How long do I have to return faulty goods?

Two clocks run at once. The one people mean by "returning" faulty goods — hand it back, get your money — lasts 30 days. Underneath it, your right to some remedy runs for six years in England and Wales, five in Scotland, under the Limitation Act 1980.

The three stages

• Days 1–30: the short-term right to reject. Faulty goods, full refund, and you need not accept a repair or replacement instead. The 30 days run from whichever comes last — taking ownership or delivery, completion of any agreed installation, or a digital element being made available. Say in writing that you reject the goods under section 20 of the Consumer Rights Act 2015. No deduction for use can be made in this window, no restocking or admin fee is enforceable, and you do not need the original packaging. The retailer must refund within 14 days of getting the goods back, or of your evidence that you sent them.
• Day 31 to six months: one repair or replacement. You choose which, and the retailer must do it within a reasonable time and without significant inconvenience to you. It gets one chance. If the repair fails or the replacement is also faulty, you choose between a further repair, a price reduction, or the final right to reject under section 24 — a refund that can be reduced for the benefit you have had, but only by a reasonable, evidenced amount.
• After six months: the burden flips. Up to six months, the retailer must prove the fault was not there at the outset, so "that is wear and tear" is their claim to prove rather than yours to disprove. After six months you must show the fault was present at purchase, using an independent inspection report, a recall notice, or evidence of other buyers reporting the same defect.

Two things retailers get wrong

Your rights are against the retailer, not the manufacturer — being sent to a manufacturer's helpline is not a lawful answer. And sale items carry full rights: only the specific fault pointed out to you and reflected in the reduced price is excluded. If the retailer stonewalls, our refund wizard works out which route fits, and where you paid by credit card and the cash price was over £100 — up to £30,000 — Section 75 of the Consumer Credit Act 1974 makes your card provider jointly liable for the same refund.