Restrictions to customer’s rights under the Act
Customers cannot claim for disclosed defects, wear and tear, damage they caused, or change-of-mind returns.
A customer won’t be able to ask for a refund, repair or replacement for any defects that were pointed out before they bought goods or if the defects would have been obvious to the customer when they were examining them before purchase.
They also cannot claim for damages they cause to goods, services or digital content.
If you provide a service with reasonable care and skill, but it does not achieve the consumer's desired outcome, the customer will not have grounds to claim unless there was an agreement to provide that specific outcome.
If a customer purchases in your shop or at another normal place of business, they do not have a right to cancel if they simply change their mind. The rules are different for distance and off-premises sales – see right to cancel consumer contracts.
A customer cannot make a claim under the Act for any goods or services that fail due to normal wear and tear.
For perishable goods like flowers or food, the right to reject usually only lasts for the product’s expected lifespan, such as the expiry date.
The standard 30 day right to reject applies to seasonal goods. For example, if a customer buys a Christmas gift in October and only discovers a fault on Christmas day, they no longer have a short term right to reject. Instead, they are entitled to repair, replacement or price reduction. However, you may offer a longer right to reject seasonal goods at your discretion.