Your rights when buying goods, services and digital content

Start with the purchase and the problem

This guide is about buying for personal use in England. A business selling to you is often called a trader. Work out what you bought, who sold it, how you paid and whether the problem is a fault, poor work, an unexpected charge or a change of mind. An online marketplace may contain both businesses and private sellers. Private purchases have fewer protections, though descriptions and the seller’s right to sell still matter. Sale prices and buying second-hand from a business do not remove your consumer rights.

Faulty goods: what you should receive

Goods should meet reasonable quality expectations, do their intended job and match the description. Price, age and any disclosed faults matter. Ordinary wear, accidental damage or a fault clearly explained before purchase may not give the same remedy. Contact the seller, rather than assuming you must use the manufacturer’s warranty. A guarantee adds to your rights; it does not replace them. Stop using an item if you think it is unsafe, and ask the seller and consumer advice service what to do.

The first 30 days

For goods that breach the required standards, there is normally a short-term right to reject them and receive a refund. The usual 30-day period starts after ownership or possession has transferred, delivery has happened and any required installation is complete. Perishable goods can have a shorter period. Tell the trader promptly and clearly that you are rejecting the faulty goods. The timing can change if you request a repair during that period. Keep proof of purchase: a receipt is helpful, but other evidence, such as a bank statement or order confirmation, can work.

After 30 days: repair, replacement and later rejection

You will usually need to give the trader an opportunity to repair or replace faulty goods. The trader should cover necessary costs and act within a reasonable time, without significant inconvenience. If one repair or replacement fails, or the legal conditions for requiring it cannot be met, you may be entitled to a price reduction or final rejection. Deductions for use can apply to later refunds; most goods cannot have a use deduction within the first six months, but motor vehicles have a different rule. For repair, replacement or final rejection, a fault appearing within six months is usually treated as present at delivery. This does not apply if the trader proves otherwise, or the presumption does not fit the goods or fault. After six months, you may need to show the fault was present at delivery. Ask for advice rather than assuming your rights ended when the guarantee expired.

Services and digital purchases have different remedies

A paid service, such as a repair or haircut, should be carried out with reasonable care and skill. You may be entitled to have it done properly again without extra cost, or to an appropriate price reduction where the legal conditions are met. Paid digital content, such as a game or download, must meet the required quality, purpose and description standards. Faulty digital content normally uses repair or replacement and, where appropriate, a price reduction. It does not have the same automatic 30-day rejection right as goods. Keep screenshots, the advertised requirements and messages about the problem.

Changing your mind: shops and distance purchases

A shop does not normally have to take back a fault-free item just because you changed your mind. Check its voluntary returns policy. For many goods ordered from a business online, by phone or by post, you can cancel without giving a reason within 14 days after receiving them. Tell the seller within the cancellation period; you then normally have another 14 days to send the goods back. Keep your cancellation message and proof of posting. If the seller failed to give required cancellation information, the period may be longer: get advice.

Cancellation exceptions and return costs

Exceptions include personalised goods, rapidly perishable items and some unsealed hygiene products. Many bookings for a specific date, such as theatre tickets, also have different cancellation rules. Digital downloads can lose cancellation rights once supply starts with the required express consent and acknowledgement. Services usually have a 14-day period from making the contract, with rules about requested early work and completed services. For a change-of-mind goods return, standard outward delivery is normally refunded, but you may pay return postage if told beforehand. Excessive handling can reduce the refund. These rules are different from returning faulty goods.

Subscriptions, contracts and pressure to buy

Before agreeing, ask for the full price, payment frequency, minimum term, renewal date and cancellation method in a form you understand. Save the terms and confirmation. Ask for time to decide; false urgency, misleading claims and some pressure-selling practices are prohibited. A contract term is not automatically fair just because it is printed or accepted. When cancelling, notify the business and keep confirmation: stopping a payment alone may leave a valid contract debt. New subscription-specific rules were not yet in force when this guide was checked on 1 November 2026. Do not assume a future renewal cooling-off right already applies; existing consumer protections still matter.

Ask for support and reasonable adjustments

You can ask for plain-language information, more time, an accessible contact method or someone you trust to help. Service providers must consider reasonable adjustments to remove disability-related barriers where the duty applies. You must not be charged for an adjustment they are legally required to make. Explain the barrier and what would help with buying, cancelling or complaining. Having a learning disability does not remove consumer rights or automatically mean you cannot make a buying decision. Support should help you make your own choices; it does not automatically give someone else control of your purchases. Use the decisions and service-discrimination guides where you need help with choice, legal authority or unfair treatment.

If you paid by card or another payment service

Ask the trader to resolve an ordinary purchase dispute. If that fails, contact your card provider promptly. Section 75 can make a credit-card provider jointly responsible for a supplier’s breach of contract or misrepresentation where the legal conditions apply. The cash price of the item or qualifying set must be more than £100 and no more than £30,000; paying only a deposit by credit card can be enough. Payment intermediaries and the contractual arrangements can affect coverage. Chargeback is a card-scheme process, not the same legal right; deadlines are often around 120 days and vary. Ask which route and deadline apply. Refunds are not guaranteed. Payment platforms and Buy Now Pay Later may offer other protections.

Make a clear complaint

Write the seller’s name, order or reference number, dates, price, payment method and what was promised. Explain the problem and the outcome you want: for example, a refund, repair, replacement, completed work or correction of a charge. Attach copies of relevant evidence and keep originals. Request a reply date and an accessible way to respond. Use the worksheet to organise the facts. If you suspect a scam or an unauthorised payment, contact your bank immediately through a trusted route; do not wait for a trader’s complaint process.

Where to get help

The Citizens Advice consumer service gives free, impartial advice in England by telephone and online chat. It can explain the relevant law and pass reports to Trading Standards. Trading Standards investigates and enforces trading law; it does not normally recover your individual refund for you. Ask whether the business belongs to an appropriate ombudsman or other dispute-resolution scheme. Not every retailer has an ombudsman. Check the scheme’s coverage, procedure and time limit, using our ombudsman guide.

Keep deadlines separate

Cancellation periods, card-scheme deadlines, ombudsman limits and court time limits are different. A complaint does not automatically pause another deadline. Ask for advice promptly if you receive court papers or are considering a claim. Court action can involve fees, preparation and costs risks. The usual six-year limit for many contract claims in England is not a promise that every product must last six years. The product, evidence and legal basis still matter.

Your rights when you buy things

Before and after buying

Problems, refunds and deadlines

Cancelling and regular payments

Complain and get advice

What you can do next

More useful links