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🛒 Consumer Rights Guide

Can I Get a Refund for Faulty Goods?

The 30-day right to reject, one repair or replacement, the final right to reject, the 6-month rule and how long you have to claim.

✅ Last verified: 24 September 2026 📚 Sources: listed at the end, each checked on the date shown 🇬🇧 England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland

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Describe what has happened. The checker answers only from this guide, plus what you tell it, and says so if something is not covered.

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Who this guide is for

You bought goods from a business (a shop, a website, by phone or on the doorstep) and they are faulty, not as described or do not do what they should. It covers the whole UK: England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. The rules are the same in all four, except how long you have to take a claim to court, which is marked for each nation.

What this guide does not cover

Flight delays and cancellations: use the flight delay checker. Package holidays: use the package holiday checker.
Gas and electricity bills and supply: use the energy bills checker.
How to make a court claim, step by step: use the small claims checker.
Services (for example a builder, a garage repair or a hairdresser) and digital content (apps, downloads, games): ask the consumer helpline for your nation (see "Where to go for help").
Goods bought on hire purchase or conditional sale, and claims against a private seller for untrue statements: ask the consumer helpline.
Goods bought for your business, and chargeback (asking your bank to reverse a payment): ask your bank or the consumer helpline.
Buying from a business in an EU country: GOV.UK points to Consumer Centre UK.

⚖ At a glance

Goods from a business must be of satisfactory quality, fit for purpose and as described.
For 30 days after you get them, you can reject faulty goods for a full refund.
After that, the business gets one go at a repair or a replacement. If that fails, you can ask for a price reduction or reject the goods for a refund.
A fault that shows up within 6 months of delivery is taken to have been there from the start, unless the business proves otherwise.
From a private seller, the goods only have to match their description and the seller must have the right to sell them.
Changing your mind is not a fault. In a shop there is no legal right to a refund for that. Online, phone and mail order sales give you 14 days to cancel.

The questions that decide the answer

Did you buy from a business or a private person? A business: the Consumer Rights Act 2015 applies (this guide). A private person: see "Bought from a private seller".
When did you get the goods? Within the last 30 days: you can reject them for a full refund. Later than that: the business can repair or replace first. Enter the date you got them in the date box on the checker page and it works out your dates.
Is it faulty, or have you changed your mind? Faulty: this guide. Changed your mind: in a shop there is no legal right to a refund; online, phone and mail order sales give you 14 days to cancel (see "Changed your mind").
Has there already been a repair or a replacement? If one repair or one replacement has not fixed it, you can ask for a price reduction or reject the goods. If not, the business can normally repair or replace first.
When did the fault show up? Within 6 months of delivery: the business has to prove it was not there from the start. After 6 months: you have to show it was.

What the goods must be

When a business sells goods to you as a consumer, they must be of satisfactory quality, fit for their purpose and as described.
You are a consumer if you are buying wholly or mainly for yourself, not for your trade, business or profession. If the business says you were buying for business, it has to prove it.
Second-hand goods from a business are covered. Second-hand goods bought at a public auction you could attend in person are mostly not covered.
You do not have the right to a refund for a fault you knew about when you bought the goods.

In the first 30 days: the short-term right to reject

You can reject faulty goods and get a full refund. You do not have to accept a repair or replacement instead.
The 30 days start the day after you get the goods (delivered to you, or taken home from the shop), or the day after the business finished installing them if it had to install them. The last day is 30 days after the day you got them: goods you got on 1 March can be rejected up to and including 31 March.
The 30 days stop running while you wait for a repair or replacement, so the real last day can be later.
Goods that would perish sooner (for example food or flowers) get a shorter period.

After 30 days: repair or replacement

You can ask for a repair or a replacement. The business must do it within a reasonable time and without significant inconvenience to you, and pay the costs, including labour, materials and postage.
You cannot insist on a repair or a replacement if it is impossible, or if it would cost the business far more than the other one.
Once you have asked for or agreed to a repair or a replacement, you must give the business a reasonable time to do it before you ask for something else, unless waiting would cause you significant inconvenience.
A warranty or guarantee does not replace these rights. You have the same right to a free repair or replacement whether you have one or not, or if it has run out.

If the repair or replacement does not work: price reduction or final right to reject

You can choose either to keep the goods with a price reduction, or to reject them for a refund (the final right to reject), if:
- after one repair or one replacement, the goods are still faulty; or
- repair and replacement are both impossible or disproportionate; or
- you asked for a repair or replacement and the business did not do it within a reasonable time and without significant inconvenience to you.
With the final right to reject, the refund can be reduced to take account of the use you have had of the goods. There is no reduction in the first 6 months after you got them (counting from the day after delivery, or after installation if later), except for a motor vehicle: for a car, van or motorbike the business can make a deduction for use even in the first 6 months.
The 30-day right to reject is always a full refund.

The first 6 months and after

If you ask for a repair, a replacement, a price reduction or the final right to reject, a fault that shows up within 6 months of delivery is taken to have been there from the start, unless the business proves it was not.
After 6 months, the business can ask you to show that the goods were faulty when you got them.
The date box on the checker page gives you the last day of your 30 days and the last day of the 6 months.

Getting your refund

The refund must be paid without undue delay and within 14 days of the business agreeing you are entitled to it.
It must be paid the same way you paid, unless you agree otherwise, and the business cannot charge a fee for it.
The business can ask for proof you bought from it. A receipt, a bank statement or the packaging can be enough.

Changed your mind (not faulty)

In a shop, you have no legal right to a refund because you have changed your mind, for example it is the wrong size or colour. The shop's own returns policy may still let you return it.
Online, by phone or by mail order, you can cancel within 14 days of receiving the goods, without giving a reason. You then have another 14 days to send them back.
The business must refund you within 14 days of getting the goods back, including the cost of standard delivery (not the extra for a more expensive delivery option). It cannot deduct fees unless the goods have been used or damaged.
Some goods cannot be cancelled this way. This guide does not list them: ask the consumer helpline. You can use the free cancellation letter.

Bought from a private seller

The Consumer Rights Act 2015 only covers buying from a business.
From a private seller, the Sale of Goods Act 1979 says the goods must match their description and the seller must have the right to sell them. The rules on satisfactory quality and fitness only apply when the seller sells in the course of a business.
If you are not sure whether the seller was really a business, ask the consumer helpline.

Paid by credit card: section 75

Under section 75 of the Consumer Credit Act 1974 you can claim against the credit provider as well as the seller when the seller breaks the contract (for example faulty goods), if the cash price of the single item was more than £100 and not more than £30,000.
It covers credit cards, and can cover point-of-sale loans, some store cards and catalogue accounts. It does not cover goods paid for wholly by debit card or bank transfer.
The limits are per item: several items that each cost £100 or less do not count because the total is more than £100 (unless they were sold as a set).
If the credit provider turns your claim down, you can complain to it and then to the Financial Ombudsman Service. You can use the free section 75 letter.

If the business still says no

Put your complaint in writing: what you bought, when, what is wrong and what you want (a refund, repair, replacement or price reduction). You can use the free faulty goods letter.
In England and Wales, before going to court, the court's rules on pre-action conduct expect a letter before claim: concise details of the claim, what you want and how you worked out any amount. The business should reply within a reasonable time: 14 days in a straightforward case. You can use the free letter before claim.
If it still refuses, you can take it to court: use the small claims checker for your nation.

Deadlines

30 days to use the short-term right to reject (paused while you wait for a repair or replacement; shorter for perishable goods).
6 months from delivery: the point after which you may have to show the fault was there from the start.
14 days to cancel an online, phone or mail order purchase after receiving it, then 14 days to send it back.
England, Wales and Northern Ireland: you have up to 6 years to make a claim for faulty goods. This guide does not cover exactly when the 6 years start or what can change them: ask the consumer helpline.

Scotland: the time limit

In Scotland you have up to 5 years to make a claim for faulty goods, not 6. This guide does not cover exactly when the 5 years start or what can change them: ask Advice Direct Scotland.

Money figures

Section 75: the single item must have a cash price of more than £100 and not more than £30,000.
This guide gives no other amounts. What a price reduction or a deduction for use should be depends on the goods and how you have used them.

Where to go for help

Citizens Advice consumer helpline (England and Wales): 0808 223 1133. Welsh language: 0808 223 1144

Advice Direct Scotland (consumer advice): 0808 164 6000

Consumerline (Northern Ireland): 0300 123 6262

The consumer helpline can pass your complaint to Trading Standards. For a section 75 claim the credit provider refuses: the Financial Ombudsman Service.

Citizens Advice (England): 0800 144 8848

Citizens Advice (Wales): 0800 702 2020

Citizens Advice Scotland: 0800 028 1456

Advice NI: 0800 915 4604

Traps

Your rights are against the business that sold you the goods.
If you or someone else tries to repair the goods and damages them, you may lose the right to a full refund (you may still have the right to a repair, replacement or partial refund).
The 30 days count from the day after you got the goods, not from the day you ordered or paid.
Agreeing to a repair means giving the business a reasonable time to do it before you ask for a refund.
A private sale is not covered by the Consumer Rights Act 2015.
Paying by debit card does not give you section 75.

📜 Sources (checked 24 September 2026)

legislation.gov.uk: Consumer Rights Act 2015, section 1 (Part 1 applies to agreements between a trader and a consumer) and section 2(2)-(6) (trader; consumer = an individual acting wholly or mainly outside their trade, business, craft or profession; the trader must prove otherwise; second-hand goods sold at a public auction individuals can attend). Checked 24 September 2026.
legislation.gov.uk: Consumer Rights Act 2015, section 19(14)-(15) (fault within 6 months of delivery taken to have been there on delivery, for repair, replacement, price reduction and final right to reject) and section 22(3), (4), (6)-(8) (30 days beginning with the first day after delivery, ownership or installation; shorter for perishable goods; paused during repair or replacement). Checked 18 September 2026 for the site's date calculator (ukwr-fields.js).
legislation.gov.uk: Consumer Rights Act 2015, section 23(2), (3), (6) and (7) (repair or replacement within a reasonable time and without significant inconvenience, at the trader's cost; not if impossible or disproportionate; a reasonable time to do it) and section 24(5), (6), (8), (10) and (11) (price reduction or final right to reject after one repair or replacement, or if both are impossible, or not done in time; deduction for use; none in the first 6 months except motor vehicles). Checked 24 September 2026.
legislation.gov.uk: Consumer Rights Act 2015, Explanatory Notes paragraphs 140-141 (refund without undue delay and within 14 days of the trader agreeing; same means of payment; no fee; motor vehicle exception). Checked 24 September 2026.
legislation.gov.uk: Sale of Goods Act 1979, sections 12, 13(1) and 14(1)-(2) (right to sell; goods correspond with description; satisfactory quality only where the seller sells in the course of a business). Checked 24 September 2026.
legislation.gov.uk: Consumer Credit Act 1974, section 75(3)(b) (no claim for a single item with a cash price of £100 or less or more than £30,000). Checked 24 September 2026.
financial-ombudsman.org.uk: Common myths about Section 75 (point-of-sale loans, some store cards and catalogue accounts; not debit card or bank transfer; limits per item unless sold as a set; complaints about rejected claims). Checked 24 September 2026.
GOV.UK: Accepting returns and giving refunds (faulty, not as described or not doing what it should; no refund for a known fault, own repair damage or a change of mind unless bought without seeing it; online, mail and phone orders: 14 days to cancel, 14 more to return, refund within 14 days including standard delivery; warranties; proof of purchase; up to 6 years to claim, 5 years in Scotland). Checked 24 September 2026.
GOV.UK: Consumer rights (gov.uk/consumer-protection-rights): Citizens Advice 0808 223 1133, Welsh language 0808 223 1144 (England and Wales); Advice Direct Scotland 0808 164 6000; Consumerline 0300 123 6262 (Northern Ireland); referral to Trading Standards; Consumer Centre UK for buying from an EU country. Checked 24 September 2026. Note: GOV.UK's Consumer advice page gives Advice Direct Scotland as 0808 800 9060.
justice.gov.uk: Practice Direction - Pre-Action Conduct and Protocols, paragraph 6 (letter before claim; reply within a reasonable time, 14 days in a straightforward case). Checked 24 September 2026 (small claims guide).
legislation.gov.uk: Limitation (Northern Ireland) Order 1989, article 4(a) (an action founded on simple contract may not be brought more than six years after the cause of action accrued). Checked 24 September 2026.
General advice lines: Citizens Advice (England) 0800 144 8848, Citizens Advice (Wales) 0800 702 2020, Citizens Advice Scotland 0800 028 1456, Advice NI 0800 915 4604, as verified for the small claims guides (checked 24 September 2026).

⚠ Important disclaimer: This guide covers refunds, repairs and replacements for faulty goods bought from a business in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland as at 24 September 2026. General legal information only, not legal advice. ukworkrights.co.uk — Not a law firm.

Can I Get a Refund for Faulty Goods?

💬 Check your own situation

Who this guide is for

What this guide does not cover

⚖ At a glance

The questions that decide the answer

What the goods must be

In the first 30 days: the short-term right to reject

After 30 days: repair or replacement

If the repair or replacement does not work: price reduction or final right to reject

The first 6 months and after

Getting your refund

Changed your mind (not faulty)

Bought from a private seller

Paid by credit card: section 75

If the business still says no

Deadlines

Scotland: the time limit

Money figures

Where to go for help

Traps

📜 Sources (checked 24 September 2026)

Comments

Found this helpful?

⚖ Important — Please Read Before Continuing

1. This is guidance — and only ever guidance

2. AI can make mistakes

3. Verified figures and guidance sources

4. What happens to what you type

5. Your responsibility

6. Useful Official Resources

7. Scope of this service

Report an Issue

Share Your Feedback

Can I Get a Refund for Faulty Goods?

💬 Check your own situation

Who this guide is for

What this guide does not cover

⚖ At a glance

The questions that decide the answer

What the goods must be

In the first 30 days: the short-term right to reject

After 30 days: repair or replacement

If the repair or replacement does not work: price reduction or final right to reject

The first 6 months and after

Getting your refund

Changed your mind (not faulty)

Bought from a private seller

Paid by credit card: section 75

If the business still says no

Deadlines

Scotland: the time limit

Money figures

Where to go for help

Traps

📜 Sources (checked 24 September 2026)

Comments

Found this helpful?

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