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Problems with goods

When you buy an item from a business or trader, the item must comply with the terms of the sales contract you entered when you bought it.

Under the Consumer Rights Act 2022, you have consumer rights if, for example, the goods you bought:

  • aren’t delivered or are delivered late
  • aren’t as they were described
  • aren’t installed properly
  • don’t work the way they are supposed to.

When something goes wrong, the business must resolve the problem. How the business does this depends on a number of factors, explained below.

What to do if goods are not delivered

The business might tell you the intended delivery date for the goods when you buy them. If it does, the goods should be delivered by that date. If you didn’t agree a specific delivery date, the goods must be delivered without delay, and no later than 30 days after purchase.

If you don’t receive the goods on time, you should contact the business and, in most cases, give an appropriate additional period for delivery. If the later date passes and you still haven’t received the goods, you are entitled to cancel the contract for a full refund.

You don’t have to give the business additional time to deliver your goods if:

  • the business has refused to deliver the goods
  • it was essential for the goods to be delivered within an agreed period, taking account of the circumstances when you bought them (for example, if you bought a ticket for an upcoming concert)
  • you told the business when you bought the items that you needed them to be delivered by a specified date.

What to do when there is a problem with goods

You can resolve most problems with goods directly with the business you bought them from.

If there is a fault with the goods you have bought, you can ask for the item to be replaced or repaired for no additional charge.

Sometimes it’s not possible for the goods to be repaired or replaced. If the problem with the goods is minor, you might accept a price reduction if the business or trader:

  • can’t repair or replace the goods
  • refuses to repair or replace them
  • says that the costs of doing a repair or replacement is too high compared with the value of the item.

You have a right to a full refund if there is a serious issue with the goods and a repair or replacement

  • isn’t possible
  • doesn’t fix the issue
  • is not offered by the business within a reasonable time, free of charge or without significant inconvenience to you.

If you notice a fault in the first 30 days, you have a short-term right to terminate the contract. Alternatively, you can accept an offer of a repair or a replacement if you wish. The 30-day limit doesn’t apply to goods that would typically break down within that period, such as fresh food.

How long should something last?

How long you can expect an item to last can depend on its materials, how it is made and the claims or advertisements about it. For instance, fresh food isn’t expected to last beyond its expiry date. Similarly, items advertised as single use, such as paper towel, aren’t expected to be durable. However, items like appliances or cars are expected to work for several years.

How we look after things is also important. If you have broken something through misuse, you will not have rights under consumer law.

In some cases, it can be months or even years before a fault develops or is noticed. This is why it’s possible to take something faulty back to a shop and request a remedy up to six years from when you bought it. The six-year period starts from the date you receive the goods, but you should always act promptly if goods are faulty.

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