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 yearsto 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. 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

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