Right to Cancel (14 Days)

Part 3 of the Consumer Contracts (Information, Cancellation and Additional Charges) Regulations 2013 gives consumers a right to cancel most distance contracts (such as online or telephone sales) and off-premises contracts. Regulation 29 provides that the consumer may cancel such a contract at any time in the cancellation period without giving any reason, and without incurring liability beyond a small number of specified exceptions (such as diminished value from excessive handling of goods). For a sales contract, regulation 30 provides that the cancellation period ends at the end of 14 days after the day on which the contract is entered into, or, for goods, 14 days after the consumer takes physical possession of them; different rules apply to phased or multi-item deliveries.

Where the trader fails to give the consumer the required information about the right to cancel, the cancellation period is extended — potentially up to 12 months — until that information is provided. Once a contract is validly cancelled, the trader must reimburse all payments received, generally without undue delay, and certain categories of contract (such as bespoke or perishable goods, or sealed goods unsealed for hygiene reasons) are excluded from the right altogether.