Services provided during the cancellation period

In most circumstances, you should not start any work until the 14-day cooling off period has passed. However, the Consumer Contracts (Information, Cancellation and Additional Charges) Regulations do allow you to begin a service within the cancellation period and charge for these services provided that:

• the customer has expressly requested that you begin within the cancellation period
• you have advised the customer that they will be liable to pay for any services provided up until the point of cancellation
• you make the customer aware and get their acknowledgement that if services are fully performed during the cancellation period, they will lose their right to cancel

Any charges for services provided up to the point of cancellation should be reasonable and proportionate.

If the contract is for goods and services combined, otherwise known as sales contracts, then the customer will still be able to cancel the goods side of the contract and receive a refund. For example, a customer pays for the supply and fitting of a fireplace and asks that you install it within the cancellation period.

In these circumstances, the customer can still remove and return the fireplace for a refund but will be liable for the fitting charges (if you have advised them before the contract was formed that they would be liable for these costs).

If you fail to inform customers that they are liable for any charges for services performed within the cancellation period, fail to provide them with information on their right to cancel or if the customer does not request that you begin the services within the cancellation period, then the customer will not have to pay any charges.