Consumer Rights Act UK: Your Rights Buying Goods

At a glance

• Which law applies: the Consumer Rights Act 2015 governs consumer purchases of goods from a trader made on or after 1 October 2015; the Sale of Goods Act 1979 still applies to older purchases, private sales, and business-to-business sales.
• Three statutory promises: goods must be of satisfactory quality, fit for any purpose you made known, and as described (Consumer Rights Act 2015, sections 9-11).
• 30-day short-term right to reject: a full refund if you reject faulty goods within 30 days of taking ownership (sections 20 and 22).
• The 6-month rule: the trader normally gets one chance to repair or replace; if a fault shows up in the first 6 months, it is presumed to have been there from the start unless the trader proves otherwise (section 19(14)).
• After a failed repair or replacement: you're entitled to a price reduction or the final right to reject (section 24).
• Buying online, by phone or by mail order: an extra 14-day cancellation right applies on top of your Consumer Rights Act rights, under the Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013.
• If the trader has gone out of business: section 75 of the Consumer Credit Act 1974 may let you claim from your credit card provider for purchases over £100 and up to £30,000.

Which law covers your purchase: the Consumer Rights Act 2015 or the Sale of Goods Act 1979

For decades, the Sale of Goods Act 1979 was the main law behind a shopper's right to expect goods of decent quality. That changed for consumer purchases made on or after 1 October 2015, when the Consumer Rights Act 2015 took over as the law governing contracts between a trader and a consumer for the sale of goods.

If you're an ordinary shopper who bought something from a business — in a shop, online, over the phone, or at your door — any time from October 2015 onwards, your statutory rights come from the Consumer Rights Act 2015. The Sale of Goods Act 1979 has not been repealed; it still governs business-to-business sales, and it continues to apply to private sales between individuals — for example, buying a second-hand sofa from someone on a marketplace app. Many of the protections shoppers rely on today, including satisfactory quality and fitness for purpose, only apply where the seller is acting in the course of a business, so a private sale carries weaker guarantees than a purchase from a trader.

The three promises every trader makes about the goods they sell

When a trader sells goods to a consumer, the Consumer Rights Act 2015 treats three promises as automatically built into the contract, whether or not the seller mentioned them (sections 9 to 11):

1. Satisfactory quality — the goods must meet the standard a reasonable person would expect, given the price, the description, and any public statement the trader or manufacturer made about them. This covers appearance, finish, freedom from minor defects, safety and durability.
2. Fit for purpose — the goods must be fit for the purposes goods of that kind are normally used for, and for any particular purpose you told the seller about before you bought them.
3. As described — the goods must match the description given at the point of sale, whether that's on the label, the online listing, or what a sales assistant told you.

If any of these three promises is broken, you have a statutory right to a remedy. Which remedy is available to you depends on how long you've had the goods.

Your remedies when something goes wrong

The Consumer Rights Act 2015 sets out a tiered ladder of remedies, running from an early full refund through to repair, replacement, and — if none of that fixes things — a price reduction or a final right to reject (section 19).

The short-term right to reject (30 days)

If goods do not conform to the contract, you can reject them and claim a full refund within 30 days of taking ownership — the "short-term right to reject" (section 22). If the trader repairs or replaces the item during this window, the 30-day clock pauses while that happens, and you get either the remainder of the original 30 days or at least 7 days afterwards to decide whether to reject.

The right to repair or replacement

Outside the 30-day window, or if you've chosen to give the trader a chance to fix the problem first, you can require a repair or a replacement. Under section 23, the trader must do this within a reasonable time and without significant inconvenience to you, and must cover any necessary costs, including labour, materials and postage. You can generally ask for one or the other, not both, and the trader can decline your chosen remedy if it is impossible or disproportionately expensive compared with the alternative.

Price reduction or the final right to reject

If a repair or replacement has not worked, is not possible, or the trader has not carried it out within a reasonable time, you move to the next tier: a price reduction, or the final right to reject the goods for a refund (section 24). If you exercise the final right to reject after the goods have already been repaired or replaced once, the trader may be able to deduct an amount for the use you've had of the item — except in the first 6 months, when no deduction is normally allowed (unless the goods are a motor vehicle).

The 6-month rule on who has to prove what

For the first 6 months after you take ownership, if a fault appears, the law assumes it was there when you bought the item — the trader has to prove otherwise if they want to dispute your claim (section 19(14)). After 6 months, that burden shifts to you: it becomes your job to show the fault existed at the time of purchase, which can be harder in practice, particularly for goods that are also prone to ordinary wear and tear.

Worked example

Priya buys a washing machine in March. It develops a leak nine weeks after delivery. Because that's outside the 30-day short-term right to reject, she moves straight to the repair-or-replacement tier — and because she's still within the first six months, she does not need to prove the fault was present at delivery. The retailer repairs the machine, but the same fault returns two weeks later. Because the repair attempt has failed, Priya can now move to the next tier and ask for a price reduction or exercise her final right to reject for a refund — she does not have to accept a second repair attempt for the same fault if she does not want to.

Buying online, by phone or by mail order: an extra 14-day cancellation right

If you buy at a distance — online, by phone, mail order, or from a trader away from their business premises — the Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013 give you a cancellation right that goes further than your rights under the Consumer Rights Act. You generally have 14 days from the day you receive the goods to tell the seller you want to cancel, for any reason, and then a further 14 days to send the item back.

This cancellation right does not cover everything. Common exclusions include personalised or made-to-order goods, perishable items, unwrapped media such as CDs, DVDs or software once the seal is broken, and sealed goods that cannot be returned once opened for health or hygiene reasons, such as underwear or cosmetics. GOV.UK guidance sets out these exemptions from the retailer's side, and the same list applies to what you can expect as a buyer.

Keep this cancellation right separate in your mind from your rights when goods are faulty. The 14-day right lets you change your mind about something that works perfectly well; your rights under the Consumer Rights Act apply whenever the goods do not meet the standard the law requires, regardless of how you bought them.

A guarantee or warranty is a bonus, not a replacement for your rights

Many products come with a manufacturer's guarantee or an extended warranty. These are useful, but they are voluntary extras that sit on top of your statutory rights, not a substitute for them. GOV.UK confirms that you have the same right to a free repair or replacement whether or not you have a guarantee, and a business may still have to repair or replace an item even after a guarantee period has run out. Because your statutory claim is against the trader you bought the goods from, it is often faster to go back to them directly rather than working through a manufacturer's guarantee process.

You don't need the receipt — you need proof of purchase

A shop can ask you to show that you bought the item from them, but that does not have to be a till receipt. A bank or card statement, an order confirmation email, packaging, or a delivery note can all serve as proof of purchase. A trader's own policy of demanding a receipt usually relates to a goodwill return of something you've simply changed your mind about — that's a separate matter from your statutory rights when an item is genuinely faulty, unfit for purpose, or not as described.

If the trader won't help: escalation options

Start by putting your request in writing to the retailer, not the manufacturer, because your contract is with the seller. Set out what's wrong, when you bought the item, and which remedy you're asking for.

If the trader refuses to engage, or has gone out of business, you have several options:

• Section 75 credit card claims. If you paid all or part of the cost on a credit card, and the item cost more than £100 and up to £30,000, section 75 of the Consumer Credit Act 1974 makes your card provider jointly responsible with the seller — useful if the trader cannot be reached. See our guide to the Consumer Credit Act for more on how this works.
• Chargeback. If you paid by debit card, or your credit card purchase does not meet the section 75 threshold, you can ask your bank about a chargeback. This is not a statutory right — it's a scheme run by the card networks — so eligibility and time limits vary by bank and card provider.
• Alternative dispute resolution. Many trade sectors have an ADR scheme that can help resolve a dispute without going to court. Our guide to alternative dispute resolution explains how these schemes work and when they might help.
• The small claims track. For lower-value disputes, the county court's small claims process is designed to be usable without a solicitor.

What to do if something you've bought is faulty

1. Work out which law applies. Check when and how you bought the item — the Consumer Rights Act 2015 applies to consumer purchases from a trader made on or after 1 October 2015.
2. Gather your evidence. Note the purchase date, when the fault appeared, and keep any proof of purchase, photos, and correspondence with the seller.
3. Contact the retailer in writing. Explain the fault clearly and state the remedy you want — refund, repair, replacement, or price reduction.
4. Match your remedy to the timeline. Within 30 days you can generally ask for a full refund; between 30 days and 6 months, expect one repair or replacement attempt before a refund or price reduction becomes due; beyond 6 months, be ready to show the fault was present at the time of purchase.
5. Escalate if needed. A section 75 claim, a chargeback, an ADR scheme, or the small claims court are all options if the trader will not cooperate.

This guide provides general information about consumer rights when buying goods in England and Wales. It is not legal advice and is not a substitute for advice tailored to your specific circumstances. The law described was accurate as at July 2026 and is subject to change — always check GOV.UK and legislation.gov.uk for the most current position.

Last reviewed: July 2026 · Next review due: July 2027 or on legislative change.