is one important exclusion. This right to a refund does not apply to faulty digital content. For digital content, the retailer has one opportunity to repair or replace it before a refund can be claimed⁷.

After 30 days: one repair or replacement first

Once the first 30 days have passed, you have to give the retailer the opportunity to repair or replace any faulty goods³. Outside the 30-day right to reject, the consumer must give the retailer one opportunity to repair or replace before claiming a refund⁷. If more than 30 days have passed since you bought the item that is faulty or not as described, you can ask for a repair or a replacement⁴.

The retailer must pay the costs of repairing or replacing your faulty item, and must also pay to deliver it back to you⁷. In the first six months of ownership, the retailer has a legal obligation to cover the cost of returning the faulty item to the manufacturer⁷.

If the repair or replacement is unsuccessful, you can then claim a refund. No deductions can be made from a refund in the first six months after purchase⁴. The retailer can make a deduction from any refund for fair use after the first six months of ownership if an attempted repair or replacement fails⁷.

Motor vehicles are the exception to the no-deduction rule. For motor vehicles, the retailer can make a deduction for fair use after the first 30 days⁷.

After six months the burden of proof shifts to you

For the first six months, the onus is on the seller to prove your defective product was of satisfactory quality⁷. A fault discovered within six months of receiving the goods is assumed to have been there when you bought them¹³. The retailer must prove that the blame was not theirs within 6 months of you receiving the goods¹⁵.

After the first six months, the burden of proof switches to you to prove the fault you have found was present at the time you purchased the goods in store, or first took ownership of them if you bought online². For a vehicle, it will be up to you to prove there was a problem with the vehicle beyond normal wear and tear when it was sold to you⁶.

This does not mean your rights end at six months. You can raise a problem about a product for up to six years from the date of buying it, regardless of the terms of any guarantee⁸. Under the law, you have six years to take a claim to court for faulty goods, but there is a shift of responsibility after six months from the retailer to the consumer to prove responsibility for the issue¹⁶.

The six-month rule applies to digital content too. If you discover a fault with digital content within six months of the date it was supplied to you, it is assumed the fault was there from the start¹³.

Paying by card: Section 75 and chargeback as a back-up

If the retailer will not help, the way you paid can give you a second route. Under Section 75 of the Consumer Credit Act, your credit card provider is jointly liable with the retailer if something goes wrong, meaning you can claim a refund if you get faulty goods or your item never arrives. This applies even if you only put part of the cost on the card⁹.

A Section 75 claim is a legal right for a customer to claim from the card provider if something goes wrong with a purchase. This includes paying a deposit by credit card, even if that is less than £100¹⁷. If you bought a faulty item online and paid with a credit card, Section 75 still applies for purchases made from overseas websites³.

Buy now, pay later is covered in some cases. Section 75 of the Consumer Credit Act is available on deferred payment credit agreements, so you may be able to get a refund from the lender if something goes wrong with what you have bought. This is the same protection you would have if you used a credit card¹⁸.

Chargeback is the fallback where Section 75 does not apply. It is the route to ask for your money back if you paid with a debit card or charge card, or with a credit card or buy now, pay later and you cannot use Section 75¹⁹. If you used a debit card to buy what turned out to be bogus goods or services, or if you used a credit card and the price was less than £100, you may be able to take advantage of the chargeback scheme²⁰.

There is an important difference between the two. There is not an automatic legal right to receive your money back through chargeback rights or Section 75, as this will depend on the supplier's terms and conditions, scheme rules such as Mastercard, Visa or Amex, applicable government laws and regulations, and the approach taken by your card issuer²¹.

Where to complain if the retailer refuses

Start with the retailer in writing, setting out what is wrong, when you bought the item and what you are asking for. If the retailer refuses to accept your claim, you may need to enforce your rights through the courts²². In England and Wales that means the small claims court; in Scotland the simple procedure; in Northern Ireland the small claims process.

For card payments, the complaint can go to the card provider instead. Consumers may choose to complain to the firm and to seek redress from it, and refer the complaint to the Financial Ombudsman Service if the firm does not satisfy the complaint and it is appropriate²³. If you are not happy with the answer you get, or the firm does not reply to you within eight weeks, you can take your complaint to the Financial Ombudsman Service²⁴.

Where a claims company is involved, the regulator is different. Complain to the FCA if you are unhappy with the conduct of a claims company²⁵. In Northern Ireland, Consumerline can refer your complaint to the Trading Standards Service for investigation or the Financial Conduct Authority, which authorises lenders²⁶. In Wales, if you do not accept the findings or offer of redress from Help to Buy Wales, you can refer the complaint to the Financial Ombudsman Service²⁷.

Free, impartial help is available. Citizens Advice and Trading Standards services can explain your options, and the Consumer protection in UK financial services section covers the wider rules on complaints and redress.