Consumer Guide - Your Rights If Things
Go Wrong
If there is something wrong
with what you buy, tell the seller as soon as possible.
If you are unable to return to the shop within a few
days of making the purchase, it is a good idea to
telephone to let it know about your complaint. Make
a note of the conversation and to whom you spoke.
If you tell the seller promptly
that the goods are faulty and you do not want them
you should be able to get your money back. As long
as you have not legally accepted the goods you can
still reject them - that is, refuse to accept them.
One of the ways you accept goods is by keeping them,
without complaint, after you have had a reasonable
time to examine them. What is reasonable is not fixed;
it depends on all the circumstances. But normally
you can at least take your purchase home and try it
out. If, however, you delay in examining what you
have bought, or in telling the seller about a fault,
then you may lose your right to reject.
If you signed an acceptance
note on receiving goods this does not mean you have
signed away from right to reject. You still have a
reasonable time to examine them. Letting the seller
try to put faulty goods right also has no effect on
your rights - if the repair fails, you may still have
the right to reject the goods.
Once you have, in the legal
sense, accepted goods, you lose your right to a full
refund. You can only claim compensation, and you have
to keep your claim to a reasonable minimum. Normally
you have to accept an offer to put the goods right,
or the cost of a repair. But if the goods are beyond
economical repair you are entitled to a replacement,
or the cash value of a replacement if none is offered.
Do not be put off by traders
trying to talk their way out of their responsibilities.
You may be able to claim compensation
if you suffer loss because of faulty goods, for example,
if a faulty iron ruins your clothes.
