What are the rules on selling to UK consumers? As part of a series of articles on UK consumer protection law, we look at the Consumer Rights Act 2015 provisions on selling services to consumers.

Statutory rights and remedies related to consumer contracts for the supply of services are dealt with in Part 1 of the Consumer Rights Act 2015 (CRA).

What is a service contract?

Service contracts are contracts under which a trader agrees to supply services to a consumer other than employment or apprenticeship contracts.

What are the statutory rights and remedies?

The consumer has a number of rights which will be implied into the contract if not dealt with expressly.

Different rights attract different remedies which themselves vary depending on the nature of the contract. Remedies under the CRA are in addition to other remedies such as damages which may be available, but a consumer cannot recover more than once for the same loss.

What remedies are available under the CRA?

• The right to ask for repeat performance – where the consumer requests this, it must be completed at the trader’s cost within a reasonable time and without significant inconvenience to the consumer.
• The right to a price reduction (or refund) up to the full contract price. Where the consumer has both the right to ask for repeat performance and the right to a price reduction, the consumer is only entitled to a price reduction where repeat performance is impossible or has not been completed by the trader within a reasonable time and without significant inconvenience to the consumer.