An online shop receives a return request
Classify whether the customer changed their mind or alleges a fault, then apply the relevant cancellation or remedy process instead of using one blanket refund rule.
Customers · UK business guide
Ecommerce and Consumer Law
Align checkout design, product information, cancellation, renewals, refunds and complaints with the promises in customer-facing terms.
Jurisdiction: United Kingdom.
At a glance
- 01
Map the customer journey
Review advertising, checkout, confirmation, delivery, cancellation, renewal and complaint touchpoints.
- 02
Check mandatory rights
Separate statutory consumer rights from voluntary warranties, deposits and commercial policies.
- 03
Make terms operational
Ensure notices, buttons, emails, refund processes and support teams match the written terms.
What this guide covers
Make the legal decisions in the right order
Selling online is not just publishing terms and a refund page. Product descriptions, prices, checkout controls, confirmation emails, delivery promises, cancellation steps, customer support and complaints handling all form part of the legal system customers experience. A well-drafted document cannot fix a checkout that hides mandatory fees, adds paid extras without an active choice or makes cancellation unreasonably difficult.
Start by identifying what you sell, who buys it and where the contract is formed. Then map the journey from advertising to complaints, apply the right rules to goods, services, digital content and subscriptions, and make sure your website, written terms and staff processes give the same answer. The linked articles deal with narrower questions in more detail.
Decision path
Work through the issue before committing to a course of action
Start with the first stage, then follow the sections that match the route you identify. Keep a written record of the facts, evidence and decisions.
- 01
Identify the sale before writing the terms
Work out exactly what you sell, who buys it and where the contract is formed before drafting any terms.
- Consumer or business. Consumer protections are most relevant when an individual buys mainly outside their trade or profession. Business purchases can follow different rules.
- Type of supply. Classify each offer as goods, services, digital content or a mixture. Cancellation rights and remedies are not identical across these categories.
- Sales channel. Record whether the sale happens on your website, in an app, through social media or on a marketplace. Confirm whether your business or the platform is the trader.
- Why it matters. This map determines which disclosures, terms, taxes, delivery promises and support processes should appear at each touchpoint.
Checks to make
- Confirm whether each customer journey is for consumers, businesses or both.
- Classify every product, service, digital item and bundled offer.
- Record who takes payment and who is contractually responsible to the customer.
- 02
Build compliance into the checkout
Treat pricing and checkout as one legal journey, from the first advert to the final payment button.
- Total price. Show the total price, including unavoidable fees, taxes and charges, at every invitation to purchase. If the total cannot reasonably be calculated, explain the calculation as prominently as the partial price.
- Pre-contract information. Before the customer commits, show the trader's identity, the main product characteristics, delivery arrangements, contract duration and relevant cancellation information.
- Active choices. Optional paid extras must require express consent. The final order control must state 'pay now' or use another equally unambiguous payment formulation.
- Whole journey. Review adverts, promotional claims, countdowns, reviews and pricing alongside the checkout. Misleading information earlier in the journey can still influence the purchase.
The current unfair commercial practices regime has applied since 6 April 2025 and addresses conduct including drip pricing and fake reviews.
Checks to make
- Show the total mandatory price at each invitation to purchase, including early-stage advertising.
- Remove pre-selected paid extras and obtain an active customer choice.
- Test the journey from advert to confirmation on mobile and desktop.
- 03
Separate cancellation rights from fault remedies
A customer changing their mind is legally different from receiving something faulty, misdescribed or poorly performed. Run the two through separate processes.
- Cooling-off rights. Many distance sales have a cooling-off framework. The starting date, exceptions and refund process depend on whether you supply goods, services or digital content.
- Fault remedies. Faulty goods, substandard services and defective digital content have separate remedies under the Consumer Rights Act 2015.
- Support decision path. Give support staff a path that classifies the request, gathers the right evidence, offers the appropriate remedy and meets the applicable deadline, without promising rights that do not apply.
A blanket no-refunds statement or a non-refundable deposit cannot remove mandatory consumer rights.
Checks to make
- Run separate workflows for change-of-mind requests and faulty supply.
- Document any cancellation exception and the facts needed to rely on it.
- Align policy wording, support scripts and payment processing with the same rules.
- 04
Manage subscriptions, complaints and change
Subscriptions need prominent renewal terms, reliable evidence of what the customer accepted and a cancellation route that works in practice.
- Current law. Existing rules on unfair practices, contract fairness, transparency and distance contracts apply to subscriptions now.
- Spring 2027 regime. As at 2 August 2026, the separate subscription-contract regime under the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act is expected to begin in spring 2027.
- Plan ahead. Design renewal reminders and easier cancellation with the expected regime in mind, then verify the commencement position before launch.
- Learn from complaints. Use complaints data to correct repeated problems in descriptions, delivery promises, checkout wording and staff processes.
The future subscription duties are not yet in force. Do not present them as current law.
Checks to make
- Keep a dated record of the terms and renewal information each customer accepted.
- Check current law separately from subscription duties expected in spring 2027.
- Assign owners for complaints, refunds, legal updates and recurring journey reviews.
Common situations
Where businesses usually need to slow down and check the detail
A free trial converts to a subscription
Make the price, renewal timing and cancellation method clear before sign-up, preserve acceptance evidence and recheck the expected spring 2027 regime before it begins.
A marketplace handles the checkout
Confirm whether the marketplace or seller contracts with the buyer and make responsibility for payment, fulfilment, returns and complaints consistent across the listing and terms.
A digital service starts immediately
Check the information, express request and acknowledgement needed before starting during a cancellation period, then retain evidence of the customer's decision.
Selected reading
Understand the issue before deciding what to do next
Start with these articles for the key rules, then check the official sources before you act.
Online selling rules and regulationsCheck the information, ordering, delivery and cancellation duties that shape an online customer journey.Consumer Rights Act 2015 essentialsDistinguish the statutory standards and remedies that apply to goods, services and digital content.Clickwrap agreements for online contractsDesign a clearer process for showing and accepting terms during checkout or account creation.How long a refund should takeIdentify the refund trigger and deadline after a cancellation, return or faulty supply.Non-refundable depositsCheck the risks before calling a deposit non-refundable or retaining it after a customer cancels.Automatic subscription renewalsReview current renewal terms and prepare for the separate subscription regime expected in spring 2027.Legal risks of fake reviewsAudit review collection, moderation, incentives and publication against current unfair-practices rules.
Primary sources
- CMA consumer protection compliance guidance
CMA guidance identifying the consumer protection rules that apply across selling, pricing and customer communications.
- GOV.UK online and distance selling rules
Government guidance verifying pre-contract information, cancellation and fulfilment duties for distance sales.
- Consumer Rights Act 2015
Primary legislation setting statutory standards, remedies and unfair-terms rules for consumer contracts.
- Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013
The official information and cancellation requirements for distance and off-premises contracts.
- CMA unfair commercial practices guidance
CMA guidance verifying the pricing, review and omission rules in force since April 2025.
- CMA fair contract terms guidance
CMA guidance for testing whether customer terms are clear, balanced and likely to satisfy fairness requirements.
- CMA price transparency guidance
Check the regulator's current rules for presenting total prices, mandatory charges and pricing information at an invitation to purchase.
- Government response on the subscription-contract regime
Track the planned implementation of the future subscription-contract rules without presenting them as duties already in force.
Source links checked 2 August 2026. Confirm the current rule before acting.
Questions businesses ask
Quick answers before you take the next step
These answers are general. Check the relevant documents and current official guidance for your particular facts.
Can an online shop say that it does not offer refunds?
A business may be able to limit voluntary change-of-mind returns, but it cannot exclude statutory remedies for faulty, misdescribed or otherwise non-compliant goods, services or digital content.
Does every online customer get exactly 14 days to cancel?
No. The right, starting point and exceptions depend on what is supplied and how the contract was made, so personalised goods, dated services and digital content can require different analysis.
How should customers accept website terms?
Present important terms before purchase and obtain clear evidence of acceptance, with a deliberate click or checkbox generally providing stronger evidence than a footer link alone.
What price should an online business display?
Show the total price and unavoidable mandatory charges at the point required by current pricing rules, while optional extras should depend on the customer's active choice.
Are the new statutory subscription rules already operating?
The unfair commercial practices regime is already operating, but as at 2 August 2026 the separate subscription-contract regime is expected in spring 2027 and should be checked again before implementation.
Need help putting this into practice?
Put the right documents and advice behind your decision
Website terms and conditionsBest when a website needs terms tailored to its products, checkout, delivery and customer process.View fixed-fee serviceReturns and exchanges policyTurn statutory rights and voluntary returns into a clear process for customers and staff.View fixed-fee serviceSubscription compliance reviewBest for reviewing renewal disclosures, acceptance evidence, cancellation and preparation for upcoming changes.View fixed-fee serviceConsumer law consultationBest when a product, promotion, refund dispute or customer journey needs issue-specific legal advice.View fixed-fee service
This guide is general information, not legal, tax or financial advice. The right path depends on the entity, documents and commercial facts.
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