The Consumer Rights Act 2015

On the 1st October 2015 the Consumer Rights Act 2015 comes into force. This consolidates and repeals a number of Acts. From October 1st you will need to quote the Consumer Rights Act 2015 instead of the Sale of Goods Act. Here are some things you should know:

1. Purchases made from the 1st October 2015 are covered by the new Act
2. Purchases made before this date but a fault is found after, are covered by the Sale and Supply of Goods Act 1994
3. Under the new Act items must be of satisfactory quality which covers:

Appearance and finish
Freedom from minor defects
Safety
Durability

4. Purchases must be as described and be installed correctly
5. You can reject the goods within 30 days unless the expected life of the goods is shorter e.g. highly perishable goods.
6. You can choose repair or replacement in this time and up to 6 months after purchase as it is assumed that the fault was there at the time of delivery unless the trader can prove otherwise or unless this assumption is inconsistent with the circumstances (e.g. clear signs of misuse).
7. Digital goods are now covered. (Data which are produced and supplied in digital form) e.g. tv programmes, mobile apps, computer games and software etc. You can choose a repair or replacement of the content so long as not impossible to do or disproportionately difficult compared to a replacement download.
8. If a repair or replacement are both impossible (or trader refuses to carry out) you can request an appropriate price reduction reflecting the difference between the actual cost and what you have so that would be a full refund if the product doesn’t work at all.
9. If you have had the item more than 6 months you have to prove the defect was there at the time of delivery. You must also prove the defect was there at the time of delivery if you exercise the short-term right to reject goods. Some defects do not become apparent until some time after delivery, and in these cases it is enough to prove that there was an underlying or hidden defect at that time.
10. If you have had the item less than 6 months it is up to the trader to prove that you caused the fault or otherwise provide redress as above.
11. These rules apply when shopping online (where you also have 14 days cooling off period for changing your mind under the Consumer Contracts (Information, Cancellation and Additional Charges) Regulations 2013)

About the author: Helen Dewdney is The Complaining Cow and is a consumer campaigner that blogs at https://www.thecomplainingcow.co.uk providing lots of tips, guidance, advice and stories of how to gain redress. She is author of Amazon bestseller How to Complain: The Essential Consumer Guide to Getting Refunds, Redress and Results!