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Online Refund Refused

The Consumer Rights Act 2015 gives consumers a short-term right to reject faulty or misdescribed goods within 30 days of delivery and get a full refund. After that, the trader normally has one chance to repair or replace before you can insist on a refund or a price reduction. Separately, the Consumer Contracts Regulations give a 14-day cancellation right on most online purchases, even where nothing is wrong with the item.

Last checked 2026-10-143 scenarios

What is this?

The Consumer Rights Act 2015 gives consumers a short-term right to reject faulty or misdescribed goods within 30 days of delivery and get a full refund. After that, the trader normally has one chance to repair or replace before you can insist on a refund or a price reduction. Separately, the Consumer Contracts Regulations give a 14-day cancellation right on most online purchases, even where nothing is wrong with the item.

Who can use it

Consumers — individuals buying for personal use. A business buying goods to resell or use in its trade is not a consumer and the Consumer Rights Act does not apply to it, even if the purchase is small.

What problems it addresses

A retailer that will only offer a repair when you want a refund; a refusal based on a 'no refunds' policy that does not override your statutory rights; a return window treated as absolute; delivery of the wrong or a misdescribed item; a refund promised but never paid; a seller that argues about who pays return postage.

When it is appropriate

The goods are faulty, not as described or unfit for purpose, and the seller is refusing the remedy you are entitled to. If nothing is wrong and you simply changed your mind, the 14-day cancellation right is the relevant one and it applies to most online purchases, with exceptions such as bespoke items, sealed hygiene products and digital content once downloaded with your consent.

How the procedure begins

Write to the seller — a message through the platform account is fine — stating clearly that the goods are faulty, what remedy you want and that you are relying on the Consumer Rights Act 2015. Ask for the refund within 14 days of the trader agreeing you are entitled to it.

What the decision-maker can do

The trader decides first, but its 'policy' cannot remove statutory rights. If it refuses, the options are a chargeback through your card issuer or payment provider, a complaint to the consumer protection authority, a formal dispute through an ADR or marketplace process, or a small claim in the county court.

Remedies and outcomes available

A full refund (the short-term right to reject), a repair or replacement, a price reduction, and where a repair or replacement is impossible or disproportionately costly, the final right to reject. A refund must be given without undue delay and at the latest within 14 days of the trader agreeing that you are entitled to it.

When to consider a different route

If you are a business, the Consumer Rights Act does not apply and you rely on your contract and the general law, often through negotiation, mediation or commercial litigation. If the seller is outside the UK, enforcement is harder: card chargeback, the marketplace's own process and cross-border consumer schemes are the realistic routes. If nothing is wrong with the goods, the 14-day cancellation right is the correct route — and it does not apply to bespoke items or downloaded digital content.

Costs, fees and timeframes

A written complaint is free. Chargeback is free but the schemes set their own time windows, commonly around 120 days from the transaction, so act quickly. A county court claim involves a court fee on a published scale — check the current GOV.UK fee table — and can be started online for smaller amounts.

Step by step

  1. 1

    Work out which right applies

    Faulty or misdescribed goods: the 30-day short-term right to reject. Simply changed your mind: the 14-day cancellation right, if it applies to that item.

  2. 2

    Put it in writing and name the right

    State the fault, the remedy you want, and that you are relying on the Consumer Rights Act 2015. Give a clear deadline for the refund.

  3. 3

    Return the goods safely

    Keep proof of posting and take photographs before you send anything back. Do not accept a deduction that the law does not allow.

  4. 4

    Escalate in the right order

    Chargeback through your card issuer where you paid by card, a complaint to the consumer authority, a marketplace dispute process, then a small claim.

  5. 5

    Keep the paper trail intact

    Save every message, receipt and tracking number. They are the evidence for a chargeback or a court claim.

Evidence and documents

Order confirmation and receipt, the listing or product description as it appeared when you bought, photographs or video of the fault, correspondence with the seller, proof of return where you sent the item back, and any courier or tracking records.

  • • Order confirmation, receipt or bank statement
  • • Screenshot of the product listing and description at the time of purchase
  • • Photographs or video of the fault or the item as received
  • • All messages with the seller, including refusals
  • • Proof of postage or return tracking
  • • The seller's returns policy as published when you bought

Authoritative sources

Frequently asked questions

The shop says 'no refunds' — is that the end of it?+

No. A trader's policy cannot override your statutory rights. If the goods are faulty, misdescribed or unfit for purpose, the Consumer Rights Act still applies, and a sign saying otherwise has no legal effect.

How long do I have to reject faulty goods?+

The short-term right to reject runs for 30 days from delivery. If you asked for a repair or replacement during that period, the clock pauses and you keep the rest of the period, or seven days after the repair, whichever is longer.

Do I have to accept a repair instead of a refund?+

Within the first 30 days the choice is yours — you can reject and ask for a full refund. After that the trader generally gets one opportunity to repair or replace before you can insist on a refund or a price reduction.

What if I bought from a seller abroad?+

The legal rights may still exist, but enforcement is the hard part. In practice the strongest routes are a card chargeback, the marketplace's own buyer protection, or a cross-border consumer scheme where the trader is in the EU or EEA.

Can a business use the Consumer Rights Act?+

No. It protects consumers only. A business buying for its trade relies on its contract and the general law, which usually means negotiation, mediation or commercial litigation rather than a straightforward statutory refund.

This is general information about consumer rights in England and Wales, not legal advice. Scottish, EU and other national consumer rules differ, business-to-business purchases are not covered by the Consumer Rights Act, and court fees change — check the current fee table before issuing a claim.

The scenarios

Different circumstances, decisions and outcomes for the same service — from a clean-cut case to one where this route is not the right fit.

Scenario A
Straightforward case
England and Wales (Consumer Rights Act 2015)

The treadmill that squealed on day three, and a shop that only does repairs

A typical case — fictional illustration

The situation

Hannah is 31 and bought a £480 treadmill online to train for a half marathon. On day three it started squealing and the belt began slipping under her weight, though she is well within the machine's stated limit. She filmed it happening. The retailer replied within hours — impressively fast, as it turned out — to say that because the item had been 'used', it could only be repaired, that its policy was no refunds on used goods, and that she should expect a courier to collect it for repair at some point in the next fortnight. There was no mention of any statutory right, and a repair would leave her without a machine for weeks in the middle of training.

The problem they face

Hannah has a faulty product she has used exactly three times, a retailer treating its own policy as the law, and a remedy — repair — that does not suit her and which she is not obliged to accept this early.

Why this service may help

In the first 30 days after delivery, a consumer who finds goods faulty, not as described or unfit for purpose has the short-term right to reject and get a full refund. The choice is the consumer's, not the retailer's, at that stage: the shop cannot insist on a repair instead. The refund must be given without undue delay and at the latest within 14 days of the trader agreeing the consumer is entitled to it.

How the process works

Hannah puts her rejection in writing through the retailer's own message system, states that the goods are faulty, that she is exercising her short-term right to reject under the Consumer Rights Act 2015 and wants a full refund, and asks how the return will be arranged. She keeps the video, the order confirmation and the reply. If the retailer refuses, she escalates: a formal complaint, a chargeback through her card issuer and, for the money, the small claims procedure.

Evidence and documents

The order confirmation and receipt, the product listing as it appeared when she bought (including any weight limits), the video of the fault, all messages with the retailer, and proof of delivery.

Possible outcomes

The likely outcome is a full refund, because the fault appeared within 30 days and the choice of remedy is hers. It is also possible the retailer disputes that the goods are faulty and asks for an inspection, in which case Hannah wants the item tested in her presence or written confirmation of the findings, and she should not accept a deduction for her three uses. If the retailer simply ignores her, the chargeback or small claim become the practical routes.

Costs and timescales

Writing the rejection costs nothing. Chargebacks are free but the card schemes work to their own time windows — commonly around 120 days from the transaction — so speed matters. A small claim involves a court fee on a published scale, and the whole process is designed for people without lawyers.

Important limitations

The 30-day right is about the goods, not about change of mind, and it does not cover digital downloads. The buyer must be a consumer — buying for personal use — because the Consumer Rights Act does not apply to business purchases. If she accepted a repair, the clock pauses and she keeps the rest of the 30 days, or seven days after the repair, whichever is longer, meaning a failed repair can still open the refund route.

Practical next steps

Hannah should send a written rejection today, naming the Act and the remedy she wants, and refuse the repair politely on the basis that she is choosing a refund. She should keep the video, note the date she first reported the fault, and set a clear deadline in her message so that a chargeback or small claim is the obvious next step if nothing happens.

Sources

Scenario B
More complex situation
England and Wales (Consumer Rights Act and chargeback)

"Delivered" to someone else's front door — a £1,250 laptop, a marketplace and a vanished seller

A typical case — fictional illustration

The situation

Yusuf bought a £1,250 laptop from a marketplace seller that advertised a UK dispatch address. The screen was dead on arrival. By the time he reported it the marketplace's 30-day window had passed — he was on a two-week work trip — and the seller told him to send the machine, insured, to an address in Asia. Yusuf did what many people do: he tried to fix it himself with the seller's technical support, which failed, and the seller then offered a repair at a depot 300 miles away. Meanwhile the courier's proof of delivery is a photograph of a parcel on a doorstep that is clearly not his — different door colour, different house number. The marketplace says its role is to 'connect buyers and sellers', the seller has stopped replying, and the payment provider wants a police reference before it will look at a chargeback.

The problem they face

Yusuf is £1,250 down and facing three parties who each point at someone else, conflicting evidence about delivery, and a remedy he is being offered that he cannot practically use. He has also used up part of the early 30-day window, which changes which right he can rely on.

Why this service may help

The Consumer Rights Act still applies: faulty goods allow a remedy, and where a repair or replacement has been attempted and failed — or is impossible or disproportionately inconvenient — the final right to reject or a price reduction arises. Separately, the misdelivery evidence points to a breach of the delivery obligation and supports a chargeback and a complaint to the marketplace's own dispute process. The consumer authority route is relevant because a seller advertising a false UK dispatch address is a misrepresentation issue.

How the process works

Yusuf should line up the routes in order of speed and certainty: a formal written rejection to the seller and the marketplace stating the final right to reject on the basis that the repair attempt failed; a chargeback with his card issuer using the misdelivery photograph and the seller's refusal to offer a practical remedy; a complaint to the marketplace's dispute resolution service; and, for the money, a small claim against the party he contracted with. The police reference question should be answered by reporting the misdelivery, if that is what happened, and keeping the reference.

Evidence and documents

The order and payment records, the delivery photograph and address details, the messages with the seller and marketplace, the technical support thread showing the failed repair attempt, the seller's return instruction to a foreign address, and the payment provider's correspondence.

Possible outcomes

A realistic favourable outcome is a chargeback refund, which is often the fastest result where the goods were misdelivered, or a small claims judgment against the seller or marketplace if the contract is with the platform. Less favourable possibilities are real: the payment provider may refuse if the timing window has passed, the marketplace may successfully argue it was only an intermediary, and enforcement against an overseas seller is often impractical even with a judgment.

Costs and timescales

A chargeback is free but strictly time-limited by the card scheme rules, so Yusuf should raise it immediately rather than waiting for the seller. A small claim carries a court fee on a published scale; enforcing a judgment against a seller outside the UK is a separate and much harder problem. A complaint to the consumer authority costs nothing but does not recover the money itself.

Important limitations

Once the 30-day short-term right has gone, the remedy depends on a repair or replacement having been attempted and failed, or being impossible or disproportionately expensive — so the failed support attempt and the impractical return instruction have to be evidenced, not just asserted. Marketplace liability depends on who the contract was with and the platform's terms; many platforms successfully describe themselves as intermediaries. Chargeback is a scheme process, not a statutory right, and its windows are unforgiving.

Practical next steps

Yusuf should raise the chargeback today with the delivery photograph and the refusal to offer a practical remedy, then put the rejection in writing to both the seller and the marketplace, asking the marketplace to identify on what basis it says it is not the seller. He should keep every message, and report the misdelivery if the evidence suggests the parcel went elsewhere.

Sources

Scenario C
Limitations and an alternative route
England and Wales (business-to-business contract claim)

The gift shop that is not a consumer — 400 mugs with broken handles

A typical case — fictional illustration

The situation

Grace runs a small gift shop in Norwich and ordered 400 printed mugs from a wholesale supplier online for £1,600, intending to sell them for a Christmas market. On arrival, 180 of them had cracked or broken handles. She emailed the supplier quoting her 'right to a refund under the Consumer Rights Act', asked for a full refund plus compensation for the market stall she had already paid for, and threatened the small claims court. The supplier replied with two sentences: that Grace was a business, not a consumer, and that its terms limit liability to replacement of the goods within 14 days of delivery, which had passed while the mugs sat in the stockroom.

The problem they face

Grace has lost both the stock and her market preparation, and her remedy may be narrower than she assumed — the strong consumer protection framework she is quoting simply does not apply to her purchase, and the supplier's terms may cap what she can recover.

Why this service may help

This is the case where the well-known route does not apply and the correct route has to be used instead. A business buying goods for resale is not a consumer, so the Consumer Rights Act does not help. What she has instead is a contract: the goods must match the description and be of satisfactory quality, terms have to be read for fairness and for incorporation, and the limitation period for a simple contract claim in England and Wales is six years — far longer than the 14 days in the supplier's email.

How the process works

Grace should treat it as a contract claim, not a consumer complaint: set out in writing which terms she says were breached and what she wants; check whether the '14 days' limitation was actually brought to her attention before the contract was formed and whether it is a term that can be relied on; and consider mediation, which is often the cheapest way to resolve commercial supply disputes. If negotiation fails, the claim is for breach of contract in the county court, and the sum involved is within the small claims range for a business claim if she does not want lawyers involved.

Evidence and documents

The order confirmation and the terms shown at the time of ordering, the invoice, photographs of the damaged mugs and their packaging, the delivery note, the market stall booking and its cost, all emails with the supplier, and a record of what she did with the undamaged stock to reduce the loss.

Possible outcomes

Realistic outcomes include replacement of the faulty mugs, a negotiated partial refund, or a judgment for damages if she wins. Her claim for the lost market opportunity is much weaker than the claim for the value of the defective goods, because it depends on showing the loss was foreseeable and unavoidable. It is also possible the supplier's liability terms are upheld, which would limit recovery to a replacement or the cost of the goods.

Costs and timescales

A letter before claim is free. Mediation or a commercial negotiation typically takes weeks; a small claim takes months and carries a court fee on a published scale. Businesses are expected to mitigate their losses, so what Grace does next with the 220 usable mugs matters to the final figure.

Important limitations

The Consumer Rights Act, the 30-day short-term right and the statutory refund rule are unavailable to a business buyer, and claiming them makes the demand easy to dismiss. Limitation of liability clauses are common in wholesale terms and may cap the supplier's exposure — though a term that is not properly incorporated, or that is unreasonable, can be challenged. Recovering consequential losses such as the stall fee is hard and should not be assumed.

Practical next steps

Grace should reframe the demand as a breach of contract claim, set out the specific defects with photographs and quantities, ask for replacement or a refund of the value of the defective mugs, and request the terms she was shown when ordering. She should keep the damaged stock, mitigate her loss by selling what is usable, and propose a commercial settlement figure rather than leading with a court threat.

Sources

Where to go next

If this looks like your situation, find the body that handles it in your country, or check whether another route suits you better.

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