In most places, a shop has to put things right when an item is faulty, while a change-of-mind return depends mainly on the shop’s own policy. Online and phone orders get an extra cancellation right in the UK and the European Union.
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This page is general information, not legal advice. Rules differ by country, and sometimes by state or region, so check your local consumer agency for the rules that apply to a specific purchase.
What Is the Difference Between a Faulty Item and a Change of Mind?
A faulty item is one that is broken, does not work as it should or does not match its description, while a change of mind means the item is fine but no longer wanted. Consumer laws treat these two situations very differently.
For faulty goods, most consumer laws give buyers some kind of remedy, such as a repair, a replacement or a refund. For change-of-mind returns in a physical shop, the law in many countries does not require a refund at all. Any return is then a goodwill offer set out in the shop’s policy.
Online and distance sales sit in between. In some places, buyers can cancel within a set period even when nothing is wrong, because they could not see or handle the item before paying.
How Do Returns and Refunds Work in the US?
In the US, no general federal law requires shops to accept change-of-mind returns, so the store’s own return policy usually decides. Faulty goods and certain types of sale are treated differently.
- Store policies: Retailers set their own return windows, conditions and restocking fees. A few states have rules on how a return policy must be displayed, according to FindLaw’s summary of state laws.
- Faulty goods: The FTC explains that state laws create implied warranties, including the promise that a product will do what it is supposed to do, which apply even without a written warranty unless the product is clearly sold “as is” where state law allows that.
- Cooling-Off Rule: The FTC’s Cooling-Off Rule gives buyers until midnight of the third business day to cancel certain sales made at home, at work or at a seller’s temporary location, such as a hotel or convention centre. It covers home sales of 25 dollars or more and temporary-location sales of 130 dollars or more, and the seller then has 10 days to refund.
- Online, mail and phone orders: Under the FTC’s Mail, Internet, or Telephone Order Merchandise Rule, a seller has to ship within the time it advertised, or within 30 days if it gave no time. If it cannot, it has to ask the buyer to agree to the delay, and if the buyer does not agree, the order is cancelled and refunded promptly.
State attorney general offices publish details on the rules for their own state.
How Do Returns and Refunds Work in the UK?
In the UK, the Consumer Rights Act 2015 says goods must be of satisfactory quality, fit for purpose and as described, and it sets out what happens when they are not. Change-of-mind returns in a shop are up to the retailer.
Faulty goods
According to Which?, a buyer who returns a faulty item within 30 days of receiving it can get a full refund, whatever the shop’s own returns policy says. After 30 days and up to six months, the retailer usually gets one chance to repair or replace the item before a refund comes into play. After six months, Which? notes that the burden of proof switches to the buyer, who then has to show the fault was there at the time of purchase.
These rights are against the retailer, the business that sold the item, rather than the manufacturer.
Online and phone orders
The Consumer Contracts (Information, Cancellation and Additional Charges) Regulations 2013 give buyers 14 days to cancel most online, phone and mail-order purchases, even when nothing is wrong. GOV.UK explains that the period runs for 14 days after the item is received, and the retailer then has 14 days to refund after getting the item back.
Some items are excluded, such as personalised or made-to-order goods, perishable goods and sealed items that cannot be returned for health or hygiene reasons once opened.
In-store change of mind
GOV.UK guidance for businesses says shops generally do not have to refund a customer who simply changes their mind about an item bought in person. Many large shops offer returns anyway as a store policy.
How Do Returns Work in the EU?
Across the European Union, buyers usually have 14 days to withdraw from an online, phone or doorstep purchase without giving a reason. The EU’s official Your Europe portal explains that for goods, the 14 days start from delivery.
Your Europe also notes several points that often surprise shoppers. Buyers may have to pay return postage unless the seller agreed to cover it or did not mention the cost before the sale. Items bought from a private individual on a marketplace are not covered by this right. There are also exceptions, including made-to-order goods, perishable items, unsealed media and many travel and event bookings.
For faulty goods, EU rules give a separate legal guarantee of at least two years from delivery. Individual EU countries can offer more protection than the minimum.
What Usually Helps When a Return Is Needed?
Returns tend to go smoothly when there is clear proof of purchase and the request is made early. A few simple records make a big difference in most countries.
| What to keep | Why it helps |
|---|---|
| Receipt, order email or bank statement | Shows where and when the item was bought |
| The shop’s return policy at the time of purchase | Shows the conditions that applied, since policies change |
| Photos of any fault or damage | Records the problem before anything else happens to the item |
| Dates of delivery and of contact with the seller | Many rights run for a set number of days |
| Written messages with the seller | Gives a clear record of what was asked and offered |
Contacting the seller in writing, by email or through the shop’s online form, leaves a record that a phone call does not.
Where Can Shoppers Get Help With a Return Problem?
Public consumer services, such as the FTC and state attorneys general in the US, Citizens Advice, Advice Direct Scotland, Consumerline and national EU consumer authorities, explain local rules and, in some cases, pass complaints to enforcement bodies. These are the main starting points in the places covered above.
- United States: the consumer protection office of the state attorney general, and the FTC, which takes reports at ReportFraud.ftc.gov.
- England and Wales: the Citizens Advice consumer helpline, listed on GOV.UK as 0808 223 1133.
- Scotland: Advice Direct Scotland, listed on GOV.UK as 0808 164 6000.
- Northern Ireland: Consumerline, listed on GOV.UK as 0300 123 6262.
- European Union: the national consumer authority in each member country, with general guidance on the Your Europe portal.
Rules differ by country and change over time, so the local consumer agency is the right place to check before relying on any of the general points above.