As of last week, consumers are entitled to a full refund up to 30 days after buying items that turn out be faulty. Retailers will no longer be able to employ the tactic of offering free repairs in lieu of a refund.
The new and improved Consumer Rights Act 2015 puts a lot of the power back into the hands of consumer. It aims to clear the rules around faulty products and services, and takes away some of the ambiguity. Refunds and returns are no longer decided solely per retailer, leading to a fairer and more wholesome reform.
What do the new changes include?
In a nutshell:
- Consumers now have 30 days allotted time to get a full refund on a faulty product
- After 30 days, but before 6 months, consumers can request an item be repaired or replaced
- Digital downloads are for the first time covered under the act, although not to the same guidelines. This is covered below.
This is the product of many years of work by consumer groups, shoppers and regulators calling for a fairer system. Many consumers were previously fooled by some retailers 28 day returns policy. They believed this was the law. Now it is, which is good for all of us.
This reform does far much more than make it easier for people to get a refund on their faulty products – it benefits us all in ways that were previously hard to achieve with retailer-specific returns policy.
The new reform puts the onus on the retailer to do right by the consumer. Not through goodwill, ethics, or company beliefs, but by law. Whilst it makes it harder to differentiate between retailers who were previously very fair on this policy and those who tried their best to evade it, it levels the playing field nonetheless.
It encourages retailers to be more upfront with their service in ensuring you get a good deal, and protects the consumer against those who knowingly or negligently sell not-to-standard products.
Modernised for the digital age
More digital items are downloaded today than ever before. Millions of games, apps, music, films and more are beamed onto users’ smartphones, TV’s, tablets and computers every minute. The new Consumer Rights Reform now covers these, although the exact framework is slightly different.
When you return a microwave, you no longer own the item. With digital downloads, the water is much murkier. Legitimate industry concerns over the potential for consumers finding loopholes in the system led to a slight tweak in the reform with regards to digital.
The 30-day protection is still in place, only different. Instead of being legally obliged to offer a full refund, retailers and digital dealers only need to offer you a repair or replacement of the faulty item.
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