Know Your Rights: Sale of Goods & Services
Know Your Rights: Sale of Goods & Services
Items in this lesson
Know Your Rights: Sale of Goods & Services
What do you already know about your rights when buying goods or services?
Learning Objective
At the end of the lesson you will understand your rights under the Sale of Goods and Supply of Services Act 1980, including the standards goods must meet and your redress options if things go wrong.
Introduction to Consumer Rights
Consumer rights protect you when buying goods or services. The law ensures sellers treat buyers fairly and offer products that meet specific standards.
What Does the Act Cover?
The Sale of Goods and Supply of Services Act 1980 sets rules for both goods and services. It ensures buyers get goods that are of merchantable quality, fit for purpose, as described, and match any sample shown.
Merchantable Quality Explained
Goods must be of reasonable quality and suitable for buying, taking into account price and description. Faulty or damaged items do not meet this requirement.
Fit for Purpose & As Described
Goods must do what they are meant to do and match any claims made about them. If a seller says a jacket is waterproof, it must keep out rain.
Matching the Sample
If you buy a product based on a sample (like fabric or paint), the delivered item must match the quality and appearance of that sample.
Redress: The 3R’s
If goods or services fail to meet standards, you can seek: Repair – fixing the issue, Refund – getting money back, or Replacement – a new product.
Examples of Rights in Action
Broken Headphones
Faulty Service
If new headphones stop working after one week, you can choose a repair, refund, or replacement.
If a plumber fails to fix a leak properly, you are entitled to have the work redone or receive compensation.
Key Takeaways: Know and Use Your Rights
Reflection: Check Your Understanding
What should you do if you receive goods that don’t match the sample you saw in-store? Can you name the three types of redress available?
Write down 3 things you learned in this lesson.
Write down 2 things you want to know more about.
Ask 1 question about something you haven't quite understood yet.
