Faulty after 30 days? How to get a repair, a replacement or your money back

What's happened

Anything you bought in last year's Black Friday sales is now coming up to its first birthday, and that's when a lot of manufacturer warranties run out. If something packs up after that, many people assume they're stuck with a repair bill.

They're not. Your legal rights against the shop don't stop after 30 days, or when a 12-month guarantee ends. Under the Consumer Rights Act 2015, you can still get a repair or replacement, and if that doesn't work, your money back. Citizens Advice says you have legal rights "for up to 6 years (5 years in Scotland) if there's a fault".

What the law says

Goods must be of satisfactory quality, fit for purpose and as described (sections 9 to 11 of the Consumer Rights Act 2015). Section 9 says satisfactory quality includes durability, so something that breaks far sooner than it reasonably should can count as faulty. Your rights are against the retailer that sold it to you, not the manufacturer.

What you can ask for depends on when the fault shows up.

• The first 30 days: a full refund. Section 22 gives you a "short-term right to reject" for 30 days from delivery. You can hand the item back and get all your money back.
• After 30 days: a repair or replacement first. Section 23 says you can ask for a repair or a replacement, and the shop must do it "within a reasonable time and without significant inconvenience" to you, and pay any necessary costs. It can refuse your choice only if it is impossible or would cost unreasonably more than the other option.
• Then the final right to reject. Under section 24, if one repair or one replacement doesn't fix the problem, or the shop takes too long or can't do either, you can ask for a refund or, if you'd rather keep the item, a price reduction.

Six months is the other key date. Under section 19, a fault that appears within six months of delivery is presumed to have been there from the start, unless the shop can show otherwise. After six months, Which? says the burden is on you to prove the item was faulty when it was delivered. And while a refund under the final right to reject must be in full during the first six months, after that the shop can make a "deduction for use" (section 24(10)). Cars are the exception: a deduction can be made at any point.

Once a refund is agreed, section 20 says it must be paid within 14 days, using the same payment method, with no fee.

What it means in pounds: a worked example

This is an illustration, not a real case.

Sam buys a £449 laptop in the Black Friday sales and it's delivered on 1 December 2025.

If the fault appeared in May 2026 (under six months): the screen starts flickering. Sam asks for a repair. It comes back, and the flicker soon returns. That's one failed repair, so Sam can use the final right to reject. Because it's within six months, the shop must refund the full £449, with nothing taken off for use.

If the fault appeared this month (about ten and a half months in): Sam can still ask for a repair or replacement. But Sam may need to show the fault was there from the start, for example with a report from an independent repairer or evidence that the same model has a known problem. If a repair then fails and Sam asks for a refund, the shop can make a deduction for the use Sam has had.

The law doesn't set a formula for that deduction. If the shop argued a laptop like this should last four years (48 months), ten months of use would be roughly a fifth, about £94, leaving a refund of around £355. You can challenge a deduction that seems too high.

What to do now

1. Work out your dates. Find your receipt or order email and check the delivery date.
2. Go to the shop, not the manufacturer. Your legal rights are against the retailer. A warranty gives you extra rights on top, but Citizens Advice says it may be easier to use your legal rights instead.
3. Don't try to fix it yourself. Citizens Advice warns this can make it harder to show you didn't cause the fault.
4. Put it in writing and name the law. Keep copies, photos and notes of calls.
5. Count the repair attempts. If one repair or replacement fails, ask for your refund under section 24.
6. Escalate if you're stuck. If you paid by credit card and the item cost between £100 and £30,000, you can also claim from your card provider. Otherwise, ask whether the shop belongs to an alternative dispute resolution scheme, or consider the small claims court.

Your questions answered

The shop says the warranty has run out. Is that the end of it?

No. A warranty or guarantee adds to your legal rights; it doesn't replace them. Your claim against the retailer under the Consumer Rights Act can run for up to six years in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, and five in Scotland.

Who pays for postage and repairs?

The shop must pay the necessary costs of a repair or replacement. Which? says that after six months you should expect to pay for reasonable steps to prove the fault was there when you bought it, such as a report.

Does this cover wear and tear or accidents?

No. Citizens Advice says you won't have legal rights if the damage came from wear and tear, an accident or misuse, or if you knew about the fault before you bought the item.

Sources: Consumer Rights Act 2015, section 9, section 19, section 20, section 22, section 23, section 24, Which?: faulty product rights, Citizens Advice: warranties and guarantees, Citizens Advice: return faulty goods