Consumer Rights Act 2015
The Consumer Rights Act 2015 consolidated and modernised the law of consumer rights in the United Kingdom, replacing numerous statutes including the Sale of Goods Act 1979 (for consumer transactions), the Supply of Goods and Services Act 1982, and the Unfair Terms in Consumer Contracts Regulations 1999. The Act provides a comprehensive statutory code for consumer contracts for goods, digital content, and services. It gives consumers a short-term right to reject defective goods, the right to repair or replacement, and the right to a price reduction or final rejection. The Act also strengthened consumer enforcement powers and reformed the law on unfair contract terms.
Legal area: Contract law regulates legally binding agreements between parties, establishing the rules for formation, performance, breach, and remedies.
Citation: Consumer Rights Act 2015 (2015 c 15)
Full text: https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2015/15
Key Provisions
- Part 1: Consumer contracts for goods (sections 1-32)
- Section 9: Goods must be of satisfactory quality
- Section 10: Goods must be fit for particular purpose
- Section 11: Goods must match description
- Sections 19-24: Consumer remedies (short-term reject, repair, replacement, price reduction)
- Part 2: Digital content (statutory rights for digital products)
- Part 3: Services (reasonable care and skill, reasonable price, reasonable time)
- Part 4: Enhanced consumer measures and enforcement
Significance
The Consumer Rights Act 2015 simplified and strengthened consumer protection. Part 2 was ground-breaking in creating statutory rights for digital content. The Act introduced the short-term right to reject (30 days) for defective goods, replacing the confusing ‘reasonable opportunity to examine’ rule. The Act also enhanced the Competition and Markets Authority’s enforcement powers. The Act has been amended by the Consumer Protection (Amendment) Regulations 2021 and the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act 2024.