Consumer law

Consumer law is the set of rules that protects people who buy goods and services. It sets the standard a business must meet when it sells, and gives customers rights when something goes wrong. It applies to any business that sells goods or services.

What every product must be

Goods sold to a customer must be:

• Satisfactory quality – well made and long-lasting enough for the price and age. You would expect a £150 pair of headphones to last longer than a £15 pair.
• Fit for their intended purpose – they do the job they are sold to do. A tent described as suitable for winter camping must keep you dry in winter weather.
• Safe to use – no hidden dangers, and clear instructions where they are needed.
• As described – matching the advert, the label or what a member of staff told the customer. A bike advertised as 21-speed and delivered with 7 gears breaks the law even though the bike works perfectly.

Services must also be carried out with reasonable care and skill.

Remedies when things go wrong

If an item is faulty, unsafe, not as described or unfit for purpose, the customer is entitled to a remedy, usually a refund, a repair or a replacement. This is not a no-questions-asked refund for any reason: a shop can refuse if you simply change your mind about the colour, unless its own returns policy is more generous.

Honest selling

Consumer law also requires businesses to treat customers fairly. Advertising must not mislead, so a shop cannot claim a jacket is ‘half price’ if it never sold at the higher price, and a gym cannot promise ‘unlimited’ classes when the small print means two a month. Unfair treatment, such as pressuring someone into a purchase or adding charges that were never shown, is banned too.