Consumerline, run for the Trading Standards Service in Northern Ireland, gives free advice and takes complaints about traders.
Quick facts
- Full refund
- Within 30 days
- Repair or replacement
- One failed attempt is enough
- Refund paid
- Within 14 days of agreeing
- Fault in first 6 months
- Refund cannot be cut for use (except cars)
- After 6 months
- You must show the fault was there
- Time to raise a problem
- Up to six years
The first 30 days
If the goods you receive aren’t of satisfactory quality, fit for purpose, don’t match or aren’t installed correctly, you have 30 days to return them and get a full refund. You will have fewer days to return the goods if they are highly perishable, for example food items.
Repair, replacement, price cut or refund
After 30 days, or if you prefer, you can ask for a repair or replacement. You don't have to give the trader lots of chances. If after just one failed try at repair or replacement, or the repair or replacement isn't given to you within a reasonable time and without significant inconvenience, you can claim a price cut or reject the goods and get a refund.
Your refund can be reduced for the use you have had. But it cannot be reduced where the goods are rejected within six months of getting them, except where the goods are a motor vehicle. The refund must be given within 14 days of the trader agreeing that you are entitled to it. The trader must also cover any reasonable cost of returning the goods.
After six months
If you've had the goods for six months or more, you must prove the fault was there at the time of buying or delivery. It is enough to show there was an underlying or hidden fault at that time. You can raise a problem about a product for up to six years from the date of buying it regardless of the terms of any guarantee.
Guarantees
A guarantee gives you added protection when you buy good or services but it does not replace your consumer rights. If an item is not fit for purpose, not as described or not of satisfactory quality, the trader must deal with it. They cannot force you to use the guarantee. If you buy an extended guarantee, you have some cancellation and termination rights.
Digital content and services
Digital content must be as described, fit for purpose and of satisfactory quality. If your digital content is faulty, you're entitled to a repair or a replacement. A service you pay for must be done with reasonable care and skill, and any quotations and promises about timescales or results must be upheld by the trader.
If the trader will not pay: small claims
If you cannot settle it, the small claims process lets the County Court decide informally, usually without the need of a solicitor or barrister. In general a small claim is one where the value to be claimed is not more than £5,000, and it cannot be about personal injury or a road traffic accident.
The fee depends on the amount. If your claim is successful, the respondent will be ordered to pay you the amount decided by the Judge, plus the application fee along with any other costs awarded.
Scams and where to complain
Scams target people of all ages, backgrounds and income levels. A third of scam victims fall for a second scam within 12 months, and half of all scams start with a phone call. See our guide to scams.
To complain about a trader or get advice, contact Consumerline, the consumer advice helpline for the Trading Standards Service in Northern Ireland. Consumerline aims to respond within five working days of receipt of a web form.
Common questions
How long do I have to get a full refund for faulty goods?
30 days from receiving them, or fewer for perishable goods such as food.
Can a shop make me use the manufacturer's guarantee?
No. They cannot force you to use the guarantee.
How long does the shop have to pay my refund?
The refund must be given within 14 days of the trader agreeing that you are entitled to it.