Faulty goods: does opening or repair end my rights?
Not automatically. For consumer purchases, a guarantee exclusion does not remove statutory rights. For business purchases, check the supply terms and any valid limitations. Preserve evidence of the original fault and ask how your work caused it. Cambridge China Bridge can help gather factory records through its staff in China.
Establish which purchase the claim concerns
Check whose name appears as seller on the invoice and whether you bought for business use or personally. Business purchases and your subsequent sales to consumers involve different rights. Ask Trading Standards or a legal adviser which fault-evidence rules apply to stock bought for resale. Our business faulty-goods guide explains that distinction.
For a business purchase, check the agreed specification and supply terms. Ask a legal adviser whether a UK business seller's limitations on implied quality obligations are effective and what tests apply. Do not assume that consumer protection answers your purchasing dispute, or that every business exclusion is effective.
Separate guarantee cover from statutory rights
Ask the seller whether it is refusing an additional guarantee claim, a statutory claim or both. Request the exact exclusion and the guarantee wording supplied with the item. A consumer's statutory rights are unaffected by the guarantee; lack of guarantee cover does not itself settle the statutory claim. See our consumer guarantee guide.
Distinguish opening the packaging from opening the casing, replacing a component or changing settings. Record what actually happened rather than accepting a broad label such as tampering. Ask the seller to explain separately which guarantee condition it relies on and what evidence supports its explanation of the fault.
Record the fault before further work
Send a written fault report with the order details, product identifier, symptoms and when they first appeared. Attach dated photographs, videos, error messages and earlier correspondence. Describe normal use and any tests already performed. Avoid further dismantling solely to obtain photographs, especially if the item could be unsafe.
If you have already repaired or modified it, make an honest chronology. Record who worked on it, what was removed or changed and whether the symptoms changed afterwards. Retain removed parts, repair invoices and original settings where available. Before arranging more work, use our guide to repairing before the seller resolves a fault.
Ask for evidence of the cause
Request an inspection report that identifies the failed part, observations, tests and proposed failure mechanism. Ask how the alteration could produce the reported symptom and whether the original fault was already documented before that alteration. A broken seal records access; ask what further findings connect that access to the failure.
Where the cause remains disputed, consider an independent technical assessment. Ask the assessor to distinguish an original defect, damage introduced during the work and an unresolved cause. Request photographs and an explanation of uncertainty. Agree the inspection scope, costs and handling of removed parts before testing, particularly if testing would destroy evidence.
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Send a focused response to the refusal
Reply with the original fault evidence, the work chronology and the remedy you seek. Ask for a written decision addressing guarantee cover and the statutory claim separately. For consumer claims, ask Trading Standards or a legal adviser who needs to prove a delivery fault for your circumstances and requested remedy; consult our fault-at-delivery evidence guide when preparing your questions.
If the work introduced additional damage, identify it separately from the original complaint. Do not present an inconclusive report as proof that either party caused the failure. Cambridge China Bridge's staff in China can help gather factory test records, component details and production observations to support the technical investigation.
Frequently asked questions
Does opening my item void all my rights?
For a consumer purchase, a guarantee condition does not remove statutory rights. For a business purchase, check the supply terms. Record whether you opened packaging, the casing or changed components.
Can the seller refuse because I repaired it myself?
Ask whether the refusal concerns guarantee cover or statutory rights. Document the fault before the repair and request evidence explaining how the repair affected the failure. Do not assume every remedy remains available.
What if I have no photographs from before the repair?
Gather earlier messages, fault logs, repairer notes and retained parts. Explain which records were made before the work and which afterwards. Ask an assessor what conclusions the remaining evidence supports.
Does the consumer fault presumption cover business stock?
No. Buying stock for resale is a business transaction. Check your specification and supply terms, and keep evidence connecting the original defect to the supplied goods.