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Welcome: Consumer Direct provides clear, practical, consumer advice.

Our regionally based advisors are specially trained to give practical advice on all kinds of consumer issues - from problems with cars to faulty household appliances.

 
 

Fit the description given

Whatever you buy should fit the description given to the product. Packaging, labelling and any description given must be clear and honest.

So:

  • If you buy a coat that says it is ‘100% Waterproof’ then you shouldn’t be soaked through when you’re caught in a thunderstorm.
  • If you buy a chair that says it’s 100% solid pine, you shouldn’t then find it is pine laminate.
  • If you buy a 1970 Fender Stratocaster guitar, it shouldn’t turn out to be a 1980 model.
  • If you buy an extending dog lead and it doesn’t extend, then it doesn’t fit its description.

But what happens when you return to the shop to return the item? To make sure you get a fair result, have a look at our after you buy advice.

 

Be of satisfactory quality

You have the right for the goods you buy to be safe, work properly, and to be free from defects.

So:

  • If you buy a new washing machine which continually floods your kitchen, it might not be safe. It is your right not to be put at risk from something you buy. The washing machine should perform its function safely.
  • If you buy a flat screen television and the picture is fuzzy, then it might not be working properly.
  • If you buy a dress and it shrinks after one wash, if you have followed the manufacturer’s instructions you could argue that it has a defect and that you expect to wear it more than once.

A trader may well go beyond the statutory rights concerning faulty goods, for example, it may include in its contracts a right for consumers to return non-faulty goods in original packaging within 30 days. If so that is also a legal right that a consumer may enforce. Whatever the store policy says, it will not detract from the consumers’ statutory rights

As well as knowing your rights, it pays to be prepared. Check our guidance and useful information about things to bear in mind before you buy.

 

Be fit for purpose

Any goods that are sold to you must be capable of doing what they’re meant for.

So:

  • If you buy a golf club and it bends in half when you hit a ball, then it could be said that it is not fit for the purpose you bought it for. Clearly, a golf club should be made to hit a golf ball.
  • If you buy some glue, specifying that you need it to repair china and you then find it will only stick paper, then it is not fit for the purpose you identified.
  • If you buy a printer and tell the trader that it needs to be compatible with a specific type of computer and it isn’t then, again, it isn’t fit for the purpose you identified.

Have a look at our watch out section to find out which goods and services got the most complaints last year.

 

Shopping in different environments

There are lots of different ways to buy goods and services – on the high street, directly from a seller in your home, or online.

The most useful rights to remember in these different environments are:

In a shop

  • Always remember that if goods are faulty it is the retailer’s responsibility to sort the problem out. This is in addition to any warranty or guarantee that the manufacturer provides.

Buying at home

  • When a trader visits to sell to you in your home, you generally have a ‘cooling off’ period of 7 days after the contract is made, during which an order can be cancelled without any reason and a full refund made.

On the Internet

  • If you buy goods on the internet you generally have a ‘cooling off’ period of 7 working days, starting the day after receipt of the goods, during which an order can be cancelled without any reason and a full refund made.

You can get more advice here on shopping on-line. Despite people’s fears about shopping at home, you actually have additional rights when shopping on the internet or from a catalogue. Follow our tips to make sure you shop safely and securely.

 

Credit card purchases

If you buy a single item or a package of goods, for instance a dinner service, at a cost of over £100 and you paid by credit card, you may be protected by the Consumer Credit Act. This states that the credit card company is equally liable. Therefore, should a problem arise, you can claim either from the trader or from the credit card company. For more information, see bought on credit?


Advice on all types of consumer issues can be found on the main Consumer Direct site.

 

Did you know

Businesses displaying the OFT Approved code logo will offer you better terms and conditions than the law requires.

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