Businesses need to understand the consumer rights act from a customer’s point of view.
The Consumer Rights Act protects you in almost all of your transactions. We’ll explain what it means to buy things or services under the term “buying goods or services.”
What are the standards for product quality?
In both the Sale of Goods Act and the Consumer Rights Act, all goods must be of good quality, suitable for the purpose for which they were purchased, and as advertised.
In addition, the Regulations define digital content. As a result, all items, whether physical or electronic, must fulfill the following criteria:
- Appropriate for its intended purpose The items should be suitable for the usage you intended them to serve, as well as any other purpose you specified before purchasing.
- As described The goods must match any information or images you were given at the time of purchase or any models or samples shown to you.
- High-quality goods When you buy something, it should arrive in good condition. When the products don’t meet your expectations, you should ask what a reasonable person would think is acceptable. For example, bargain-priced goods will not be held to the same standards as high-end items.
Durability is one characteristic of a product that has met acceptable quality. This means how long it will endure in the real world.
Durability assesses a variety of elements, including product type, brand reputation, price point, and how it is marketed. You wouldn’t be able to claim that a low-cost kettle that has stopped functioning after four years is durable. A higher-end, more expensive kettle that has been well maintained and has malfunctioned after 14 months might be considered not durable and of poor quality, even though it’s still in excellent working order.
Are you returning an item that isn’t working?
You might be entitled to a repair, replacement, or return, depending on the situation.
Find our more about what the consumer rights act does here.
Who should you go after if something goes wrong?
If you’ve bought something and it doesn’t meet any of the three criteria mentioned above, you have a claim under the Consumer Rights Act.
If you’ve purchased a faulty item, we’ve prepared a step-by-step guide to help you make a claim.
If you wish to file a complaint under the Consumer Rights Act, there are several options for resolving your problem, depending on the circumstances and how you want the business to correct it.
Because you purchased a product from a retailer instead of the manufacturer, you have more rights under the Consumer Rights Act against the seller – the business that sold you the item – rather than the maker.
The amount of time that has elapsed since you took legal possession of the items is what determines what you can claim.
The Consumer Rights Act 2015. Who should you claim against under the new legislation?
It’s critical to know the identity of the other party you’re contracting with, where they are located, and any additional claims possibilities that may exist if things go wrong at the start of the contract.
If you buy a product from a company, the legal entity trading using that business name may be, for example, a single trader, a partnership, or a corporation, and your rights under the 2015 Act will be enforceable against that entity.
If you buy from a trader based outside of the United Kingdom, this may make it more difficult to bring a claim against them in the future.
Sometimes, these factors are not as straightforward as they seem. For example, if you obtain a motor vehicle through a hire purchase contract with a finance company, rather than the car dealer, your agreement will be with the finance firm rather than the automobile business. In this case, the finance firm hires out the vehicle to the dealer in return for installment payments, which are then purchased by the company. The consumer’s claim under the 2015 Act is therefore against the finance company if that vehicle has a built-in flaw.
You should also bear in mind that, if you pay for goods or services directly to the merchant and the cost is between £100 and £30,000, if any part of this purchase price is paid by credit card, your credit card provider is jointly and severally liable with the trader should the products or service be substandard. As a result, you have the option of making a claim against the merchant as well as the vendor.
How long do you have to return a faulty item?
The Consumer Rights Act provides you the right to a refund or a repair for goods that are of poor quality, unsuitable for use, or not as advertised, depending on how long you’ve owned them:
- If you request a full refund for goods that are of unsatisfactory quality, unsuitable for the purpose, or not as described within 30 days of delivery, you can get it.
- You have 30 days to return an item within six months of purchase. Before you can request a refund, you must give the merchant one opportunity to repair or replace it.
- Before you can get a partial refund, you must give the provider one chance to correct or replace it during the first six months or more. The burden of proof is on you to show that the product is defective.
If you’d want an exchange or repair instead of a refund in the first 30 days, you can ask the store, but it won’t be able to refuse.
The right to a refund does not apply to items you’ve downloaded as downloads, such as music, games, or applications. However, if a digital product develops a fault, you can request that it be fixed or replaced. If you’re not able to negotiate a reduction, or if your efforts fail, you have the right to a price cut – which might be the whole amount you paid.
For perishable products, the 30-day duration is shorter, and it will be decided on how long it was expected the items would last. Milk, for example, should keep for as long as its use-by date before being consumed.
Taking responsibility/ownership
The clock begins to run from the date you acquire the title to the items.
For example, if you buy your items in a store and then take them away with you, your right to a refund begins on the date of purchase.
However, the clock doesn’t start ticking until your items are delivered to you if you purchase them in-store and have them sent later or buy them online.
It’s also important to remember that if you designated a secure location or a neighbor, and your order is left there, it will be regarded as having been delivered to you.
Consumers in England, Wales, Northern Ireland, and Scotland have a period of six years from the date of purchase to bring a claim for defective products.
The law does not require warranties to last for six years; rather, it simply says that if a seller refuses to repair or replace a defective product, you have this length of time to make a claim.
You have the right to obtain a repair or replacement.
If you don’t want something, you can always say no. The store, on the other hand, may normally pick whatever is cheapest or simplest for it to accomplish.
If the repair or replacement fails, you have the option to get a refund or a price reduction.
Other than the first 30 days of ownership, you’re entitled to a refund instead of a repair or replacement if any one of the following is true:
- If a repair or replacement attempt has failed
- The cost of repairing or replacing the goods or digital content is out of proportion to its value.
- It’s impossible to fix or replace it.
- If a repair or replacement is required, you will be severely inconvenienced.
- Repair or replacement will require an excessively long amount of time.
You can get a full refund if the product is not repairable, impossible, or the attempt at repair fails, or if the first replacement also proves to be faulty.
If you don’t want a refund but want your product fixed or replaced, you can request that the shop try once again.
If you detect a fault inside the first six months of owning the item, it is assumed to have been there since the time you acquired it – unless the shop can prove otherwise.
In the first six months after an unsuccessful attempt at repair or replacement, the company can’t take any deductions from your refund.
Apart from motor vehicles, which the merchant might make a reasonable reduction for the previous usage of after the first 30 days, this rule applies.
The burden of proof is on you if a problem occurs after the first six months if you want to claim that the product was faulty when you took possession of it.
In most cases, this may necessitate the submission of professional analysis, evaluation, or evidence from previous instances of similar issues across the product line.
Digital content
‘Data which are produced and supplied in digital form,’ according to the Consumer Rights Act. In other words:
- Digital material you’ve paid for, whether it’s through cash, a gift card, or credits –
- Anything free given with items, services, or other digital content for which you pay a price. For instance, an app that you must install on your phone to view a premium online streaming service for which you have already paid.
- The term “freebie” is used to describe any digital material given to you for free with goods, services, or digital content that you’ve purchased. Any device pre-installed with digital content, such as a smart TV or any other product with pre-installed digital content.
Digital content, like anything else, must fulfill the following conditions:
- of high quality
- It’s a great fit for a specific goal.
- as seller’s description
You have the right to have your digital content fixed or replaced if it does not meet these standards.
If a repair or replacement is not feasible or does not correct the problem, you can request a price reduction. This may be as much as 100% of the digital content’s value.
If any device or other digital content you own is damaged as a result of the faulty digital content you’ve downloaded, the store will be required to pay you.
This is also true where the harm would not have occurred if ‘reasonable care and skill’ had been exercised in the delivery of digital content – even if it was provided for free.
Products that incorporate a digital component
You have a 30-day right to reject the item and get a refund for digital products, such as a smart TV or digital content in the form of physical items.
It’s important to note that this warranty does not cover faults resulting from incorrect usage, abuse, or modifications.
Following are the delivery rules:
As a result, the store is in charge of merchandise until they are in your hands, someone you choose to accept them or sent to your chosen safe place.
This is because you bought your goods from a retailer.
Even if you believe the courier is at fault, you must complain to the merchant about your goods being undeliverable.
If your box is stolen, the rules will vary depending on whether you granted permission for the store or courier to leave it.
The following are some examples of giving permission:
- If you’re not around, you pick an option on the retailer’s website that confirms your consent for your goods to be left with your selected neighbor if necessary. Typically, you’ll be asked to supply some basic information about your nominated neighbor so that the store may notify the courier where to drop off your items.
- You responded to a courier’s “Sorry we missed you” email, accepting delivery of the package in your “safe place” when they attempt to redeliver it the next day. Normally, you’ll then give some basic information about your safe location so the courier can know where it’s appropriate for them to leave your stuff. (For example, behind the large blue flower pot at the rear of the property.)
For late deliveries
There is a 30-day period provided by the seller during which time the firm must deliver unless a longer period has been agreed upon.
If the merchant fails to supply on time or within the timeframe stipulated, you have the option of taking further action:
- If your delivery is late and it must arrive on time, you have the right to cancel the purchase and get a full refund.
- You may cancel an order for a full refund if the delivery isn’t time-critical but another suitable delivery period can’t be reached.
Service supply
The phrase “service” refers to a wide range of services, including those you may have done at home or elsewhere.
From a small repair job on a car with no written information to the installation of solar panels, from a haircut to major construction, every one of these necessitates that you enter into a contract.
Services are sometimes assigned by themselves, but they may also be included in a contract for the installation of a new kitchen.
What exactly is a service?
Without the need for goods, here are some examples of services provided:
- dry cleaning
- entertainment
- Professional services may include things like solicitors, estate agents, and accountants.
- If you paid for the upgrades or construction work yourself and didn’t buy the supplies (if you bought them and the builder used them).
Examples of goods-based services include:
- When goods are fixed, they may require minor repairs to individual parts.
- kitchens or bathrooms fittings
- If you do any home renovations, especially if the builder supplied their materials, note that you must hire a contractor to complete these services.
- double glazing doors & windows
If you have a contract for any of the services listed above, the Consumer Rights Act establishes minimum standards that must be met and remedies if the dealer fails to meet them.
The following requirements must be met:
- The trader is required to give the service carefully and competently.
- Where the consumer relies on it, information that is spoken or written is enforceable.
- When the cost is not established ahead of time, the service must be given for a reasonable price.
- If a specific schedule for the service or an agreed-upon deadline isn’t established, the service must be completed promptly.
If your service isn’t up to scratch, you’re entitled to the following Consumer Rights Act remedies if it fails to live up to these criteria:
- If the service is not up to scratch, the trader should either redo part of the service or repeat the whole service at no extra cost to you within a reasonable amount of time and with minimal inconvenience.
- You can also reduce the cost of your services if you perform them more than once or if it is not possible to repeat the performance within a reasonable amount of time or without causing significant inconvenience. If the goods don’t work as expected, this can be up to 100% of the cost, and you should get a refund within 14 days of them agreeing that you’re entitled to one.
Providing a travel service
If you pay for train, coach, or ferry travel after 1 October 2016, you are purchasing a service and must receive it with reasonable care and skill.
If the service you received is far worse than what you were promised, you may be eligible for a full or partial refund. You can also seek compensation for any additional expenses incurred as a result of the breach.
Unfair contract terms
The Consumer Rights Act makes it simpler to challenge hidden costs and charges.
The existence of a contract term that is both prominent and clear can be evaluated for fairness.
Unfair terms
The following are examples of terms that may be deemed unfair under the Consumer Rights Act:
- Hidden fees are just one of the problems with small print.
- an action intended to restrict your legal rights
- There are often unjustified or excessive charges.
- excessive early termination charges.
If you believe a contract term is unjust, you should contact the trader.
If the trader refuses, we recommend you contact an attorney before breaching the contract’s conditions.
The trader, on the other hand, can take you to court if they believe a term is unfair.
If a court determines that a term is unjust, you may be able to ignore it or even terminate your contract without paying a cancellation charge.
