Retail & Consumer Goods Trading standards and consumer law

Consumer rights compliance for service providers

How to comply with the Consumer Rights Act 2015 when providing services to consumers. Covers the reasonable care and skill standard, how your words become contractual terms, pricing, timescales, the repeat performance and price reduction remedies, and the contract terms you cannot lawfully exclude.

UK-wide
Guide summary

You must provide services with reasonable care and skill, as set out in the Consumer Rights Act 2015. If things go wrong, you may have to redo the work or give a refund. You cannot exclude these rights in your contracts.

  • Provide services with reasonable care and skill
  • Statements about your service become part of the contract
  • Charge a reasonable price if not agreed upfront
  • Complete work in a reasonable time if no deadline set
  • Redo faulty work at your cost if asked
  • Give a price reduction up to 100% if redoing is impossible
  • Refund within 14 days if agreeing a price reduction
  • Do not charge fees for processing refunds
  • Cannot exclude these rights in your contracts
  • Give written quotes to avoid disputes
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If you provide services to members of the public or to consumers, the Consumer Rights Act 2015 automatically applies to every contract you enter into. This includes plumbers, electricians, builders, cleaners, consultants, personal trainers, IT support technicians, photographers, and any other service business dealing with consumers.

Unlike business-to-business contracts, consumer service contracts cannot simply be overridden by your terms and conditions. The Act writes certain standards into every consumer contract automatically, regardless of what your paperwork says.

What these standards mean in practice

Reasonable care and skill

This is the central obligation. You must carry out the service to the standard a competent practitioner in your field would meet. It does not require perfection, but it does require professional competence.

Examples:

  • A plumber fitting a new boiler must follow manufacturer instructions and Gas Safe requirements. A leak caused by poor pipework fitting will likely constitute a failure.
  • An IT consultant migrating data must take precautions against data loss. Failing to run a pre-migration backup is unlikely to meet the standard.

Information you give becomes part of the contract

Anything you say about yourself or your service before or during the contract is treated as a contractual term if the consumer relied on it.

  • Telling a customer you are Gas Safe registered when you are not is a breach of contract.
  • Quoting a completion date creates a contractual obligation to hit that date.

Reasonable price and reasonable time

If no price is agreed in advance, the consumer pays only a reasonable price. If no completion date is agreed, you must finish within a reasonable time. Best practice is to provide written quotes before work starts.

Remedies when things go wrong

How to handle a repeat performance request

  • Carry out the repeat performance within a reasonable time and without significant inconvenience
  • Bear any costs yourself - you cannot charge for remedial work
  • Ensure the repeated service actually meets the required standard

If completing the service again is genuinely impossible (for example, a one-off event), the consumer moves directly to price reduction.

Price reduction in practice

Price reduction can range from a modest discount to a full refund. Once agreed, refund it within 14 days using the same payment method. Do not deduct processing fees.

Contract terms you cannot exclude

Under section 57, terms that attempt to do any of the following are automatically unenforceable:

  • Exclude the reasonable care and skill obligation
  • Limit your liability for failing to meet that standard
  • Deny that information you provided forms part of the contract
  • Exclude the consumer's right to a reasonable price or reasonable time

Common problem clauses:

  • "All work carried out at customer's risk" - cannot exclude care and skill
  • "No refunds after work commences" - cannot override price reduction remedy
  • "Completion dates are estimates only" - cannot exclude all delay liability
  • "We accept no liability for damage" - blanket exclusions are unenforceable
Construction & Property Requirement

Construction and trade services

Consumer rights under the CRA 2015 operate alongside sector-specific regulatory requirements. If you are a gas engineer, you must be Gas Safe registered. Electrical work in dwellings must comply with Part P of the Building Regulations. Structural work must meet Building Regulations standards.

A consumer whose property is damaged by non-compliant trade work may have remedies both under the CRA 2015 and under separate regulatory frameworks. Carrying appropriate trade liability insurance is strongly recommended.

Who this applies to: Tradespeople providing services to consumers including plumbers, electricians, builders, and gas engineers.
Enforcement: <p>Enforced by Trading Standards and the CMA. Sector-specific requirements enforced by HSE, Gas Safe Register, and local building control.</p>
Consumer Rights Act 2015 guidance (GOV.UK) (opens in a new tab)

Common disputes and how to avoid them

  • Unclear scope of work: Provide written confirmation of what the service includes and excludes before starting.
  • Verbal assurances not recorded: Follow up verbal promises with a written summary.
  • No agreed price or timescale: Confirm both in writing before work starts.
  • Poor complaint handling: Acknowledge issues promptly, investigate properly, and communicate your resolution.
  1. 1

    Review your existing contracts and terms

    Check for clauses that attempt to exclude or limit statutory rights under the CRA 2015. Remove any terms that purport to exclude reasonable care and skill obligations or restrict remedies.

  2. 2

    Introduce written pre-work confirmation

    For all jobs, provide a written summary of scope, price, and expected completion date before starting. This can be a simple email or signed quote.

  3. 3

    Document what you say about your service

    Be consistent about claims in marketing and conversations. Pre-contractual statements about qualifications or results can become contractual terms.

  4. 4

    Establish a complaints process

    Have a clear process including acknowledgement, investigation, and resolution that includes repeat performance or price reduction where a breach has occurred.

  5. 5

    Manage scope changes in writing

    When scope changes during delivery, agree revised scope and price with the customer in writing before proceeding.

  6. 6

    Keep records of completed work

    Retain records of what work was done and to what standard. For trade services, include certificates, test results, and photographs.

Official guidance