Something you bought is wrong
Faulty goods, cancellations and getting your money back. 6 templates, all free to fill in and print.
When something you bought is faulty or never arrived, your contract is with the retailer, not the manufacturer — so that is who you write to. Say what you bought, when, what is wrong, and which remedy you want: refund, replacement or repair. Give a deadline. If they will not engage, there are usually two routes left: the ombudsman or consumer body for that industry, and your card issuer, who can reverse the payment through chargeback and, in some countries, is jointly liable with the seller. Both have time limits, so start early rather than waiting for the seller to come round.
There are four different routes to getting your money back and they are constantly confused. Changing your mind is a cancellation. A product that broke or never worked is a fault claim against the seller. A manufacturer's promise is a warranty claim, which is narrower and usually shorter than your rights against the retailer. And a payment you can dispute with your card issuer or bank is a chargeback, which is a payment mechanism rather than a consumer right. Picking the wrong route wastes the deadline on the right one. Consumer law and cancellation periods are set where you bought, so check the rule for your country or state before you name a timescale in a letter.
Work out which claim you have
Start by naming what actually happened, because the remedy follows from it. If the item is faulty, not as described, or unfit for what you told the seller you needed it for, that is a claim against the retailer, not the manufacturer. If you simply changed your mind about something bought online or away from a shop, that is a cancellation right, which usually runs from delivery for a short fixed period. If the item worked and then failed within a period the manufacturer promised, that is a warranty. If the seller has vanished, refuses to engage, or never delivered at all, a chargeback through your card issuer may be the practical route. Each has its own clock. Identify yours first, then write the letter that matches it.
Faulty goods: describe, do not vent
A faulty goods letter should be readable by someone who has never seen the item. Say what it does and when: the compartment holds the wrong temperature on three consecutive days, the car stalls when cold, the sofa frame moved within a month. State when the fault appeared, whether it is constant or intermittent, and what triggers it. Attach photographs, a video, or a repairer's note where you have one. Then name the remedy you want and give a reasonable deadline for a reply. Which remedies you can demand, and in what order, is set by consumer law where you bought. Repair or replacement first, then a refund or price reduction, is common but not universal, and the periods differ. Look up your own rule rather than quoting a number from another country.
Cancellations, returns and warranties
A cooling-off cancellation is a right to unwind a contract without giving a reason, and it exists mainly for distance and off-premises sales. It has a short fixed window, it does not apply to everything, since perishables, personalised goods and some digital content are typically excluded, and it is exercised by notifying the seller, not by putting the parcel in the post. Send the notice inside the window, in writing, and keep proof of sending. Many retailers then ask for a return authorisation number before accepting the goods back; get it, and keep the tracking. A warranty claim letter is different again. It enforces a promise the manufacturer made, on its own terms, and using it does not replace whatever rights you have against the seller. You can pursue both.
When the seller will not engage
If the letters are ignored, escalate along the payment or to the regulator. A chargeback request letter asks your card issuer or bank to reverse the transaction, typically where goods never arrived, arrived not as described, or the trader has stopped trading. Scheme rules set the deadline and the evidence required, and those are not the law, so ask your bank what its window is. Some countries also give card users a separate statutory claim against the lender for credit purchases; check whether yours does. Alongside that, most sectors have an ombudsman, tribunal or consumer commission that will take a complaint once the trader's own process is finished. Keep every letter, reply and date, because that file is what any of these routes will look at.
The order to do it in
- Decide which claim you have: fault, cancellation, warranty, or a payment dispute with your bank.
- Gather the receipt, order confirmation, photographs, and any repair or delivery notes in one place.
- Write to the seller describing the fault factually, naming the remedy and a reply deadline.
- If ignored, ask your card issuer or bank about a chargeback within its scheme deadline.
- Take the whole file to the relevant ombudsman, tribunal or consumer body if it stays unresolved.
Common questions
Do I claim from the shop or the manufacturer?
For a faulty item, the shop that sold it is normally the party your consumer rights sit against. A manufacturer's warranty is an extra promise you can also use, often more convenient for repairs but usually narrower and shorter. Sellers who tell you to contact the manufacturer are frequently wrong about your rights, though the exact position depends on the consumer law where you bought.
How long do I have to return something I changed my mind about?
There is a fixed cooling-off period for most distance and off-premises purchases, but its length, start point and exclusions are set by your own country's consumer law. It is usually counted in days from delivery, not from order. Notify the seller in writing inside that window and keep proof; sending the goods back is a separate step with its own deadline. Purchases made in a shop often carry no automatic right at all.
What is a chargeback and when can I use one?
It is a request to your card issuer to reverse a payment, used mainly when goods never arrived, were not as described, or the trader has ceased trading. It runs on the card scheme's rules rather than on consumer law, with its own time limit and evidence requirements. Ask your bank what its deadline is before it passes. It is not a substitute for complaining to the seller first; issuers usually expect to see that you tried.