Your Consumer Rights in the UK

This guide is for internationals who have just moved to the United Kingdom and want to know what happens when something they buy is faulty, a service falls short or a trader treats them unfairly. After reading it, you will know which problems UK consumer protection covers, which free helpline serves your part of the UK, and where a complaint can go next if a business will not put things right.

• What consumer rights cover
• Faulty goods, refunds and repairs
• Advice helplines in each nation
• How a complaint reaches Trading Standards
• Complaining to an ombudsman
• Money problems and buying from the EU
• FAQ

What consumer rights cover

The GOV.UK page on consumer rights states that the law protects your consumer rights when you buy goods, services or digital content. That protection applies whether you buy remotely, for example online, or in person in a shop.

The same page lists the kinds of problems you can get help with when you are treated unfairly or when things go wrong:

• faulty goods
• poor service
• contracts
• building work
• rogue traders
• credit and store cards
• counterfeit goods
• fraud

The page does not mention nationality, residence or immigration status as a condition for getting consumer advice. Consumer advisers deal with consumer problems, not visa questions. If a dispute raises a specific question about your immigration status, the right people to ask are a regulated immigration adviser registered with the OISC or a solicitor regulated by the SRA.

Faulty goods, refunds and repairs

Faulty goods are the first problem the GOV.UK page names. Refunds and repairs are the questions most people have when something breaks soon after they buy it. The official page mainly tells you where to go for help, so it is important to be clear about what it does and does not say.

It does not set out how long you have to return a faulty item, when a trader must offer a refund rather than a repair or replacement, or how long a trader has to carry out a repair. This guide does not state those time limits either, because they are not in the official source it is based on. Instead, the page points to two places for that detail:

• Which?, which the page names as a source of information about refunds, repairs and making a complaint.
• The consumer advice helpline for your nation, covered in the next section, which gives advice on problems including faulty goods and poor service.

The page also describes the routes a complaint can take, in roughly this order:

1. Getting advice from the helpline for England and Wales, Scotland or Northern Ireland.
2. A possible referral by the helpline to local Trading Standards Officers.
3. For some industries, a complaint to an ombudsman, which may help resolve the matter without going to court.

Which route fits depends on the problem, the trader and the industry. The official page leaves those decisions to the advice services and the ombudsmen themselves.

Advice helplines in each nation

Consumer advice in the UK is organised by nation, so the service you contact depends on where you live. Each helpline can give you advice, and the GOV.UK page lists the following numbers and opening hours.

England and Wales

Contact Citizens Advice on 0808 223 1133. A Welsh language line is available on 0808 223 1144. Both are open Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm.

Scotland

Contact Advice Direct Scotland on 0808 164 6000, Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm.

Northern Ireland

Contact Consumerline on 0300 123 6262. The line is open Monday to Thursday, 9am to 5pm, and on Friday from 9am to 4pm.

The GOV.UK page links to separate information on call charges but does not list the cost of these calls itself. It also does not say whether advice is available in any language other than English and Welsh.

How a complaint reaches Trading Standards

A helpline can do more than give advice. According to the GOV.UK page, the helplines can also:

• refer your complaint to local Trading Standards Officers, who may then investigate on your behalf
• share complaint information nationally with enforcement authorities, including Trading Standards, the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) and regulators, so that action can be taken

Two points are worth understanding here. First, the word “may” matters. Trading Standards decides whether to investigate, and a referral does not guarantee action in any individual case. Second, because complaint information is shared nationally, a single report can feed into wider enforcement against a trader, even when the individual complaint is settled separately.

The official page does not say how long a Trading Standards investigation takes, whether you will be told the outcome, or whether an investigation will lead to money being returned to you. Those questions are for the helpline or for Trading Standards to answer.

Complaining to an ombudsman

An ombudsman is a person who investigates complaints about organisations for free. The GOV.UK page explains that an ombudsman may be able to help you resolve a complaint without going to court.

There are different ombudsmen for different industries, and the page directs people to the Ombudsman Association to find the right ombudsman for a complaint. The page does not list the industries covered, the conditions an ombudsman applies before accepting a case, or any deadline for bringing a complaint. Each ombudsman’s own rules cover those points.

Money problems and buying from the EU

Credit and store cards appear on the list of problems the helplines deal with. For wider money questions, the GOV.UK page points to MoneyHelper, which offers free, independent help with anything to do with money, for example managing debt.

Many internationals keep buying from shops in their home country or elsewhere in Europe after they move. For problems buying from an EU country, the page directs people to the UK International Consumer Centre. The page does not name a service for purchases from countries outside the EU.

FAQ

Do I need a particular visa or nationality to use these consumer services?

The GOV.UK consumer rights page does not mention nationality, residence or immigration status as a condition for getting consumer advice or making a complaint. If a consumer dispute raises a specific question about your immigration status, that question is for a regulated immigration adviser registered with the OISC or a solicitor regulated by the SRA.

How long do I have to return a faulty item for a refund?

The official GOV.UK page does not state a time limit for returning faulty goods, and it does not say when a trader must give a refund rather than a repair. It points to Which? for information on refunds, repairs and complaints, and to the advice helplines: Citizens Advice in England and Wales, Advice Direct Scotland, and Consumerline in Northern Ireland.

Does it cost anything to complain to an ombudsman?

According to GOV.UK, an ombudsman investigates complaints about organisations for free and may help resolve a complaint without going to court. There are different ombudsmen for different industries, and the Ombudsman Association can help you find the right one.

Who can help with a problem buying from a shop in an EU country?

The GOV.UK page directs people with problems buying from an EU country to the UK International Consumer Centre. It does not name a separate service for purchases from countries outside the EU.

Official sources: gov.uk

Last verified: 19 October 2026 against the official pages linked above. Rules and fees change; the official page always wins.

This is general information, not legal or immigration advice. Immigration advice in the UK may only be given by advisers regulated by the OISC or by solicitors regulated by the SRA.