Consumer Rights Act 2015

The Consumer Rights Act 2015 (CRA 2015) is a UK Act of Parliament that consolidates and modernises consumer protection law in the United Kingdom. It came into force on 1 October 2015, replacing several earlier pieces of legislation including the Sale of Goods Act 1979, the Supply of Goods and Services Act 1982, and the Unfair Terms in Consumer Contracts Regulations 1999.^[1] The Act establishes statutory rights for consumers purchasing goods, digital content, and services, and introduces strengthened protections against unfair contract terms.

Part 1 establishes that goods sold to consumers must be of satisfactory quality, fit for purpose, and as described. Where goods do not meet these standards, consumers are entitled to a tiered system of remedies: a full refund within 30 days of purchase, repair or replacement thereafter, and a price reduction or final right to reject if repair or replacement fails.^[2]

The same Part covers services, requiring that they be performed with reasonable care and skill, for a reasonable price if not agreed in advance, and within a reasonable time. Pre-contractual information provided to a consumer — such as descriptions given at the point of sale — forms part of the service contract and cannot be unilaterally changed by the trader.^[3]

Part 2 consolidates the law on unfair terms in consumer contracts, replacing the Unfair Contract Terms Act 1977 and the Unfair Terms in Consumer Contracts Regulations 1999. A term is unfair if, contrary to the requirement of good faith, it causes a significant imbalance in the parties' rights and obligations to the detriment of the consumer. Unfair terms are not binding on the consumer.^[1]

Critically, the Act introduces a prominence requirement: terms that relate to the main subject matter of the contract or set the price must be both transparent (expressed in plain, intelligible language) and prominent (brought to the consumer's attention in such a way that an average consumer would be aware of them) in order to be enforceable.^[4]

Schedule 2 of the Act contains a non-exhaustive "grey list" of terms that may be regarded as unfair, including terms that allow the trader to determine the characteristics of the subject matter after the contract is concluded, and terms that impose disproportionate charges on consumers who cancel.

Under Section 50, information provided to a consumer before a service contract is entered into becomes a binding term of that contract. This means that representations made at the point of sale — including descriptions of what a service or product covers — cannot be contradicted by separate terms buried elsewhere. This provision has particular relevance where traders make implicit representations through the way they present products or services in a checkout or booking flow.

The CRA 2015 is the primary legislative tool available to UK consumers facing:

• Goods or services that do not match their description at point of sale
• Warranty or guarantee terms that are not disclosed prominently before purchase
• Contract terms that create a significant imbalance in favour of the trader
• Traders who attempt to rely on terms the consumer was not made aware of

Enforcement of the Act can be pursued by individual consumers through the courts or via Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR). Public enforcement powers rest with the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) and local Trading Standards services, who can take action against traders for systemic breaches.^[2]

• Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations 2008
• Halfords Limited
• Tyre warranty sold via mobile fitting, redeemable only at fixed garages