What are my basic consumer rights?

Broadly: goods must match their description and be fit for purpose, services must be carried out with reasonable care, pricing and advertising must be honest, faulty goods entitle you to a repair, replacement or refund, and your personal data must be handled lawfully. The exact wording depends on your country or state.

Can a shop refuse a refund because of its own policy?

A store policy does not override consumer law. A "no refunds" rule generally cannot remove your right to a remedy for a faulty or misdescribed item. Ask the business in writing which term and which law it is relying on, and keep the reply.

How do I make a consumer rights complaint?

State the right, the facts with dates, and the one remedy you want, then set a deadline. If the business does not answer, file the complaint with that record attached so the response, or the lack of one, is part of it.

Does filing a complaint stop me going to a regulator or court?

No. Filing on RDACTD is independent. You can still contact a consumer protection agency, dispute the charge with your bank or card issuer, or bring a small claim.

What are my rights to stay anonymous?

On RDACTD you file anonymously by default. The business can ask once for your identity and you can decline. Disclosure sends your name, email and phone to that business only, and a public viewer of a disclosed complaint sees the name and email, never the phone number.

Your consumer rights, and how to use them

Consumer rights are easy to read about and hard to cash in. Knowing that a product has to match its description does not, on its own, get your money back. What closes the gap is stating the right clearly, asking for one specific remedy, and attaching a deadline.

This guide covers the rights most complaints turn on, and what to do when a business acts as though you do not have them.

The rights most complaints turn on

Consumer law differs by country and by state, but a common core shows up almost everywhere:

Goods have to match their description and be fit for the purpose they were sold for.
Services have to be carried out with reasonable care and skill, in a reasonable time.
Advertising and pricing have to be honest, including the total price and what is excluded.
You are entitled to a remedy when something is faulty: a repair, a replacement or a refund, depending on the fault and how soon it appeared.
You are entitled to an answer. A business that takes your money takes on the obligation to respond to you about it.
Your personal data has to be handled lawfully, and you can ask what a business holds about you.

A right is only worth what you ask for

Businesses respond to specific requests. "This is unacceptable" invites a form reply. "The item arrived damaged on 12 March, here are the photos, I am asking for a replacement or a full refund by 26 March" invites a decision.

Name the right, name the remedy, name the date. Keep every one of the three in the same short message.

When a business tells you the rule is different

A store policy does not override consumer law, and "no refunds" signs, 14-day windows and store-credit-only rules are frequently stated more firmly than they can be enforced. If a business quotes its own policy at you, ask it in writing to point to the term you agreed to and the law it relies on.

You do not have to win that argument yourself. Put the request in writing, keep the reply, and file. A complaint with a clear factual record and an unreasonable response attached to it is a strong one.

Rights you keep on RDACTD

Filing here does not cost you anything and does not sign away anything. You stay anonymous by default, so a business cannot look up who complained. You decide whether to reveal your identity, and the business can ask you once, which you are free to decline. Disclosing gives that business your name, email and phone; the public page of a disclosed complaint still shows only the name and email.

You also keep the option of going elsewhere. Filing here does not stop you from contacting a regulator, your card issuer, or a small claims court.

常见问题

What are my basic consumer rights?: Broadly: goods must match their description and be fit for purpose, services must be carried out with reasonable care, pricing and advertising must be honest, faulty goods entitle you to a repair, replacement or refund, and your personal data must be handled lawfully. The exact wording depends on your country or state.
Can a shop refuse a refund because of its own policy?: A store policy does not override consumer law. A "no refunds" rule generally cannot remove your right to a remedy for a faulty or misdescribed item. Ask the business in writing which term and which law it is relying on, and keep the reply.
How do I make a consumer rights complaint?: State the right, the facts with dates, and the one remedy you want, then set a deadline. If the business does not answer, file the complaint with that record attached so the response, or the lack of one, is part of it.
Does filing a complaint stop me going to a regulator or court?: No. Filing on RDACTD is independent. You can still contact a consumer protection agency, dispute the charge with your bank or card issuer, or bring a small claim.
What are my rights to stay anonymous?: On RDACTD you file anonymously by default. The business can ask once for your identity and you can decline. Disclosure sends your name, email and phone to that business only, and a public viewer of a disclosed complaint sees the name and email, never the phone number.

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