Dosh dilemma – Carly’s faulty Christmas present

Carly bought her son a reconditioned gaming PC for Christmas but after two weeks it stopped working. She contacted the company she bought it from and they told her they’d arrange for a courier to collect the PC for repair but that she’d need to cover the cost of returning the faulty computer. Carly doesn’t think this seems fair but what are her rights?

Returning faulty goods

Your rights on returning faulty goods are covered by the Consumer Rights Act 2015 and depend on when you bought the item in question.

Less than 30 days ago

If you return faulty goods within 30 days of receiving them, you have a right to a refund irrespective of the retailer’s returns policy.

Between 30 days and six months

If your item develops a fault within six months of delivery, you’ll need to give the retailer the opportunity to repair it or provide a replacement. If they’re unable to do this, you can ask for a refund.

More than six months

After six months, you'll have to prove that the fault was present when you received the item. This can be difficult.

But who should pay for postage?

When returning a faulty item for repair, replacement or refund within six months of purchase, you shouldn’t have to bear the cost involved.

If a retailer is insisting you cover the cost of returning a faulty item, challenge them in writing using this template:

Hello,

Order number: [order number]

I ordered a [item] on [date] and it was delivered on [date].

Since then, [give details of the problem].

You have asked me to return the [item] but you have informed me that I must cover the postage costs. Under the Consumer Rights Act 2015, it states that goods purchased must be as described, of satisfactory quality and fit for purpose.

A retailer can only ask a customer to cover the cost of returning items if they’ve changed their mind about that item, not if there is a problem with the item.

I should not be financially disadvantaged because the item you sent was not of satisfactory quality, so you should cover the cost of me having to return the [item].

I look forward to hearing from you.

Thanks

[Your name]

Good luck!

We hope that helps, Carly. Let us know how you get on.