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Get legal adviceSale of Goods Act
The Sale of Goods Act 1979 has now been replaced by the Consumer Rights Act 2015, but you may be able to claim under it if goods you bought on or before 30 September 2015 become faulty.
Sale of Goods Act replaced by Consumer Rights Act
The Sale of Goods Act has been replaced by the Consumer Rights Act. The Consumer Rights Act came into force on 1 October 2015.
The Consumer Rights Act has made some changes to your rights to return faulty goods and get a refund, replacement or repair, and gives you new rights when you buy digital content.
This guide to the Sale of Goods Act 1979 gives information about goods and services bought on or before 30 September 2015. For advice on goods and services bought on or after 1 October 2015, please see our guide to the Consumer Rights Act 2015.
What is the Sale of Goods Act?
The Sale of Goods Act 1979 requires goods to be as described, of satisfactory quality and fit for purpose.
Fit for purpose means both for their everyday purpose, and also any specific purpose that you agreed with the seller (for example, if you specifically asked for a printer that would be compatible with your computer, or wall tiles that would be suitable for use in a bathroom).
Goods sold must also match any sample you were shown in store, or any description in a brochure.
The only time goods are not required to be satisfactory quality is if a defect or issue was specifically drawn to your attention before you bought them.
So, if you examined the goods and had the opportunity to notice (but failed to do so) that they were not of satisfactory quality; or, in the case of sale by sample, if the lack of quality would have been obvious on a reasonable examination of the sample, you would not be able to argue that the goods were not of satisfactory quality.
If you have bought a faulty product, our guide shows you what you should do.
This guide to the Sale of Goods Act 1979 gives information about goods and services bought on or before 30 September 2015. For advice on goods and services bought on or after 1 October 2015, please see our guide to the Consumer Rights Act 2015.
Sale of Goods Act summary
The Sale of Goods Act 1979 requires all goods that are bought or sold in the UK to be:
- as described - the good should match any sample you were shown
- of satisfactory quality - any defect or issue should have been made clear to you when you bought the goods
- fit for purpose - you should be able to use the good for its everyday purpose, as agreed with the seller
If your goods do not meet one or more of these criteria, the retailer is in breach of contract, which would give rise for you to claim under the Sale of Goods Act.
Who is responsible
If you bought goods on or before 30 September 2015, and your goods fail to meet any of the above criteria, then you may have a claim under the Sale of Goods Act.
If you want to make a claim under the Sale of Goods Act you have several possible ways of resolving your issue, depending on the circumstances and on what you want done to solve the problem.
Your rights are against the retailer (the company that sold you the product), not the manufacturer, so you must make any claim against the retailer.
However, the Sale of Goods Act doesn’t apply to goods you've bought on hire purchase.
In this case the Supply of Goods Implied Terms Act 1973 applies, which makes the hire-purchase company responsible for the quality of the goods supplied, and gives you slightly different rights.
This guide to the Sale of Goods Act 1979 gives information about goods and services bought on or before 30 September 2015. For advice on goods and services bought on or after 1 October 2015, please see our guide to the Consumer Rights Act 2015.
Top tip
To get a refund on a faulty item bought on or before 30 September 2015, you need to reject it and return it within a reasonable time after purchase. What is a 'reasonable time' will depend on the specific circumstances, but three to four weeks is likely to be a good benchmark.
Returning faulty goods
If you bought faulty goods on or before 30 September (even if you received them after this date), you can choose to reject the goods under the Sale of Goods Act. This means you can give them back and get a refund.
You should note that the law only gives you a 'reasonable time' to do this – what's reasonable depends on the product and how obvious the fault is.
However, even with major purchases or complex items, it’s safest to assume you would usually have no more than three to four weeks from when you receive the goods to reject them.
This guide to the Sale of Goods Act 1979 gives information about goods and services bought on or before 30 September 2015. For advice on goods and services bought on or after 1 October 2015, please see our guide to the Consumer Rights Act 2015.
Faulty goods replaced or repaired
You have the right to get faulty goods replaced or repaired if it's too late to reject them. You can state your preference, but the retailer can normally choose to do whatever would be cheapest.
Under the Sale of Goods Act, the retailer must either repair or replace faulty goods 'within a reasonable time but without causing significant inconvenience'.
If the seller doesn't do this, you're entitled to claim either:
• a reduction on the purchase price, or
• your money back, minus an amount for the usage you've had of the goods (called recision).
If the retailer refuses to repair the goods, and won't replace them either, you may have the right to arrange for someone else to repair your item, and then claim compensation from the retailer for the cost of doing this.
You have six years to take a claim to court for faulty goods in England, Wales and Northern Ireland; in Scotland you have five years.
This guide to the Sale of Goods Act 1979 gives information about goods and services bought on or before 30 September 2015. For advice on goods and services bought on or after 1 October 2015, please see our guide to the Consumer Rights Act 2015.
Proving your claim for faulty goods
If your claim under the Sale of Goods Act ends up in court, you may have to prove that the fault was present when you bought the item and not, for example, something that was the result of normal wear and tear.
If your claim is about a problem that arose within six months of buying the product, it's assumed that the problem was there on the day you received it. It's up to the retailer to prove that the goods were of satisfactory quality, fit for purpose, or as described when it sold them.
For example, a retailer might try to prove this by showing that the problem was caused by an external factor, such as accidental damage.
To get a faulty product repaired or replaced, follow our step-by-step guide.
This guide to the Sale of Goods Act 1979 gives information about goods and services bought on or before 30 September 2015. For advice on goods and services bought on or after 1 October 2015, please see our guide to the Consumer Rights Act 2015.
Experts' reports
After six months of ownership, it's up to you to prove that the problem was there when you received the product, even if it has taken until now to come to light.
So, you may need to prove that the fault was not down to ordinary wear and tear, or damage you caused, and that the product (or a component) should have lasted longer than it did.
To do this, you may need an expert's report, for example from an engineer or a mechanic.
Always try to keep the cost of any report proportionate to the value of the claim and, if you can, try to find an expert that you and the seller both agree has the necessary expertise.
This guide to the Sale of Goods Act 1979 gives information about goods and services bought on or before 30 September 2015. For advice on goods and services bought on or after 1 October 2015, please see our guide to the Consumer Rights Act 2015.