Consumers

Consumer guarantees- your basic rights

In most cases, when you buy goods or services from a business you have automatic rights under Australian Consumer Law (ACL). If your purchase is covered by consumer guarantees, you can ask the business to repair, replace, refund or cancel what you bought, depending on your circumstances. 

For more information, see Problems with the goods or service. 

When consumer guarantees do not apply

Consumer guarantees do not apply in all situations. You may not have consumer rights under the ACL if:

• you buy goods for business use worth more than $100,000 (or $40,000 if the goods or services were supplied before 1 July 2021) 

• you buy something in a private sale

• you buy something from a business outside Australia

• you buy something at an auction

• you buy a financial service or product, such as insurance or a loan.

For more information, see When consumer guarantees don’t apply.

For more information about disputes with financial services or products see Disputes with banks or credit providers. In many cases, the Australian Financial Complaints Authority (AFCA) can hear these complaints. For more information see Complaints AFCA can deal with on the AFCA website.

Warranties 

A warranty is an extra promise that a business can give you. It sits on top of consumer guarantees, and does not replace them.

For more information, see Warranties on the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission website (ACCC) website. To see how warranties apply to a motor vehicle purchase, see Problems with a motor vehicle you bought from a dealer. 

Consumer contracts

A contract is the agreement you make with the business. A contract can be made with verbal agreement, in writing or a mix of both. For more information on contracts and unfair terms, see Contracts on the ACCC website.

How to resolve a dispute

If there is a problem with goods or services that you bought, the first step is to contact the business and explain the issue. If no agreement can be reached, you may be able to make a complaint to an external service. For more information, see Negotiating with the business and making a complaint.

NSW Civil and Administrative Tribunal (NCAT) 

If you have a dispute where you can’t make an agreement by talking to the business or by making a complaint through an external service, you may be able to make a consumer claim at NCAT. NCAT can make different kinds of orders depending on your circumstances. For more information, see Making a consumer claim in NCAT. 

Last updated: June 2026