The Furniture Ombudsman is calling on retailers to make sure they are up-to-date with the new Consumer Rights Act, which it says will have a significant impact how on businesses must deal with their customers.
Retailers have until 1st October 2015 to implement the provisions under the bill, which has received Royal Assent after a two-year period of debate and stakeholder consultation.
Senior ombudsman Judith Turner said that although the provisions relating to when a product breaches a contract remain the same, “there have been some subtle changes to language”.
The new retail legislation includes extending consumer rights into digital content for the first time, which gives customers the right to get a refund for a faulty product within 30 days of purchase.
The key changes, according to the Furniture Ombudsman, are as follows:
Early right to rejection
- If fault is discovered within 30 days of receipt of the goods, the consumer may reject the goods and seek a full refund.
- If fault is discovered within the rejection period the consumer can opt to have a repair or a replacement.
One shot
- If a fault is discovered after the rejection period the consumer has a right to a repair or a replacement. The consumer cannot require the retailer to carry out the remedy if it is not proportional or it is impossible.
- If a subsequent fault appears following either a repair or a replacement then the consumer can seek a full or partial refund depending on the length of time they have had the product. 'The retailer now only has one attempt after the rejection period to give the consumer a product that is both fit for purpose and of satisfactory quality after a fault has been discovered, before they can seek to cancel the contract,' the Furniture Ombudsman says.
Delivery
- Unless it is agreed to the contrary, the goods must be delivered without undue delay or not more than 30 days after the date of the contract.
- The consumer can give a written delivery deadline after the estimated date has passed and if this is not met the consumer has the right to cancel.
Installation remedy
If the installation is defective, the remedies are in line with those in goods contracts – repair, replacement and refund in full or part – however, rectification is desirable.