Consumer Rights Act 2015

The main law behind most faulty-goods and poor-service small claims — it sets out exactly what you are entitled to before you ever have to mention a court.

What counts as "faulty" under the Consumer Rights Act 2015?

Goods must be of satisfactory quality, fit for any particular purpose you made known to the seller, and match their description. Whether something is faulty depends on what a reasonable person would expect given the price, description and age of the item — a scratch on a budget secondhand item is treated differently to the same scratch on an expensive new one.

How long do I have to reject faulty goods for a full refund?

You generally have 30 days from delivery to reject faulty goods and get a full refund, known as the short-term right to reject. After 30 days, you are usually still entitled to a repair or replacement, and only to a refund if that fails or is not possible — though the clock can be paused while a repair or replacement is attempted.

Does the Consumer Rights Act 2015 apply to services as well as goods?

Yes. Services must be performed with reasonable care and skill, within a reasonable time if no time was agreed, and for a reasonable price if no price was agreed. If a service falls short, you can ask for it to be redone, or for a price reduction if that is not possible or has already failed.

Can I bring a Consumer Rights Act claim in the small claims track?

Yes, disputes about faulty goods or substandard services between a consumer and a trader are commonly brought in the small claims track, provided the value falls within its limit. The Act itself does not create a separate court; it sets out the rights you can rely on once you are in court.

Does it matter whether I bought from a shop or online?

No, the core rights under the Consumer Rights Act 2015 apply the same way regardless of the sales channel. Online, phone and other distance purchases carry additional cancellation rights under separate consumer contracts regulations, on top of the Act's protections for faulty goods and services.

What if the trader has gone out of business?

Your rights under the Consumer Rights Act 2015 are against the trader you bought from, so if that business has closed permanently with no assets, a judgment against it may be difficult to enforce in practice. If you paid by credit card for an item over £100, a linked claim against the card provider under section 75 of the Consumer Credit Act 1974 may be a more useful route.

The three rights for goods

Goods you buy from a trader must be of satisfactory quality, fit for purpose, and match their description. If any of these is not met, the Act gives you a staged set of remedies rather than an all-or-nothing outcome. Within the first 30 days, you can usually reject faulty goods outright for a full refund. After that, your first remedy is normally a repair or replacement, and only if that fails, is impossible, or takes an unreasonable time does the right to a refund or price reduction return.

This staged structure is often misunderstood — many people assume a fault always means an automatic refund. In practice, once you are past the initial 30 days, the trader is usually entitled to one attempt at putting things right first.

How a claim typically develops

• 1 Report the fault promptly. Tell the trader what is wrong and what remedy you want, ideally in writing, keeping evidence such as photos, receipts and correspondence.
• 2 Give the trader a fair chance to respond. Within 30 days, you can usually insist on a refund. Later, you would normally accept a reasonable offer of repair or replacement before escalating.
• 3 Send a Letter Before Action. If the trader refuses a remedy you are entitled to, a formal letter setting out your legal basis and what you want is usually the next step before court.
• 4 Issue a small claim. If there is still no resolution, you can issue a claim, typically via Money Claim Online, relying on the specific sections of the Act that apply to your situation.

A consumer buys a £900 laptop that develops a fault after six weeks of normal use. The retailer initially offers only a repair, which takes three attempts and still does not resolve the underlying problem.

Remedy now available

Refund or replacement

Because the initial 30-day window has passed, the consumer was not entitled to an automatic refund at the point the fault appeared. But once a reasonable number of repair attempts has failed, the right to a full or partial refund, or a replacement, returns — the retailer cannot keep offering further repairs indefinitely.

Letter Before Action

Consumer Rights Act 2015

Consumer protection rights

Citizens Advice — faulty goods and services

Consumer Rights Act 2015 — Small Claims Glossary

What the Consumer Rights Act 2015 gives you when goods or services fall short, how the 30-day right to reject works, and what to do next.