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Faulty Smart Lock, Camera or Alarm? Your Consumer Rights Act 2015 Remedies Across the UK

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Statutory rights sit behind every purchase

A smart lock that drains its batteries in a week, a camera that never connects or an alarm panel that fails after a month raises the same question: what is the shop obliged to do? This article summarises Part 1 of the Consumer Rights Act 2015 as published on legislation.gov.uk, covering sections 9, 19, 22, 23, 24, 33 and 34. The Act applies across the United Kingdom, including England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, and the legislation site notes no Scotland-specific variation in section 19. The legislation site records pending amendments to some of these sections under the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act 2024, so the current text should be checked for the exact remedy steps. This article is general information, not legal advice.

What the goods must be like (UK-wide)

Section 9 implies a term that the quality of goods is satisfactory in every contract to supply goods to a consumer. Quality is judged by what a reasonable person would consider satisfactory, taking account of the description, the price and all other relevant circumstances. The section lists aspects of quality that may be relevant: fitness for all the purposes for which goods of that kind are usually supplied, appearance and finish, freedom from minor defects, safety and durability.

Public statements matter. The section treats statements about specific characteristics made publicly by the trader or the producer, particularly in advertising or labelling, as relevant circumstances. A published claim about a device’s battery life or connectivity is therefore part of the picture. The term does not cover defects specifically drawn to the consumer’s attention before the contract was made, or defects that an examination before purchase should have revealed.

The range of remedies (UK-wide)

Section 19 lists what a consumer can do when goods do not conform to the contract. For a breach of the statutory terms in sections 9 to 14, there are three tiers: the short-term right to reject, the right to repair or replacement, and the right to a price reduction or the final right to reject.## The 30-day right to reject (UK-wide)

Under section 22, the short-term right to reject ends at the close of 30 days beginning with the first day after ownership or possession has passed, the goods have been delivered and any required installation has been completed. For a hard-wired doorbell or an alarm that needs fitting, the clock therefore starts once the installation is complete. The section says the right cannot be lost through prior agreement before the time limit ends. If the consumer asks for a repair or replacement, the 30-day period can be suspended. If replacement goods also fail to conform, the consumer has 7 days from receiving them or the rest of the original period, whichever is longer.

Repair or replacement (UK-wide)

Section 23 gives the consumer the right to require repair or replacement. The trader must do this within a reasonable time and without significant inconvenience, and must bear any necessary costs, including labour, materials and postage. The consumer cannot require a remedy that is impossible or disproportionate compared with the alternative. Disproportion is judged against the value of conforming goods, the significance of the lack of conformity and whether the other remedy would cause the consumer significant inconvenience. Section 23 also says a consumer who requires or agrees to a repair cannot require a replacement without first giving the trader a reasonable time to carry out the repair, unless that would cause the consumer significant inconvenience.

Price reduction and the final right to reject (UK-wide)

Section 24 allows a consumer to require a reduction in price, up to the full price where appropriate, or to exercise the final right to reject. The final right to reject arises only when repair or replacement has failed, cannot be carried out, or was not done within a reasonable time. If the final right to reject is exercised within six months of the start date, no deduction may be made for use. Outside that window the refund can be reduced to reflect use, except in specified situations. Section 19 also reverses the burden of proof for the first six months after delivery: goods that do not conform within six months are taken not to have conformed on the delivery date.

Apps and connected features (UK-wide)

Smart devices depend on software. Section 33 brings digital content supplied free with paid goods or services within the Act’s digital content chapter, so long as it is not generally available without payment. Section 34 then implies a term that digital content is of satisfactory quality. Whether a particular companion app falls within these sections depends on how it is supplied, but a lock or camera that cannot be used without a failing app illustrates why the two chapters are read together.

Common questions

Does the trader or the manufacturer carry the rights? The statutory terms are implied into the contract between the consumer and the trader, so the remedies run against the trader that sold the goods.

Can the retailer’s terms shorten the 30 days? Section 22 says the right cannot be lost through prior agreement before the limit ends.

The bottom line

Across the UK, a smart lock, camera or alarm must be of satisfactory quality, and a consumer can reject faulty goods within 30 days, require repair or replacement, and then seek a price reduction or a final rejection if the fix fails. Within six months of delivery a non-conforming item is presumed to have been faulty on delivery, and a final rejection in that window allows no deduction for use.

Sources

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