Shop refuses a refund? The clock decides your rights.
A returns policy is the shop's rule. The Consumer Rights Act is the law, and it says what you can demand for a faulty item depends on when the fault showed up. Find your row, then let a free letter ask for it.
Not sure which row you're on? Tell us the date and what happened — the letter says which right applies and asks for it.
Alongside the money itself, courts may award simple interest on money you have been kept out of — commonly 8% a year under the County Courts Act 1984 — and the court fee is typically added to a successful claim. Interest is discretionary. The letter sets this out so the other side can see what ignoring it costs.
How people describe it when they reach us
The sorts of things people tell us. Illustrative, based on patterns in the cases that reach us.
Your legal rights when the shop won't put faulty goods right
In England and Wales goods bought from a business must be of satisfactory quality, as described and fit for purpose under the Consumer Rights Act 2015. The remedies run on a clock from delivery, which is why the date on the receipt matters so much.
ActConsumer Rights Act 2015, s.9Goods from a business generally must be of satisfactory quality.
Where a consumer buys goods from a trader, section 9 usually implies a term that the goods are of satisfactory quality — taking account of price, description, durability, safety and appearance. A fault may support an argument that the goods were not satisfactory; courts typically ask what a reasonable person would regard as satisfactory in all the circumstances.
Read it on legislation.gov.uk ↗ActConsumer Rights Act 2015, s.19If goods don't conform, the Act generally provides remedies.
Where goods breach the statutory terms on quality, fitness or description, section 19 usually opens the route to remedies — rejection, repair, replacement, price reduction — depending on timing and what has already been tried. Which remedy applies typically turns on how long after delivery the fault appeared and whether a repair was attempted.
Read it on legislation.gov.uk ↗ActConsumer Rights Act 2015, s.22Within 30 days you can usually reject faulty goods for a full refund.
Section 22 generally gives a consumer a short-term right to reject goods that do not conform, normally within 30 days of delivery, and to receive a refund. The trader may ask to repair, but in most cases the choice in that first window is the consumer's. The period can be paused while a repair is under way.
Read it on legislation.gov.uk ↗ActConsumer Rights Act 2015, s.24After one failed repair or replacement, you can usually reject or claim a price reduction.
Where a repair or replacement has been tried and the goods still do not conform, section 24 typically gives a final right to reject, or a price reduction, at the consumer's choice. A refund on a final rejection may be reduced for use the consumer has had, except in the first six months in most cases.
Read it on legislation.gov.uk ↗Case lawContract law — breach of contractFailing to do what was paid for may amount to breach of contract.
A job, a purchase or a loan is typically analysed as a contract. If one side does not perform a central promise — work not done, money not repaid, goods not handed over — a court may find a breach and will then consider what loss flowed from it. The measure is normally the money you are out of pocket, proved with evidence.
This is general information about the law in England and Wales, not advice about your case. Which provisions apply, and how, depends on the facts.
Four things you'll hear. None of them end it.
The returns policy sits on top of your rights, not instead of them. The Consumer Rights Act covers faulty goods for far longer than any returns window — six months with the burden on the seller, and beyond with evidence.
Your contract is with The shop. The seller is responsible for goods that don't conform; the manufacturer's warranty is extra, not a substitute.
Inside 30 days the choice is normally yours. After that, one repair or replacement — and if it fails, a refund.
Their engineer's view is evidence, not a verdict. In the first six months the fault is presumed to have been there at purchase unless they show otherwise; an independent report typically settles it.
Five things worth gathering now
The letter first. Court only if they ignore it.
Your side, your words
What happened, what was agreed, what you are out of pocket. We ask what a court would ask, so the letter says what a court would need to hear.
Written for you, free
A formal letter before action with a 14-day deadline, setting out what is owed and why. You see it at no charge. Posting it by tracked mail and watching the deadline is £15.
Court claim, prepared
If the deadline passes: one tap turns the letter into a small claim, drafted, checked and filed. The £15 comes off our fee. The decision is the court's.
What JustClaim is: we prepare and file the paperwork for your claim, for a fixed price shown before you pay. We're not a law firm, this isn't legal advice, and no outcome is ever guaranteed — what you get is the strongest honest version of your case, properly made.
Questions people in this exact spot ask
Can I get a refund from the shop for a faulty item?
Within 30 days of delivery, usually yes — a full refund for a genuine fault. Up to six months, one repair or replacement first, then a refund if that fails. Up to six years with evidence the fault was there at purchase. The letter states which applies and asks for it.
I don't have the receipt. Can I still claim?
Usually. A bank or card statement or an order confirmation proves the purchase. The Act doesn't require the paper receipt.
They keep saying it's out of warranty.
The manufacturer's warranty is a separate promise. Your Consumer Rights Act claim is against the seller and runs for up to six years; 'out of warranty' doesn't end it.
Do I need an independent report?
After six months, usually yes for anything technical: it shows the fault was there at purchase. Before six months, the presumption is in your favour and the seller has to prove otherwise.
How much does it cost if it goes further?
If the letter is ignored, a court claim has a court fee set by the amount: £35 up to £300, £50 up to £500, £70 up to £1,000, £115 up to £3,000. If you win, the fee is normally added to what the other side is ordered to pay. Our fixed price is shown before you pay anything.
Is the letter really free?
Yes. Tell us what happened and the letter before action is written and shown to you at no charge. If you want us to post it by tracked mail and watch the 14-day deadline, that is £15, shown before you pay — and it comes off our fee if it later becomes a court claim.
Faulty, and they won't help?
Tell us what happened and when. The letter before action is written free and shown to you today; posting it and watching the deadline is £15.
Write the letter — free →