For Consumers
Enforce your rights over faulty goods, claim refunds, challenge unfair practices, and resolve disputes with businesses.
Common Problems
Your Rights
Your Consumer Rights
What you're entitled to when buying goods, services, or digital content — returns, refunds, faulty products, and online shopping protections.
Your Rights as an Air Passenger
Your rights when flights are delayed, cancelled, or overbooked, including compensation under retained EU Regulation 261/2004.
Your Rights as an Energy Consumer
Your rights as a domestic gas and electricity customer in England and Wales: the Ofgem-set price cap, switching, fair billing, protection from disconnection if vulnerable, and free escalation to the Energy Ombudsman.
Your Rights as an Insurance Policyholder
Your rights when buying insurance and making claims in England & Wales: fair claims handling, proportionate remedies for honest mistakes on your application, cancellation rights, and free escalation to the Financial Ombudsman Service.
Key Legal Topics
Consumer Protection Law
Consumer rights, product safety, unfair trading, and CMA enforcement.
Contract Law
Formation, terms, breach, and remedies in agreements enforceable by law.
Retail & E-commerce Law
Consumer rights in online and high-street sales, distance selling, digital content, and marketplace compliance.
Useful Guides
Bringing a Consumer Complaint
How to complain about faulty goods or substandard services under the Consumer Rights Act 2015, from contacting the retailer to escalating to an ombudsman or the small claims court. Covers the 30-day short-term right to reject faulty goods and the reversed burden of proof that applies within six months of delivery.
Making a Section 75 Credit Card Claim
How to use your statutory right under section 75 of the Consumer Credit Act 1974 to claim against your credit card provider for a trader's breach of contract or misrepresentation.
Complaining to the Financial Ombudsman Service
The Financial Ombudsman Service (FOS) is a free way to resolve a dispute with a bank, insurer, or other regulated financial firm once you have complained to the firm directly. Firms have up to 8 weeks to send a final response; you then have 6 months from that response to refer the complaint to FOS. FOS can order a firm to pay compensation, up to a limit set out in the FCA Handbook and uprated each April.
Claiming Flight Delay or Cancellation Compensation
How to claim compensation from an airline for a delayed or cancelled flight under retained EU Regulation 261/2004.
Complaining About Your Energy Supplier
How to complain about gas or electricity bills, service, or switching problems to your supplier and the Energy Ombudsman.
Making an Insurance Claim
Step-by-step guide to making a claim under a general insurance policy (home, motor, travel, or business) in England & Wales.
Writing an Effective Formal Complaint Letter
How to write a formal complaint letter that is more likely to get the result you want — whether to a trader, service provider, or public body.
Letter Templates
Consumer Refund Demand — Consumer Rights Act 2015
Demand a refund for faulty goods under the Consumer Rights Act 2015, relying on the 30-day short-term right to reject.
Section 75 Credit Card Claim Letter
Make a claim against your credit card issuer under Section 75 of the Consumer Credit Act 1974 where a supplier has failed to deliver goods or services.
Formal Complaint to a Financial Services Firm
Lodge a formal complaint with an FCA-regulated firm before escalating to the Financial Ombudsman Service.
Complaint to an Ombudsman Service
Formal complaint letter to an ombudsman service — adaptable for the Financial Ombudsman Service, Energy Ombudsman, Telecoms Ombudsman, Property Redress Scheme, or Legal Ombudsman.
Legal Tools & Calculators
Consumer Complaint Router
Follow the correct escalation path from trader complaint to sector ombudsman to court for consumer disputes in England & Wales, covering retail, banking, energy, telecoms, and travel.
Small Claims Track Checker
Find out which court track your civil claim is likely to be allocated to — small claims, fast track, or multi-track — based on your claim type and value.
Court Fee Calculator
Instantly calculate the civil court issue fee for money claims in England & Wales based on the current fee scale, plus hearing fees and remission information.
Common Scenarios
What Happens If a Company Refuses to Give a Refund?
Consumers in England and Wales have strong legal rights to refunds. A company that refuses a valid refund claim is in breach of the Consumer Rights Act 2015.
Can I Do a Chargeback If an Item Was Never Delivered?
Chargeback is a payment reversal mechanism that allows you to claim money back from your bank if a retailer fails to deliver goods. It is a powerful consumer protection tool.
The Seller Has Gone Bust — Can I Get My Money Back?
You paid for goods or services and the seller has gone into administration or liquidation before delivering them. Whether you can recover your money depends on how you paid.
What Are My Rights If Goods Are Not as Described?
Goods sold by description must match that description exactly. If they do not, you have a strong legal right to reject them and obtain a refund.
What Happens If Your Flight Is Cancelled?
UK passengers have strong rights when flights are cancelled under retained EU Regulation 261/2004. Airlines must offer a full refund or re-routing and may owe compensation.
Frequently asked questions
- Where can I get free help to identify the right route for my complaint?
- Citizens Advice can help you identify the most appropriate route for resolving your consumer dispute free of charge. They can guide you on whether to use complaint procedures, ADR schemes, or the small claims court, depending on the specific nature of your issue with the business.
- Can I take my consumer dispute to the small claims court?
- Yes, you can use the small claims court to resolve consumer disputes. It is one of the standard routes available, alongside complaint procedures and ADR schemes such as the Ombudsman, for resolving issues with businesses without necessarily needing a solicitor.
- What are ADR schemes and how do they help consumers?
- Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) schemes, such as the Ombudsman, are one of the primary methods for resolving consumer disputes. They provide a structured way to handle complaints against businesses, often serving as an effective alternative to court proceedings for many consumers.
When to Get Legal Advice
Most consumer disputes can be resolved through complaint procedures, ADR schemes (such as the Ombudsman) or the small claims court without needing a solicitor. However, if the amount is significant (over £10,000) or the matter involves complex finance or data protection issues, legal advice is recommended. Citizens Advice can help you identify the most appropriate route free of charge.