Be Wise › Consumer Wise guides › Faulty goods
If something you bought from a business is faulty, not as described or not fit for purpose, you can reject it for a full refund within 30 days of delivery. You do not have to accept a repair or a replacement first, and the seller cannot deduct anything for the use you have had.
The period starts the day after you take ownership of the goods and they are delivered to you. If the seller has to install the goods, it starts the day after installation is finished. For perishable goods that are not expected to last 30 days, such as fresh food or cut flowers, the period is only as long as the goods could reasonably be expected to last.
Goods bought from a business must be of satisfactory quality, fit for their purpose (including any particular purpose you told the seller about) and as described. If they fall short on any of these within the 30 days, the right to reject applies. It covers second-hand goods from a business too, judged against what is reasonable for their age and price.
Tell the seller clearly that you are rejecting the goods. Any words or actions that make this clear are enough, but doing it in writing, by email or letter, gives you a record. You must make the goods available for collection or return them as agreed. The seller has to pay the reasonable cost of returning them, unless you take them back in person to the place you collected them from.
The seller must refund you within 14 days of agreeing that you are entitled to it, using the same payment method you used unless you agree otherwise, and without charging a fee. You do not have to accept a credit note or vouchers instead of your money.
You can choose to let the seller try a repair or replacement within the 30 days. If you do, the clock pauses while the work is done. When the goods come back you have whatever was left of the 30 days, or 7 days, whichever is longer, to decide whether the repair has worked. After the 30 days, the rules change: see repair or replacement after 30 days.
Not if the goods are genuinely faulty, not as described or not fit for purpose. The seller can check the item, but it cannot insist that you accept a repair, a replacement or a credit note instead of a refund during the first 30 days.
You need to show you bought the item from that seller, but it does not have to be the original receipt. A bank or card statement, an order confirmation or an email receipt will usually do.
Yes. It applies however you bought from a business, in a shop or online. For online, phone and mail-order purchases you usually also have a separate 14-day right to cancel, even if nothing is wrong with the goods.
The seller must pay the reasonable costs of returning rejected goods. The exception is where you take them back in person to the place you collected them from.
The Be Consumer Wise app walks you through what you bought, how you paid and what went wrong, shows the right helpline for your part of the UK, and lets you ask ConsumerBot follow-up questions.
Open Be Consumer WiseBrowse all guidesReviewed 2026-09-23. General legal information about UK consumer rights, not legal advice.
