Faulty Goods Solicitors
When goods are faulty, the Consumer Rights Act gives you the right to a full refund, repair, or replacement — and the retailer cannot make that harder than the law allows. A solicitor enforces those rights.
The Consumer Rights Act 2015 gives consumers clear statutory rights when goods are faulty — a 30-day right to reject and receive a full refund, a right to one repair or replacement if the 30 days has passed, and a final right to reject or price reduction if the repair or replacement fails. Retailers routinely misrepresent these rights — claiming goods must be returned to the manufacturer, or that the warranty terms override your legal rights. They do not. A solicitor will enforce the correct remedy.
Your Rights Under the Consumer Rights Act 2015
Faulty goods — what the law says you are entitled to and how to enforce it.
The Consumer Rights Act 2015 creates a clear hierarchy of remedies for faulty goods. Retailers must follow it — and a solicitor will ensure they do.
The 30-day short-term right to reject
Within 30 days of delivery (or installation, or when a fault becomes apparent for digital content), a consumer can reject faulty goods and receive a full refund — with no deduction for use. The fault must have existed at the time of supply (not necessarily visible or apparent). The retailer cannot offer repair or replacement in place of a refund if the consumer exercises the short-term right to reject within 30 days. A solicitor will help you exercise this right correctly and ensure the refund is made in full within the 14-day statutory period.
Repair or replacement after 30 days
After the 30-day period expires, the consumer's primary remedy is to require a repair or replacement. The retailer can choose between the two — unless one is impossible or disproportionately expensive relative to the other. The repair or replacement must be done within a reasonable time and without significant inconvenience to the consumer. If the retailer fails to complete the repair within a reasonable time, or if the repair fails and the goods are faulty again, the consumer can claim a price reduction or exercise the final right to reject.
Price reduction and final right to reject
Where the repair or replacement has failed — either by not fixing the fault, or by fixing one fault but creating another — the consumer can claim either a price reduction or exercise the final right to reject. A price reduction is an appropriate reduction for the defect. The final right to reject gives a refund — but with a deduction for use (calculated as a proportion of the purchase price based on how long the goods were used without defect). Unlike the short-term right to reject, use deductions apply here. A solicitor will ensure any deduction is fair and correctly calculated.
Burden of proof — the 6-month presumption
Within the first 6 months after purchase, there is a statutory presumption that the fault existed at the time of supply — the retailer must prove the fault arose after delivery and was caused by the consumer. After 6 months, the burden reverses — the consumer must show the fault was present at the time of supply. In practice, an independent technical assessment is often needed to determine when the fault arose and whether it was present at the time of manufacture. A solicitor will advise on the evidence required and obtain the expert assessment where needed.
The retailer is responsible — not the manufacturer
Under the Consumer Rights Act, the consumer's legal rights are against the retailer — the person or business who sold the goods. The retailer cannot direct the consumer to the manufacturer or refuse to deal with the claim on the basis that the manufacturer's warranty covers it. A warranty is an addition to statutory rights — it cannot reduce them. A solicitor will ensure the claim is made against the correct party (the retailer) and that the retailer does not use the manufacturer's warranty process as a means of denying or delaying the statutory remedy.
What "satisfactory quality" requires
Goods must be of satisfactory quality — meaning they must meet the standard a reasonable person would consider satisfactory given the description, price, and all relevant circumstances. Satisfactory quality covers fitness for purpose, appearance and finish, freedom from minor defects, safety, and durability. Durability is key — goods should remain of satisfactory quality for a reasonable time after purchase. A dishwasher that fails after 8 months, a pair of expensive boots that split after limited wear, or a television that develops a screen fault after 14 months — all may be below the satisfactory quality standard. A solicitor will advise on whether the goods met the standard.