The basic position
For most goods bought online, by phone or by mail order from a trader, the consumer can cancel without giving a reason. The usual deadline is 14 days after receiving the goods, followed by a further 14 days to send them back.
The cancellation right exists because a distance buyer cannot inspect goods in the same way as a customer standing in a shop. It applies even where the item is not faulty and the consumer has simply changed their mind.
It is separate from the Consumer Rights Act remedies for faulty or misdescribed goods. A product excluded from change-of-mind cancellation may still attract a remedy if it is defective.
When does the period begin?
For a straightforward order of goods, the cancellation period ends 14 days after the day on which the consumer, or a nominated person other than the carrier, takes physical possession. Where one order is delivered in separate lots, the period generally runs from receipt of the last lot.
The consumer can cancel before delivery as well. There is no need to wait for the parcel to arrive before telling the trader.
The ordinary goods timeline
Tell the trader clearly that you are cancelling within the cancellation period.
Keep evidence showing when and how the cancellation was sent.
Return the goods within 14 days after notifying the trader.
Use the return address and reasonable instructions supplied by the trader.
Retain proof of posting, collection or delivery.
Check that the refund includes the required standard-delivery amount.
Who pays for the return?
The consumer can be required to pay the direct cost of returning goods if the trader gave clear pre-contract information about that responsibility. If the trader failed to provide the required information, it may have to bear the return cost.
For bulky items that cannot normally be returned by post, the trader should provide an estimate of the return cost before the contract where the Regulations require it.
What must be refunded?
The trader must normally refund the price and the cost of the least expensive standard delivery option it offered. If the consumer chose an enhanced service, such as next-day delivery, the trader does not usually have to refund the extra amount above standard delivery.
For goods, the trader can generally wait until it receives the item back or the consumer supplies evidence of return. The refund must then be made within the applicable 14-day period using the original payment method unless the consumer agrees otherwise.
Handling is allowed, use can reduce the refund
A consumer can inspect goods as they reasonably could in a shop. If handling goes beyond what is necessary to establish the nature, characteristics and functioning of the goods, the trader may be able to deduct for diminished value.
Common exclusions for goods
Change-of-mind cancellation may not apply to
- goods made to the consumer’s specifications or clearly personalised;
- goods liable to deteriorate or expire rapidly;
- sealed goods not suitable for return for health-protection or hygiene reasons once unsealed;
- sealed audio, video or computer software once unsealed;
- newspapers, periodicals and magazines, except subscription contracts; and
- goods inseparably mixed with other items after delivery.
A retailer should not stretch an exception beyond its real purpose. Opening ordinary packaging does not automatically remove the cancellation right. A hygiene exception requires more than the trader simply preferring not to accept a return.
Services and digital content work differently
A service can begin during the cancellation period if the consumer expressly requests this. If the consumer then cancels before completion, they may have to pay a proportionate amount for the service already supplied.
The right to cancel a fully performed service can be lost where performance began with the required express request and acknowledgement. Digital content not supplied on a tangible medium can also begin immediately, but loss of the cancellation right depends on the consumer’s express consent and acknowledgement that the right will be lost.
Tickets, travel and dated leisure services
Passenger transport, package travel and some accommodation, vehicle rental, catering and leisure services for a specific date or period are subject to separate rules or exclusions. Do not assume the ordinary 14-day right applies to every online booking.
When the trader did not explain the right
If the trader fails to give the required information about cancellation, the cancellation period can be extended by up to 12 months. If the information is supplied during that extended period, a new 14-day period runs from when the consumer receives it.
The ConsumerWise verdict
The 14-day right is powerful, but it is a process rather than a slogan. Notify the trader in time, preserve evidence, return the goods promptly and understand who bears the return cost.
Most importantly, do not allow a debate about change-of-mind cancellation to obscure a separate faulty-goods claim. A trader’s returns policy cannot remove statutory remedies where the item fails to meet the contract.
Official sources and further guidance
- Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013The statutory distance-contract information and cancellation rules.
- GOV.UK: online and distance sellingGovernment overview of cancellation information and distance selling.
- GOV.UK: accepting returns and giving refundsSummary of cancellation, return and refund obligations.
- Government implementing guidance on the RegulationsDetailed implementation guidance and examples.
