Student Advice Centre 0114 2228660
advice@sheffield.ac.uk
Book an appointment online

Live Online Chat: Live Chat
Reduce Reset Increase

Consumer rights

What are your consumer rights?

It depends! Your rights will depend upon what you bought, whether you bought it from a company or private seller, whether they are based in UK or abroad and whether you bought something over the internet or in person. 

The Sale of Goods and Services Act gives consumers statutory rights when buying goods and services from businesses in UK. You have legal rights when buying goods/services and companies have legal responsibilities to put things right if there is a problem with what they have supplied.

Your legal/statutory rights when buying goods state that goods and goods supplied with the service which you buy must:

  • Match their description
  • Be of satisfactory quality
  • Be fit for purpose

If your statutory rights have been breached, you are entitled to ask the seller to replace the item, repair the item or give you a refund for the item. This applies when you have bought goods from a trader. If it would cost the trader more to repair the goods than it would to replace the, you may be offered a replacement. If the item cannot be either repaired or replaced, or to do so would cost more than a full or partial refund, it may be that a refund or reduction in the purchase price is offered. 

When you pay for a service it must:

  • Be carried out with reasonable care and skill
  • Be carried out within a reasonable time, unless a specific time has been agreed
  • Be provided at a reasonable cost, unless a specific price has been agreed

If you statutory rights have been breached when you bought a service, you may be entitled to ask the trader for compensation, for a refund, to correct the problem, to complete the work or to end the contract before the work has been completed. 

You do not have the right to a refund, replacement or repair if you have simply changed your mind about something which you have bought. If there is nothing wrong with a product or service, the trader is under no legal obligation to take it back or offer you a refund/replacement.

If you need to discuss a consumer problem, advisers at Student Advice Centre can help. Consumer Direct can also offer advice about your consumer rights.

Share on Delicious Share on Reddit PDF Print
Was this article useful to you? (If you require a response please include an email address)
|

Tags: