What Are Your Rights If You Purchase Something Online?

Buying online is convenient, but when things go wrong — faulty goods, items that never arrive, or outright scams — it's important to know your legal rights. UK consumers have some of the strongest protections in the world.

The Consumer Rights Act 2015

This is your primary protection when buying goods or services online. Under the Act, anything you buy must be:

• Of satisfactory quality — not faulty or damaged
• Fit for purpose — it must do what it's supposed to do
• As described — it must match the description, photos, and any sample shown

Your right to a refund

• Within 30 days: You have the right to reject faulty goods and receive a full refund.
• After 30 days but within 6 months: The retailer gets one chance to repair or replace. If that fails, you can request a refund.
• After 6 months: You must prove the fault was present at the time of purchase (harder, but still possible).

The 14-day cooling-off period

For online purchases, you have a separate 14-day right to cancel under the Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013. This applies even if the item isn't faulty — you simply changed your mind.

Key points:

• The 14-day period starts the day after you receive the goods
• You must notify the seller within 14 days that you want to cancel
• You then have a further 14 days to return the goods
• The seller must refund you within 14 days of receiving the returned goods (including standard delivery costs)

Exceptions: Personalised items, perishable goods, sealed hygiene products that have been opened, and digital downloads that you've started accessing.

Section 75 — Credit card protection

If you paid using a credit card for goods or services costing between £100 and £30,000, you have additional protection under Section 75 of the Consumer Credit Act 1974.

This means your credit card provider is jointly liable with the seller if:

• Goods are faulty or not as described
• The seller goes bust
• Goods or services are never delivered

This applies even if you only paid part of the cost on your credit card (for example, a deposit).

Chargeback — Debit card protection

If you paid by debit card, you may be able to claim through your bank's chargeback scheme. This allows you to reclaim money if:

• Goods don't arrive
• Goods are faulty
• The seller has gone bust

Chargeback claims must typically be made within 120 days of the transaction, though this can vary by card network. It's not a legal right like Section 75, but banks usually honour it.

PayPal Buyer Protection

If you paid via PayPal, their Buyer Protection covers:

• Items not received
• Items significantly not as described

You have 180 days from the payment date to open a dispute.

What if you've been scammed?

If you sent money to a scammer via bank transfer, your protections are more limited. However:

• Under the CRM Code (Contingent Reimbursement Model), many UK banks will reimburse APP fraud victims unless the victim was grossly negligent
• Since October 2024, new PSR rules mean banks must reimburse APP fraud victims up to £85,000 within 5 business days
• 86% of in-scope APP fraud was reimbursed in the first three months of the new rules (UK Finance)

Protect yourself before you pay

The best protection is prevention. Before making any payment — especially by bank transfer — verify who you're paying.

Run a free check now →

WhoAmIPaying checks the bank account, company registration, VAT status, and online reputation in under 30 seconds. It's free for your first check.