Get a refund for an unsafe product you bought online

The short version

• If something you've bought doesn't seem safe, stop using it and contact the seller or the website you bought it through.
• Check the government's list of product recalls, and follow the instructions in any recall notice.
• The law says what you buy must be safe. If it isn't, you can give it back within 30 days for a full refund.
• You can also ask for a repair or replacement. After 30 days, you usually have to give the seller 1 chance to do this before you can get a price cut or a refund.
• Report an unsafe product so it can be looked into.

What the law says

This applies anywhere in the UK if you bought something online from a business, as long as you didn't buy it mainly for your work or business. Under the Consumer Rights Act 2015, what you buy must be of good enough quality, and safety is part of quality. If it isn't safe, you're entitled to:

• a full refund if you tell the seller within 30 days that you're giving it back
• a repair or replacement
• a price cut or a refund if a repair or replacement fails, isn't possible, or takes too long or causes you significant inconvenience

The 30 days start the day after the item is delivered to you.

If the item is safe and you've changed your mind, see our guide to returning something you bought online.

If you think something you bought is unsafe

Stop using the product and contact the seller, or the website you bought it through if that's different.

If the product has hurt someone or damaged your property, you might be able to claim compensation.

Check if the product has been recalled

Search the product safety alerts, reports and recalls list on GOV.UK.

If you get a recall notice, check it's for a product you own and do what it says.

A business that finds it has sold an unsafe product must take action to put it right. That could mean new instructions, a change to the product, or telling you to stop using it and return it for a refund.

If you've had it for 30 days or less

Tell the seller clearly that you're giving the item back and want a refund. You'll need to let the seller collect the item, and the seller must pay any reasonable cost of returning it.

The seller must refund you within 14 days of the day it agrees you're owed a refund. It must pay the money back the same way you paid, unless you agree otherwise.

If you've had it for more than 30 days

Ask the seller to repair or replace the item. The seller must do this within a reasonable time, without causing you significant inconvenience, and pay the necessary costs.

If the problem showed up within 6 months of delivery, the law assumes it was there from the start. It's up to the seller to prove it wasn't.

You can ask for a price cut or a refund if:

• 1 repair or replacement doesn't fix the problem
• a repair or replacement isn't possible
• the seller doesn't repair or replace it within a reasonable time, or without significant inconvenience to you

If you give the item back more than 6 months after delivery, the seller can take off an amount for the use you've had.

What you can do

1. Keep your order confirmation and any messages with the seller.
2. Write to the seller or the website you bought it through. Say the item is unsafe and what you want the seller to do.
3. Report the unsafe product. Check who to report an unsafe product to where you live. This is the Citizens Advice consumer service in England and Wales, the Advice Direct Scotland consumer helpline in Scotland, or your local district council in Northern Ireland. Your report might be passed on to be investigated.

Contact the Citizens Advice consumer service if you're not sure what to do next. In Scotland, get consumer help from Advice Direct Scotland. In Northern Ireland, contact Consumerline.