For retailers, whiny customers are a fact of life. "Sooo... I bought this glamorous frock on Friday but now it's Monday and it's totally not suitable. No, I don't know how that stain got there. I totally didn't wear it to my friend's wedding." *hopes you don't follow her on Instagram*

So what's the deal with accepting returns of goods? Well, there's a law for that. The Australian Consumer Law is a nationwide law that protects consumers' rights. Under it, your products must meet the following requirements:

  1. they must be of acceptable quality (ie they're safe, last a reasonable period of time and don't have any faults);
  2. they must match their description; and
  3. repairs and spare parts must be reasonably available.

If a product fails any of these, then the customer has the right to a repair, replacement or refund. For major problems, the customer gets to pick which one of these they want. However if the problem is only minor, then you can choose to simply repair (rather than give a replacement or refund).

A problem is major if:

  1. the customer would not have bought the product had they known about it;
  2. it's unsafe;
  3. it's significantly different from the sample or description; or
  4. it doesn't do what you said it would.

You don't have to do anything if the customer simply changes their mind, found it cheaper somewhere else, or decided the style was so last season.

If the product has been misused in a way that caused the problem, or you pointed out the problem before it was sold, then you're off the hook too.

We do not disclaim anything about this article. We're quite proud of it really.