Consumer Rights Act 2015: Your Rights Explained

The Consumer Rights Act 2015 gives you free, automatic rights whenever you buy goods, digital content or services from a trader. This guide covers satisfactory quality, the 30-day right to a full refund, repair or replace, and the 6-month rule on who must prove a fault.

Who the Consumer Rights Act 2015 Covers

The Consumer Rights Act 2015 applies UK-wide, in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, whenever a consumer buys goods, digital content or services from a trader acting in the course of a business. It does not apply to private, person-to-person sales, such as buying a used car from a private individual rather than a dealer; those sales are governed by older, weaker protections (see used car rights).

Crucially, your legal relationship is with the retailer you bought from, not the manufacturer. If a laptop bought from a shop develops a fault, you claim against the shop, even if the fault is the manufacturer's. The retailer cannot tell you to "contact the manufacturer" instead of dealing with you directly, though many retailers do that anyway as a first, informal step.

Goods Must Be of Satisfactory Quality, Fit for Purpose and As Described

Sections 9 to 11 of the Act set out three core rights for physical goods:

• Satisfactory quality (s.9): goods must meet the standard a reasonable person would consider satisfactory, taking into account the price, description and any information given. This covers appearance, finish, safety, and durability, not just whether the item works at all.
• Fit for purpose (s.10): goods must be fit for their ordinary purpose, and for any particular purpose you told the seller about before buying, for example if you asked whether a tent was suitable for winter camping and were told yes.
• As described (s.11): goods must match their description, whether that description came from a label, packaging, an advert or a listing on a website.

A trader cannot exclude or restrict these rights by contract. A "sold as seen" sticker, a "no refunds" sign, or a returns policy that tries to remove your statutory rights has no legal effect against these protections (s.31 makes any such term not binding on you). A retailer can still have its own, more generous goodwill policy on top, but it cannot use a sign to take rights away.

The 30-Day Right to Reject, Then Repair or Replace, Then Final Rejection

The Act gives you a tiered set of remedies, and which one applies depends on how long you have owned the goods.

Short-term right to reject (within 30 days)

If goods are faulty, not as described, or not fit for purpose, you have a short-term right to reject them for a full refund within 30 days of taking ownership or delivery (s.22). This 30-day window cannot be shortened by a retailer's terms and conditions. If you ask for a repair or replacement during those 30 days instead of rejecting straight away, the 30-day clock pauses while the retailer attempts it, and you keep the right to reject afterwards if the attempt fails.

After 30 days: one repair or replacement

Once the 30-day window has passed, you no longer have an automatic right to a full refund. Instead, under s.23, you can require the retailer to repair or replace the faulty item, and you choose which. The retailer can refuse your choice only if it is impossible or disproportionate compared with the other remedy. You cannot demand a refund at this stage simply because you would prefer one, and the retailer gets one opportunity to put things right. It must do so within a reasonable time, without significant inconvenience to you and at its own cost.

Final right to reject

If that single repair or replacement attempt fails, is impossible, or would take an unreasonable time or cause significant inconvenience, the final right to reject applies under s.24. You can then choose either to reject the goods for a refund, though after 6 months a fair deduction for the use you have had can be taken off (see below), or to keep them and ask for a price reduction, which can be up to the full price. You can use one of these, not both.

The 6-Month Rule: Who Has to Prove the Fault

Section 19(14) of the Act sets a burden-of-proof rule that matters a great deal in practice:

• Within 6 months of delivery: if a fault appears, it is legally presumed to have been present at the time of delivery. The retailer has to prove the fault was not there when you bought the item (for example, that you caused it) if it wants to refuse a remedy.
• After 6 months of delivery: the burden flips. You have to show the fault was present at the time of purchase, which can mean getting an independent report or engineer's opinion, particularly for a higher-value item.

This is why the first 6 months matter so much for anyone dealing with a reluctant retailer: within that window, a retailer that simply says "not our problem" is not applying the law correctly.

Deduction for use also depends on this timeline. In the first 6 months, no deduction can be made for the use you have had from goods you reject under the final right to reject, except for motor vehicles: because a car's depreciation and mileage are unavoidable, a deduction can be applied to a car's refund even within the first 6 months. After 6 months, on a final rejection, a fair deduction for use can be applied to any goods. Either way, this concerns the final right to reject only; the 30-day short-term right to reject is always a full refund with no deduction, for cars and other goods alike.

Digital Content and Services Have Different Remedies

The Consumer Rights Act 2015 also covers digital content (apps, downloads, streaming, software) and services, but the remedies are not identical to goods.

Digital content (ss.34-36) must also be of satisfactory quality, fit for purpose and as described. If it is not, the remedy ladder is repair or replacement, then a price reduction, which can be up to a full refund in serious cases. Unlike physical goods, there is no standalone short-term right to reject digital content, except where it is supplied on a physical good, such as a game on a disc.

Services (s.49) must be carried out with reasonable care and skill. If a service, such as a repair, installation or professional job, falls short, the primary remedy is repeat performance (s.55), and if that is not possible, a price reduction (s.56). Where a refund is due, it should normally be paid within 14 days.

Remedies at a Glance

For a plain-English walkthrough of using these rights in practice, including what to say to a retailer, see faulty goods refund rights.

Paying by Credit Card, and What Happens If a Retailer Refuses

If you paid on a credit card, you may also have a claim directly against the card issuer under section 75 of the Consumer Credit Act 1974, separate from your rights against the retailer (see section 75 claims). If a retailer will not honour your rights under the Consumer Rights Act 2015, the next step is escalating the complaint properly rather than giving up; see how to complain about a company for the full route through to the small claims court.

Free Help

If a retailer is refusing to apply these rights, you do not need to pay anyone to enforce them. The Citizens Advice consumer service gives free, independent guidance in England and Wales on 0808 223 1133 (Welsh language: 0808 223 1144). In Scotland, contact Advice Direct Scotland on 0808 164 6000, and in Northern Ireland, Consumerline on 0300 123 6262.

This article is general information about consumer rights in the United Kingdom, not legal advice, and does not cover every possible scenario, such as business-to-business sales or second-hand goods bought from a private seller. For free, independent guidance on a specific problem, contact the Citizens Advice consumer service on 0808 223 1133 in England and Wales, Advice Direct Scotland on 0808 164 6000 in Scotland, or Consumerline on 0300 123 6262 in Northern Ireland. For the wider picture, see the UK Consumer Rights hub and the United Kingdom hub.

Frequently Asked Questions

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

You have 30 days from taking ownership or delivery of the goods to use the short-term right to reject them for a full refund. This 30-day window cannot be shortened by the retailer's terms and conditions.

What happens if I discover a fault after 30 days?

After 30 days you no longer have an automatic right to a full refund. Instead, the retailer gets one opportunity to repair or replace the item. If that attempt fails or is not possible, you can then use the final right to reject for a refund, or keep the item and ask for a price reduction.

Who has to prove the fault was there when I bought the item?

If the fault appears within 6 months of delivery, the law presumes it was present at delivery and the retailer must prove otherwise. After 6 months, the burden shifts to you to show the fault existed at the time of purchase.

Can a retailer refuse a refund because a sign says 'sold as seen' or 'no refunds'?

No. Section 31 of the Consumer Rights Act 2015 makes any term or notice that tries to exclude these statutory rights not binding on you as a consumer. A 'sold as seen' sticker or a 'no refunds' sign has no legal effect on your rights.

Should I claim against the shop or the manufacturer?

Your contract is with the retailer you bought the goods from, not the manufacturer, so your claim under the Consumer Rights Act 2015 is against the retailer. The retailer cannot simply redirect you to the manufacturer instead of dealing with your claim.

Do these rights apply to digital content like apps or downloads?

Yes. Digital content must also be of satisfactory quality, fit for purpose and as described, but the remedy is repair or replacement followed by a price reduction, rather than a standalone right to reject, which only applies to physical goods.

Can a retailer deduct money for the use I've had from goods I'm rejecting?

Not in the first 6 months, except for motor vehicles. After 6 months, if you use the final right to reject, a fair deduction for the use you have had can be taken off your refund.

How long do I have to bring a claim under the Consumer Rights Act 2015?

Generally up to 6 years from the breach in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, and 5 years in Scotland, though it is always best to raise a problem with the retailer as soon as you notice it.