1 hour ago
4 
A few weeks ago, Matty emailed about his faulty, two-year-old TV.
He was frustrated and increasingly worried about being out of pocket as the store had reportedly told him they wouldn’t do anything as he hadn’t bought a warranty. He was facing the loss of nearly £2,000.
I advised Matty to write to the company and quote the Consumer Rights Act 2015 (CRA) – because it’s a common misconception that you need a warranty. Under the CRA, goods must match the description and be fit for the intended purpose and of satisfactory quality.
Crucially, the CRA entitles all customers to a full refund within 30 days of purchase and repair or replacement after that.
After this time it is a repair or replacement. If the trader is unable to provide either of these then a refund should be offered. It may take into account use and therefore not be a full refund relevant to the item, price and length of time it has been owned.
You need only give a trader one chance at repair after this time the trader must replace or refund.
Hours after Matty wrote to them using my advice, he was offered a replacement and collection of the faulty TV. He was thrilled and very grateful for my advice.
I’ve now been an expert in consumer rights for 13 years. Helping people understand and use their rights gives them power, levels the playing field and shows that you don’t need legal training to get justice!
My interest in this started early.
Aged 12, I launched a school magazine that was promptly shut down after I questioned why P.E. only involved ‘boys’ games and suggested the Sex Discrimination Act might apply!
Though silenced, my complaint led to immediate change: we played netball the next week.
That moment sparked a lifelong drive to challenge injustice.
As a teen, I wrote to Jackie magazine and they printed my letter but didn’t send the payment, so I complained and got my £1. To this day I am still annoyed that I didn’t also claim for the postage stamp.
I spent my early career in children’s services but left work when I had my son in 2008 and started a consumer rights blog, The Complaining Cow, as a hobby, a way to share my stories of getting redress for faulty goods and poor service.
When friends and family had difficulty getting a refund I told them what law to quote and how to frame their complaint to get the best result.
The blog eventually grew into a full-time job and I have since written books, appeared across the media and consulted for businesses, helping them to understand consumer law and reduce financial and reputational risk.
In 2013, I took Tesco to court.
At the time, they were running ‘double-up vouchers’ which customers could spend in certain sections of the store or online. It was Christmas, and I wanted to double up £40 to £80 for toys but the voucher codes would not work when I came to pay online.
When I contacted Tesco, they told me there was an issue on the site and that if I used my credit card, they would reimburse me and offered a good-will gesture for the inconvenience.
They didn’t give me either.
I had an evidence trail, so I went down the legal route and won, receiving £80, court fees, and an extra £50 as the judge said Tesco had ‘been unreasonable’.
While I was thrilled, I found I got more of a buzz from helping others.
Over the years, I have helped thousands of people gain redress – like the family who had to return from a holiday when they found out the husband’s mother was dying.
The holiday company would not refund the extra cost involved in flying back early (only if the mother had actually died). I pored through the terms and conditions then wrote a strong email quoting various laws and regulations.
I got the family home to say goodbye without forking out for the extra tickets.
The one case that truly shocked me involved a vulnerable mother left without gas four days before Christmas by an energy firm that installed a prepayment meter without telling her.
My complaints usually take one email, occasionally two – this took 19 because the customer service was so utterly appalling. The case involved Ofgem breaches and received media coverage.
Fortunately she won her claim, and received £624 in compensation.
There are several techniques for complaining effectively. Be polite, objective and complain in writing.
Refer to relevant law, say what you want and what you will do if you don’t receive satisfaction – this might be an Ombudsman or a case in the Small Claims Court.
Sometimes, unfortunately, the customer is not always right and part of my job is to tell people that.
Consumers often look to me to give them ‘permission’ to keep goods that were sent in error, otherwise known as ‘unsolicited goods’: items that are sent to you without your request, agreement, or prior knowledge.
But true unsolicited goods are really very rare now. Receiving the wrong item, a delivery to the wrong address or a duplicate order don’t count as ‘unsolicited goods’ and should be returned at no cost or inconvenience to you.
Of course, people are fobbed off by companies all the time – in my experience, broadband companies are the worst, followed by energy firms. Too often, companies rely on people not knowing their rights and often, it’s the vulnerable most at risk.
Yet everyone deserves to be treated fairly regardless of their confidence, background or knowledge. It matters because when individuals stand up for themselves, it not only helps them, it also pushes businesses to do better for everyone.
Do you have a story you’d like to share? Get in touch by emailing [email protected].
Share your views in the comments below.
Bengali (Bangladesh) · 
English (United States) ·