Faulty Product? Your UK Consumer Rights at 30 Days, 6 Months and 6 Years

The short version

• Within 30 days: you can reject a faulty item and get a full refund.
• Within 6 months: the fault is assumed to have been there from the start. The retailer gets one chance to repair or replace it, and if that fails you can have your money back.
• After 6 months: you still have rights, but it's usually up to you to show the fault was there when you got it.
• Up to 6 years (5 in Scotland): how long you have to bring a claim for goods that didn't last as long as they reasonably should.

What the law says goods must be

Under the Consumer Rights Act 2015, anything you buy from a business must be:

• of satisfactory quality: not faulty or damaged, and lasting as long as a reasonable person would expect for the price and type of product;
• fit for purpose, including any particular purpose you told the seller about;
• as described, matching the description, any sample and any model you were shown.

If it isn't, these rights are against the retailer, the business you paid, not the manufacturer. A shop can't send you to the manufacturer instead of dealing with it.

Within 30 days: the right to reject

For the first 30 days you have the short-term right to reject: you can return a faulty item and get a full refund. You don't have to accept a repair or replacement instead, although you can choose one if you prefer.

The 30 days start from the latest of when you took ownership, when it was delivered and when it was installed, if installation was part of the deal. Perishable goods, such as food or flowers, may have less time.

Within 6 months: the fault is assumed to be the retailer's problem

After 30 days you first have to give the retailer the chance to repair or replace the item. Usually you choose which, unless one of them would be impossible or cost the retailer far more than the other.

For the first 6 months after delivery, a fault is assumed to have been there when you got it, unless the retailer can prove otherwise. You don't have to prove anything.

If the repair or replacement fails, or isn't done within a reasonable time or without significant inconvenience, you can choose either:

• the final right to reject: return it for a refund. Within the first 6 months, the retailer can't take anything off for the use you've had (except for most motor vehicles);
• a price reduction, if you'd rather keep it.

After 6 months: you'll usually need to show the fault was there from the start

Your rights don't end at 6 months, but the burden switches to you. You'll normally need to show that the fault was there when you got the item, rather than caused by wear and tear, an accident or misuse. That could be evidence that the same fault is common in that model, or a report from an independent repairer.

The remedies are the same: a repair or replacement first, then a refund or price reduction if that fails. A refund after 6 months may have a deduction for the use you've had.

Up to 6 years: how long you have to claim

Goods should last a reasonable length of time. In England, Wales and Northern Ireland you have up to 6 years from delivery to bring a claim for goods that didn't, and in Scotland generally 5 years from when you became aware of the problem.

That's the time limit for making a claim, not a promise that everything lasts 6 years. A cheap phone charger isn't expected to last as long as a premium fridge. The older the item, the harder it is to show the fault was there from the start.

Where the manufacturer's warranty fits in

A manufacturer's warranty or guarantee is extra. It's a promise the manufacturer chooses to make, on its own terms, and it can't take away your legal rights against the retailer. It's often the easier route for a fault that appears later, such as in the second year of a two-year warranty, because it doesn't depend on proving the fault was there from the start.

Warranties usually only cover the original buyer, need proof of purchase, and may need registering. Many have an end date that's easy to forget, and that's exactly the moment you'll want to know about.

Bought online or with a credit card?

• Online, by phone or by mail order: on top of everything above, you can usually cancel within 14 days of receiving the goods for any reason, even if nothing's wrong, under the Consumer Contracts Regulations. Some items, such as made-to-order goods, are excluded.
• On a credit card, for more than £100 and up to £30,000: under section 75 of the Consumer Credit Act, the card provider is equally responsible with the retailer. That's useful if the shop won't help or has gone out of business.

What these rights don't cover

• Normal wear and tear.
• Damage from an accident or misuse.
• A fault you were told about, or that was obvious, before you bought it.
• Changing your mind about something you bought in a shop.
• Buying from a private seller, such as an individual on a marketplace, which gives you fewer rights.

How to make a claim

1. Find your proof of purchase. A receipt is best, but a bank or card statement can also show what you paid and when.
2. Work out where you are on the timeline from the date you bought it or it was delivered: under 30 days, under 6 months, or later.
3. Photograph the fault and write down when it started.
4. Contact the retailer, in writing if you can, and say which remedy you're asking for under the Consumer Rights Act 2015.
5. If the retailer won't help, check whether a manufacturer's warranty or your credit card provider can, and get advice from the services listed below.

Every step depends on knowing when you bought it and being able to show it. That's why it pays to keep the receipt and purchase date with each product from the day you get it.