If you have a problem with an item or a service and you consider that your rights have been breached there are several options available to you depending on the nature of the problem including making a requesting a replacement or a refund, making a complaint and taking legal action.
The most common actions you can take are:
- Request a refund
- Request a repair or replacement
- Refuse to pay for a service
- What to do if you change your mind
- What to do if trader has stopped trading
Detailed information of what to do for each of these options is avialable from citizensadvice.
Complaints
To make a successful complaint it is important to follow the correct steps.
A complete guide to How to Complain including an online complaints tool and sample letters is available from MoneySavingExpert.
For a complete guide to your rights concerning faulty goods follow this link.
Making a claim
Detailed information to help you make a claim if something goes wrong with something you have bought, is avaliable at the following links:
- Claiming on guarantees and warranties
- Claiming for faulty goods
- Claim compensation if an item or product causes damage
Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR)
If you have been unable to resolve a problem by dealing directly with the trader you can ask an independent person to look at your consumer problem and try and find a solution.
This is known as Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) and refers to ways of resolving disputes between consumers and traders that don’t involve going to court.
Common forms of ADR are:
- mediation, where an independent third party helps the disputing parties to come to a mutually acceptable outcome
- arbitration, where an independent third party considers the facts and takes a decision that’s often binding on one or both parties
Full details of solving an ongoing problem including how to use ADR services are available from citizensadvice.
Taking Legal Action
If your complaint to the trader has not been resolved, you may have the option of taking them to the Small Claims Court to try and get what you want.
Detailed information of what to consider and how to proceed are available at the following links:
Sample Letters
To help you take action on your consumer problem a range of interactive sample letters are available for download at the following links:
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