Consumer contracts delivery and risk
Your responsibilities when delivering goods to consumers and how risk is determined and when customers have a right to treat a contract as ended.
It is your responsibility as a trader to deliver goods that you have sold to a consumer unless you have agreed otherwise.
If you have not agreed a date for delivery, you must deliver the goods no later than 30 days after the order has been made.
Consumers can treat a contract as ended, and request a full refund, if:
- you refuse to deliver the goods
- you don't deliver within the agreed time and it's clear from circumstances, or from what the consumer tells you, that delivery by the agreed time was essential
- the consumer specified an appropriate delivery period, which you failed to meet
If you fail to deliver part of a contract for a variety of goods on time, a consumer can decide to cancel that part or cancel the whole order and return the goods which have already been delivered. You must reimburse the consumer without delay for cancelled or returned goods.
Goods remain your responsibility until they have come into the physical possession of the consumer or someone, they have appointed to receive them. If your carrier fails to deliver the goods, or they deliver to the wrong address, you are responsible for them - not the consumer.
However, if the consumer agrees to use their own delivery carrier, you cease to be responsible once that carrier has received the goods.