Consumer and Contract Disputes

Our Personal Disputes team advises clients on a wide range of consumer and contract disputes, working closely with our expert Corporate and Commercial team.

When a dispute arises that cannot be resolved simply or satisfactorily through dialogue with a trader, manufacturer or other provider of goods or services, we will help you understand your rights and your options to achieve a satisfactory outcome.

The Consumer Rights Act (CRA) 2015 protects your rights when buying goods, services and digital content and requires sellers to comply with the Trading Standards Regulations.

Typical consumer disputes include:

• faulty/defective goods being received
• inadequate or incompetent service – such as poor or faulty installation
• being refused a refund or the business failing to engage
• delays in the supply of goods or services
• disagreements over the price charged for work undertaken

We will advise on your consumer rights and assist if it is cost effective for you to do so. For example, if the value of your claim is less than £10,000 it will be a Small Claims action and you will not be to recover any costs, meaning that your legal costs will far outweigh any recovery you may be awarded, even if you are successful – which is not certain.

Contract disputes arise when there has been a breakdown of a contractual relationship – usually to provide goods to a specified standard or within a specified timeframe. For private individuals, this kind of dispute often arises with builders and other tradespeople, or as issues arising out of ‘snagging’ in relation to new properties.

Whether you are an individual or a customer it is important to get the right advice on navigating any contractual dispute to ensure that your approach has the best chance of achieving a positive outcome for you. Our team will advise advice on your options, explain the jargon and help you to resolve the dispute as quickly and cost-efficiently as possible.

Fees for consumer and contractual disputes

We approach each consumer or contractual dispute on a case-by-case basis, offering a range of funding options and always seeking to provide strategies that are as economical as possible.

Find out more about our fees here.