If a service has been carried out badly, late or not at all, you may have more than a general right to complain. This guide explains the main remedies under the Consumer Rights Act 2015, shows how to estimate a reasonable price reduction or related loss, and provides a practical complaint structure you can adapt before considering ADR or a small claim.
Overview
When you buy a service as a consumer, the trader is generally expected to carry it out with reasonable care and skill. Where the service has not been completed by an agreed date, it may also need to be completed within a reasonable time. If no price was agreed, the amount charged may need to be reasonable in the circumstances.
Examples of a faulty or poorly performed service include decorating that leaves visible defects, a repair that fails because the work was inadequate, professional work that omits an agreed task, or a service that does not match its description. A disappointing result is not automatically a legal breach: the key questions are what was promised, what a reasonably competent provider would have done, and what evidence shows the difference.
The usual remedies are:
- Repeat performance: asking the trader to carry out the service again or correct the defective work, without charging you again.
- Price reduction: seeking a reduction where repeat performance is impossible, has not been provided within a reasonable time, would cause significant inconvenience, or would not solve the problem.
- Reasonable repair or completion costs: recovering a properly evidenced additional cost may be possible where another provider is needed, subject to the contract, the facts and the usual requirement to take reasonable steps to limit loss.
- Cancellation or ending the contract: this may be relevant where the breach is serious or the statutory conditions for a price reduction are met. The practical effect depends on how much of the service was properly supplied.
- Consequential losses: some additional losses may be recoverable if they were caused by the failure and were reasonably foreseeable, but they must be evidenced and should not result in double recovery.
These remedies are not a menu for claiming every possible amount. The appropriate outcome usually aims to put you in the position you would have been in had the service been performed properly, rather than provide a windfall.
How to estimate your remedy
Start with a simple service-failure assessment. Write down:
- What you asked the trader to do.
- What the quotation, contract, advert or messages promised.
- What was actually done, including dates and defects.
- Whether the trader has already had a fair opportunity to put matters right.
- What remedy would realistically fix the problem.
For a potential price reduction, use this working estimate:
Estimated reduction = price paid × reasonable proportion of the service that was not supplied properly.
This is only a negotiating tool, not a guaranteed court formula. For example, if a £1,000 service was mostly completed but a clearly identifiable part worth approximately 25% was defective and cannot sensibly be repeated, a starting estimate might be £250. The percentage should be supported by the scope of the missing or defective work, not simply by how dissatisfied you feel.
For repair or completion costs, use:
Estimated loss = reasonable third-party cost + evidenced direct expenses − amounts already refunded or saved.
Obtain written quotes where possible. A high quote from a preferred supplier may be challenged if a comparable, competent alternative was reasonably available. Avoid authorising extensive replacement work before giving the original trader a reasonable chance to inspect or correct the issue, unless delay would worsen the damage or create a safety risk. Keep photographs, reports, invoices and messages explaining why urgent action was necessary.
Inputs and assumptions
Your estimate is more reliable when each input is recorded. Keep a table containing the agreed price, payments made, the value of work completed satisfactorily, the estimated cost of correcting the failure, and any additional loss caused by it.
Separate direct correction costs from consequential losses. A replacement part or remedial labour is usually easier to evidence than an indirect inconvenience or lost opportunity. For an additional loss, ask whether it was caused by the service failure, foreseeable when the contract was made, and reasonably limited once you became aware of it.
Check the contract for terms about complaints, warranties, inspections and dispute resolution. A trader cannot simply remove statutory consumer rights through a standard term, although the contract may help establish what was agreed. Do not assume that a “no refunds” statement settles a faulty service dispute.
Timing also matters. Keep a dated record of the failure, your notification, every attempted repair and the trader’s responses. Limitation rules differ according to the nature of the claim and the part of the UK involved, so check the position before relying on an old claim. The UK legal time limits and limitation periods guide can help you identify questions to investigate.
Worked examples
Example 1: repeat performance is realistic
A consumer pays for a room to be decorated. The finish is patchy and several agreed areas were missed. The trader is contacted promptly, the defects are clearly listed, and another visit could correct the work without major disruption. The strongest first request is usually repeat performance at no extra charge, with a reasonable completion date. A refund demand may be premature if the trader has not yet had a fair opportunity to correct the work.
Example 2: a price reduction after an unsuccessful attempt
A repair service costs £600. The trader attempts a fix, but the original fault remains and a second visit would not address the underlying problem. An independent provider quotes £180 for a reasonable correction. The consumer should preserve the report and quote, explain why further repeat performance is not suitable, and seek the reasonable remedial cost or an appropriate reduction, taking account of any value received and amounts already paid back.
Example 3: part of the service was never supplied
A package includes three specified deliverables for £900, but one deliverable is absent and is separately identifiable. If the missing element reasonably represents one-third of the agreed package, £300 may be a starting negotiation figure. The consumer should support that estimate with the quotation, the deliverables list and evidence that the trader has not supplied the omitted work.
When to recalculate and what to do next
Recalculate after every inspection, attempted repair, new quote, partial refund or further failure. Your position may improve if the trader misses an agreed correction date, repeats the same defect or confirms that it cannot complete the work. It may change if the trader offers a suitable remedy or if new evidence shows that a third party caused the problem.
Send a concise written complaint. State the contract date, service price, promised work, failures, evidence, remedy requested and a reasonable response deadline. You can use the complaint letter templates for refunds, poor service and repairs or the formal complaint letter toolkit to organise it.
If the response is inadequate, check whether the trader belongs to an approved ADR scheme or an industry complaints process. Keep the evidence bundle together before escalating or considering court action; the small claims evidence checklist covers the documents commonly needed. Before issuing a claim, send a suitable letter before action and check the relevant procedure and time limit. Estimates are useful for negotiation, but the final remedy depends on the contract, evidence and facts of the dispute.
