FAQs - Buying goods
Our most frequently asked questions about buying goods are below.
If your question hasn't been answered, then telephone Consumer Direct on 08454 04 05 06 or visit the Consumer Direct website - www.direct.gov.uk/consumer (opens in a new window).
You can also view our leaflets by using the links in the more information section on this page.
Q I have bought goods that were faulty on delivery. The shop says that they have a right to attempt a repair before giving me a refund. Is this true?
A No. Goods must be of satisfactory quality when they are sold. If they are not and you complain soon enough you are entitled to a refund.
Q In the supermarket I picked up a packet of food priced at £0.01. When I got to the till the shop assistant said that there had been an error on price and would not sell it to me. Could I have insisted that they did?
A When a product is put on display this is known in law as an "invitation to treat". In legal terms, you make an offer to the trader and they decide whether to accept it. They can refuse to sell provided it is not on racial, sexual or disability grounds. It may be that we would consider that the price was misleading so we want to hear of cases when a trader says the price is a mistake.
We've seen some interesting enquiries involving internet sales. If a price is incorrect, but you place an order, your payment details are taken and a confirmation is issued then the order may be legally binding.
Q I've ordered goods from a shop and have since seen them cheaper elsewhere. Can I cancel?
A No. If you did you would be in breach of contract. The shop would be able to ask you to make up for what they've lost as a result of you pulling out.
Q I bought a pendant described as nine-carat gold but it isn't hallmarked, shouldn't all gold be hallmarked?
A Any article described as gold must be gold but there are some exceptions to the requirement to hallmark. The most common for new jewellery is the weight limit, only articles over 1 gram have to be hallmarked. Modern manufacturing methods mean many items are made to be below this limit.
Q I went to a furniture shop because they were advertising a "half price sale" but hardly anything was half price - can they do this?
A We wouldn't expect everything to be half price but a reasonable proportion must be, say 10 per cent. The same rule would apply to a statement like "From £25", at least 10 per cent of the items should be at the lowest price.
Related documents
The following documents are in Portable Document Format (PDF). You can download the PDF software for free from the Adobe website (opens in a new window)