Explained: Consumer Rights

Written By Adam Tulk

The implementation of the Consumer Rights Act (2015) has led to improved clarity on the law for consumers and businesses, leading to increased consumer confidence when buying and selling goods. In the UK, consumers spend £90 billion a month, so transparent rights are certainly useful for helping consumers make better choices.

However, there may still be some confusion around what exactly is covered under consumer rights, so the MoneySavingExpert team have provided a comprehensive guide on exactly what is covered, and what is not.

A summary of rights for the consumer are outlined below:

  • You DON'T have a legal right to change your mind and return store-bought goods. Even if you've bought the wrong colour or size, stores don't legally have to refund you simply because you've changed your mind. (It's different if items are faulty.)

  • In reality, many shops offer more generous returns policies. If stores have published returns policies, they have to stick to them. Many will allow you to change your mind and get a full refund, but always check before you buy.

  • The rules are different when shopping online – you DO have a legal right to change your mind. For most items, you have up to 14 days to notify them of a return, then up to 14 days after that to send it back. There are some exceptions. 

  • If items are faulty, it doesn't matter where you bought them. You will usually be entitled to a refund, repair or replacement, depending on when you find the fault. 

Infoo

At Infoo, we believe in helping you “Know Your Stuff.” Appliances may stop working or appear broken, but in actual fact, it could be an error that is simple enough to sort out at home. 

To save you wasting time trying to return an item that isn’t actually faulty, or if you are outside of your warranty period and/or unable to return, why not try our ‘how-to guides’ on different appliances in the home: https://www.infoo.com/about-guides 

The full guide from MoneySavingExpert on consumer rights can be found at: https://www.moneysavingexpert.com/reclaim/consumer-rights-refunds-exchange/

Adam Tulk
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