If something you bought in Britain is faulty, you have 30 days to hand it back and demand your money. If your train arrives late, the operator owes you compensation whatever caused the delay. If your hotel room is not what was described, the law says the service must be done again or the price reduced. Knowing those three rules, and saying them calmly, gets most problems solved at the counter.
British consumer law is unusually generous and unusually specific, and it applies to visitors exactly as it applies to residents. The catch is that almost nobody tells you about it, and the first answer you get from a shop or a hotel is often wrong.
What follows is a summary of what the official sources say, with links so you can read them yourself. It is not legal advice, and none of it replaces the free advice line run by Citizens Advice, whose number is at the end of this page.
Your rights at a glance
- Faulty goods, first 30 days
- Full refund, no questions, no restocking fee
- Faulty goods, after 30 days
- One repair or replacement, then a refund or price reduction
- Faulty goods, first 6 months
- The shop must prove it was not faulty when sold
- Bought online or by phone
- 14 days to cancel for any reason, then 14 days to return it
- Changed your mind in a shop
- No legal right. The shop's own policy decides
- Refund deadline
- 14 days, same payment method, no fee
- Late train
- Delay Repay from the operator, whatever the cause
- Tube delayed 15 minutes
- Refund of the single fare, claim within 28 days
- Free advice
- Citizens Advice consumer helpline, 0808 223 1133
The 30-day right to reject a faulty item
The Consumer Rights Act 2015 gives you a short-term right to reject goods that are faulty, not as described, or not fit for their purpose. The time limit is 30 days, counted from the day after you took ownership and it was delivered. Within that window you can simply hand the item back, say you are rejecting it, and get all your money returned.
Several details are worth having in your head. The Act says the trader must bear the reasonable cost of returning the goods, except your own cost of carrying them back to the shop where you bought them. The refund must be given without undue delay and in any event within 14 days of the trader agreeing you are entitled to it, using the same payment method you used, with no fee deducted. If you agree to a repair instead, the 30-day clock stops while you wait.
The government's own guidance for shops is blunt about two things: sale items carry exactly the same rights as full-price ones, and it is illegal for a shop to restrict or misstate your rights, for instance with a sign saying no refunds. If you see that sign, the sign is wrong.
Say the words "not of satisfactory quality". That is the legal test in the Act, and a shop manager in Britain recognises it instantly. Adding "I am exercising my short-term right to reject under the Consumer Rights Act" moves a conversation from goodwill to law in one sentence, and it usually ends the argument.
After 30 days: repair, replacement, then your money back
Past 30 days the remedy changes. You can require the trader to repair or replace the item, within a reasonable time and without significant inconvenience to you, and the trader pays for labour, materials and postage. If that one repair or replacement does not fix it, you can then choose either a price reduction or a refund. The same applies if the trader takes too long or cannot do it at all.
The six-month rule is the one that decides most disputes. If a fault appears within six months, the shop must repair or replace unless it can prove the item was not faulty when you bought it. After six months, the burden flips and you have to show the fault was there from the start. Claims can be brought for up to six years in England and Wales.
A warranty or guarantee sits on top of these rights, not instead of them, so an expired manufacturer's guarantee does not remove your claim against the shop that sold you the item. You can be asked for proof of purchase, but that can be a bank statement or the packaging, not only a receipt. Only the person who bought the item can return it.
Changing your mind is a different thing entirely
If there is nothing wrong with the item and you simply do not want it, you have no legal right to a refund from a British shop. Many large chains offer one anyway as a matter of policy, typically for 28 days with a receipt and tags attached, and on Oxford Street most of the big stores do. Ask before you buy, because the policy is the shop's own and it varies.
Online, by phone or by mail order is different. Distance selling rules give you 14 days from receiving the item to tell the seller you are cancelling, and a further 14 days to send it back, with no reason needed. The seller must refund within 14 days of getting the item back, including the cost of standard delivery, and cannot charge a fee unless the item has been used or damaged. You are allowed to handle it as you would in a shop: trying clothes on is fine.
Some items are excluded from the change-of-mind right unless faulty: personalised or made-to-order goods, perishables, newspapers and magazines, unwrapped CDs, DVDs and software, and sealed items that cannot be returned for health or hygiene reasons once opened.
When a train runs late
Delay Repay is a national scheme, and its most useful feature is that the cause does not matter. A delay counts whether it was caused by a broken train, the weather, a strike or something outside the operator's control. The delay is measured against the published timetable, or against an amended timetable if one was published in advance, which is how planned weekend engineering work is handled.
Every operator pays compensation, and the threshold is set in each company's Passenger's Charter rather than nationally. All operators pay from 30 minutes, and many pay from 15. You claim from the company whose train was delayed, not from the retailer who sold the ticket, and claims are made online or on a paper form from a staffed station.
Refunds are separate from compensation. If your train is delayed or cancelled and you decide not to travel, or cannot finish the journey, the unused ticket can be refunded without a fee by whoever sold it. That matters on the airport routes in particular; our comparison of the Gatwick rail options and our guide to buying UK train tickets explain the ticket types. During industrial action the rules shift again, as our guide to visiting London during a strike sets out.
When the Tube runs late
Transport for London runs its own scheme, and very few visitors use it. You can claim a service delay refund if your journey was delayed by more than 15 minutes on the Underground or DLR, or more than 30 minutes on the Overground or Elizabeth line. A successful claim refunds the value of a single fare for that journey, as pay as you go credit or a bank transfer.
Three limits are worth knowing. You must claim within 28 days. TfL does not pay for delays it considers outside its control, which it lists as strikes, security alerts, bad weather, engineering works and passenger incidents. And there are no refunds for bus or tram delays at all.
To claim on a contactless card you first have to register the card in an online TfL account, which is worth doing on arrival rather than after the event. Oyster users claim through the same account. If it is not a delay but a lost bag, that is a different process: see lost property on London transport. For a strike, our guide to getting around during a Tube strike covers what runs.
A hotel room that is not what you booked
Accommodation is a service, and the Consumer Rights Act treats services differently from goods. Every contract to supply a service is treated as including a term that the trader must perform it with reasonable care and skill, and anything said or written about the service that you relied on becomes part of the contract. A room described as quiet, en-suite or with a sea view is a statement you relied on.
Where a service falls short, the first remedy is repeat performance: the trader must put it right within a reasonable time and without significant inconvenience to you, and must bear the cost. For a hotel that means a different room. If repeat performance is impossible, or the hotel does not do it within a reasonable time, you have the right to a price reduction, which may be the full amount. A refund must be paid within 14 days of the hotel agreeing you are entitled to one, by the same payment method, with no fee.
Practically, this means raising it at the desk immediately rather than at check-out or in a review afterwards. Ask for the room to be changed first. If there is no other room, say that you are asking for a price reduction under the Act, and ask for the answer in writing before you leave. Our guide to booking tips and accommodation scams covers the problems that are not about quality at all.
How to complain so that it works
British complaining has a style, and the style matters more here than in many countries. Raised voices lose. Precise, unemotional and persistent wins.
- Complain at the lowest level first, on the spot. The person in front of you usually has the authority to fix a small problem and no authority at all once you have escalated past them.
- State the fact, then the remedy you want. "The room has no hot water. I would like a different room tonight." Not "this is unacceptable."
- Ask for a name. Writing down who you spoke to, and when, changes how the conversation goes and gives you something to quote later.
- Get it in writing. Email is better than a phone call because it creates a record and a date. Keep it short and attach the receipt.
- Ask for the complaints procedure. Every large business has one, and asking for it by name signals that you intend to use it.
- Set a deadline. "Please respond within 14 days" is normal and reasonable.
Two things to avoid. Do not threaten a bad review as leverage; in Britain it reads as a threat rather than an argument, and it can make staff less willing to help. And do not start with a demand for compensation, because that invites a negotiation rather than a fix. Our guide to British etiquette for visitors explains the broader tone.
If the business says no
The free national advice service for consumer problems in England and Wales is run by Citizens Advice on 0808 223 1133, Monday to Friday, and by webchat. Their advisers explain what the law says about your situation and can pass the complaint to Trading Standards, which is something you cannot do yourself. They cannot complain for you or take legal action on your behalf.
For rail, there is a dedicated free ombudsman. The Rail Ombudsman handles unresolved complaints about train companies and other rail service providers, and asks you to give the company 40 working days to resolve it first, unless you receive a final response sooner. That final response is sometimes called a deadlock letter, and it is the document the ombudsman needs before it will take the case.
Other industries have their own ombudsmen, and the Ombudsman Association's directory is the way to find the right one. Beyond that, the small claims route in the county court exists for low-value disputes, but it is rarely practical for a visitor who is about to fly home. For problems that are crimes rather than disputes, such as being deliberately overcharged or cheated, see our guides to common tourist scams and emergency numbers and what to do if something goes wrong.
Section 75 protects UK credit cards, not necessarily yours. Under the Consumer Credit Act 1974 a UK credit card company is jointly liable with the seller for misrepresentation or breach of contract on any single item costing more than £100 and not more than £30,000. It is a powerful right, and it does not automatically cover a card issued outside the UK. If your card is foreign, ask your own issuer about chargeback instead, which is a card scheme rule rather than a British law and has its own time limits.
The complaints that are not about rights at all
Some things that annoy visitors are perfectly lawful. A discretionary service charge added to a restaurant bill is legal as long as the menu or bill makes clear it is discretionary; our guide to tipping in London explains how to have it removed. A shop is not obliged to accept cash, or a £50 note, or a Scottish banknote, and may set its own payment rules: see money in London.
There is no general high-street VAT refund for visitors leaving Great Britain, whatever a shop assistant may suggest, and the detail is in our guide to tax-free shopping in the UK. Shops are free to close early on a Sunday, because the law limits how long large ones may open, as we explain in opening hours and Sunday trading.
A black cab driver must take you up to 12 miles within Greater London and must accept a card payment without a surcharge, and complaints about licensed taxis and minicabs go to Transport for London rather than to the driver's company. Our guides to black cabs, minicabs and Uber and to finding a black cab cover the rules. Finally, if the problem is a cancelled trip rather than a bad one, the remedy is usually your policy: see travel insurance and healthcare cover.
Frequently asked questions
Can I get a refund if I change my mind about something I bought in a London shop?
Not as a legal right. In-store purchases carry no change-of-mind refund under British law, so it depends entirely on the shop's own policy, which many large chains set at around 28 days with a receipt. Goods bought online, by phone or by mail order are different: you have 14 days to cancel and a further 14 days to return them.
How long do I have to return a faulty item in Britain?
Thirty days from the day after you received it, for a full refund with no deduction. After that you are entitled to one repair or replacement, and if that fails, to a refund or a price reduction. If the fault appears within six months, the shop must prove the item was not faulty when it was sold.
Do I get compensation if my train is late in the UK?
Usually yes. Delay Repay applies whatever the cause of the delay, including weather and strikes. Every operator compensates delays of 30 minutes or more and many pay from 15 minutes. You claim from the train company whose service was delayed, through its own website, not from the ticket seller.
What can I do about a bad hotel room?
Raise it at the front desk immediately and ask to be moved, because the first remedy the Consumer Rights Act gives for a service is that the trader must perform it again properly. If no other room is available, ask for a price reduction and for the answer in writing before you check out. Any refund is due within 14 days by the same payment method.
Who can I ring for free consumer advice in England?
The Citizens Advice consumer service, on 0808 223 1133, Monday to Friday. Advisers give practical advice, tell you which law applies and can refer the matter to Trading Standards. They cannot make the complaint for you. A relay service for deaf and speech-impaired callers is available by dialling 18001 before the number.
Sources
- legislation.gov.uk - Consumer Rights Act 2015, section 22 (time limit for the short-term right to reject) (checked September 2026)
- legislation.gov.uk - Consumer Rights Act 2015, section 20 (right to reject and refunds) (checked September 2026)
- legislation.gov.uk - Consumer Rights Act 2015, section 55 (repeat performance of a service) (checked September 2026)
- Citizens Advice - Contact the consumer service (checked September 2026)
- legislation.gov.uk - Consumer Credit Act 1974, section 75 (checked September 2026)
- GOV.UK - Accepting returns and giving refunds: the law (checked September 2026)
- National Rail - Compensation and refunds (checked September 2026)
- Transport for London - Apply for a service delay refund (checked September 2026)