Returns and refunds, warranties and complaints

Your customers' rights

When customers purchase goods from you they're legally entitled to expect certain things. Under the Sale of Goods Act:

• Goods must be 'fit for their purpose'. If people buy a pen, for instance, it must be capable of writing. But this requirement also means that if a customer tells you they want an item for a particular purpose, you should tell them if you have doubts about its suitability.
• Goods must be of 'satisfactory quality' - they must be durable, safe and free from minor, as well as major defects.

If goods don't meet these criteria, purchasers can claim a refund if they haven't already 'accepted' them. Customers accept goods if they tell you they've accepted them, alter the goods or keep them for a reasonable length of time. They can't, however, reject goods simply because they've changed their mind.

Though customers can't claim a refund after accepting goods, they can claim compensation of some sort. This can be monetary but could be the repair or replacement of goods. If your customer is a consumer - an individual not acting in the course of business - they can specifically ask for a repair or replacement.

All customers have up to six years to claim compensation (in Scotland, five years from discovery of the problem). The exact amount of time depends on the product, though it's for your customer to prove it was faulty when sold. But if your customer is a consumer and asks for a repair or replacement during the first six months after sale, it's up to you to prove the goods weren't faulty.

Goods should also correspond with the description you give, whether it's verbally, in writing or in an illustration. If they don't, your customer can take similar remedies to those described above. It's also an offence under the Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations 2008 and the Business Protection from Misleading Marketing Regulations 2008 to describe goods misleadingly to consumers and other businesses, respectively.

You can read an introduction to Sale of Goods Act on the Department for Business, Innovation & Skills (BIS) website - Opens in a new window.

Similar rules apply to services under the Provision of Services Regulations 2009, which require you to resolve complaints as quickly as possible. Although the regulations do not set out a specific time limit for resolving complaints, any complaint should be dealt with as soon as possible and you should make best efforts to find a satisfactory solution.

You should also:

• Provide details of how customers can complain in an easily accessible form. You can provide this information electronically via email or on your website. You could also include it in any correspondence regarding the provision of your services.
• Inform your customers if you are subject to a code of conduct or are a member of a trade association or professional body that provides dispute resolution services.
• Advise your customers where information on any code of conduct or dispute resolution procedures can be found.

For further information, download a guide to the Provision of Services Regulations from the BIS website (PDF, 814K) - Opens in a new window.

See our guide to customer protection.

Subjects covered in this guide

• Introduction
• Your customers' rights
• What is a warranty?
• Extended warranties for domestic electrical goods
• What is a guarantee?
• Returns

Local Business LinkLocal Business LinkEast MidlandsEast of EnglandLondonNorth EastNorth WestSouth EastSouth WestWest MidlandsYorkshire & Humbernibusinessinfo.co.ukBusiness GatewayAssembly Government | Site map | Help | About us

	My Business	What's new?	Do it online	Directories