Repair and replacement are statutory remedies, not favours from the retailer.
After the short-term right to reject has passed, or where the consumer chooses not to reject, the Consumer Rights Act commonly moves to repair or replacement for faulty goods. The consumer can usually choose between them, subject to impossibility or disproportionate cost.
The trader must bear necessary costs and provide the remedy within a reasonable time and without significant inconvenience. The law does not entitle a retailer to endless repair attempts.
Key points
- Repair/replacement must be free to the consumer where the statutory remedy applies.
- The trader can refuse the consumer’s chosen remedy if it is impossible or disproportionate compared with the alternative.
- One failed repair or one faulty replacement can move the consumer toward the final right to reject or a price reduction, subject to the statutory rules.
- Timing and inconvenience matter as well as whether a repair was technically attempted.
Choosing repair or replacement
The consumer’s choice is the starting point, but proportionality matters. Replacing an entire complex product for a trivial, cheaply repairable defect may be disproportionate; conversely, repeated invasive repair attempts on a new product may cause significant inconvenience.
What counts as a failed repair?
A repair that does not cure the fault, introduces another fault, or leaves the goods non-conforming can support the next remedy stage. Keep repair sheets and test the item promptly. If the trader claims the repair succeeded, video recorded at the time or diagnostic evidence can be important.
Deductions for use
A final rejection does not always mean a full refund after extended use. The Act allows deductions for use in some circumstances, with special restrictions. The exact position can depend on the type of goods and timing.
Repair and replacement are statutory remedies, not favours offered under warranty.
Once the short-term right to reject is no longer available or the consumer chooses not to use it, the Consumer Rights Act usually moves a faulty-goods dispute into repair or replacement. The consumer can normally require either remedy, but the trader does not have to provide the consumer’s preferred option if it is impossible or disproportionate compared with the alternative.
Whatever remedy is used, the trader must carry it out within a reasonable time, without significant inconvenience and at its own necessary cost. That includes necessary labour, materials and postage, and can include removal and reinstallation costs where those are required to put the goods into conformity.
There is no general “three repairs before a refund” rule.
The Act contains a one-repair-or-one-replacement trigger. If the consumer has already had one repair or one replacement and the goods still do not conform, the price-reduction or final-rejection remedies can become available. One repair can involve more than one visit where those visits form part of the same repair operation; what matters is whether that repair has been completed and whether the goods then conform.
The consumer can also move beyond repair/replacement where the chosen remedy is impossible or where it is not provided within a reasonable time and without significant inconvenience. “Reasonable” is fact-sensitive: waiting several weeks for a non-essential decorative item may be very different from losing the use of an essential appliance or accessibility equipment.
If you asked for a repair during the original 30 days.
The short-term rejection clock pauses during the waiting period. If the repaired or replacement goods still fail to conform, the consumer has the remainder of the original period or at least seven days after the waiting period ends, whichever gives longer.
If the trader says this.
| What you may be told | What to check |
|---|---|
| “We are entitled to attempt three repairs.” | The Consumer Rights Act does not impose a universal three-attempt rule. Ask the trader to identify the legal basis for that statement. |
| “The manufacturer handles all repairs.” | The trader may use a manufacturer or repair agent operationally, but that does not automatically transfer the trader’s statutory responsibility to the consumer. |
| “You must pay the postage.” | Necessary costs of a statutory repair or replacement are borne by the trader. |
| “The replacement restarts your rights from zero.” | A replacement can affect the factual timeline, but it does not erase the history of the statutory remedy already used. The one-repair-or-one-replacement rule matters. |
| “We repaired a different fault, so this is a new case.” | That may be true or false depending on the facts. Ask whether the goods now conform overall and whether the new symptom reflects the same underlying defect or a distinct later problem. |
| “A repair is the only remedy because you are outside 30 days.” | Repair/replacement is normally first after the short-term period, but final rejection or price reduction may become available after the statutory trigger is met. |
What happens after the repair or replacement fails.
At the final stage, the consumer can normally choose between keeping the goods with an appropriate price reduction and exercising the final right to reject. A price reduction can, in an appropriate case, be substantial and is intended to reflect the reduced value of what was actually supplied.
On final rejection, a deduction for use can generally be made after the first six months. Motor vehicles are a specific exception: a deduction for use can be permitted even where final rejection occurs within six months. This is one reason vehicle disputes should not be approached by repeating generic “full refund within six months” advice.
Useful wording after a failed repair
“I allowed the statutory repair/replacement remedy on [date]. The goods still do not conform because [problem]. I am therefore exercising the [final right to reject / right to an appropriate price reduction] under the Consumer Rights Act 2015. Please confirm the refund/reduction calculation and collection arrangements.”
Do not let the repair process destroy the evidence.
Before handing goods over, photograph their condition, serial number and accessories. Record the reported fault exactly. Keep collection receipts, repair job sheets, engineer notes, dates out of possession and any statement that no fault was found. When the goods come back, test the complained-of function promptly and record any continued or new symptoms.
If the trader repeatedly returns the goods with “no fault found”, ask what tests were carried out, for how long and under what conditions. A generic diagnostic result may not address an intermittent fault. A clear chronology can show repeated inconvenience even where each individual repair log looks innocuous.
In practice
- Do not accept an endless “repair loop” without checking the statutory remedy sequence.
- Ask for a written job sheet showing what was tested, repaired and replaced.
- If lack of the item causes practical harm, document the inconvenience and any reasonable mitigation costs.
What to do
A practical next-step plan
- Notify the retailer of the fault and state whether you seek repair or replacement.
- Get the handover condition and fault description recorded.
- Keep repair reports and dates.
- Test the item promptly when returned.
- If the remedy fails or is delayed unreasonably, write again and identify the next statutory remedy you seek.
Common traps
Things that often confuse the issue
- A manufacturer’s warranty procedure is not necessarily the same as the retailer’s statutory duty.
- “We repaired it once” does not answer whether the goods now conform to the contract.
- Do not throw away repair paperwork or packaging that contains serial-number evidence.
Evidence worth keeping
Official sources
Check the rules behind this guide
These are official or primary sources for this topic. Rules, scheme terms and deadlines can change, so check the live source before relying on a formal time limit or procedure.