Buying a service
When you pay for a service from a business, the Consumer Rights Act 2015 gives you legal protection. The law sets out what you should expect from the service and what you can do if things go wrong. This guide explains the standards a service must meet and the remedies available if those standards are not met.
Understanding “reasonable care and skill”
When you pay a business to carry out a service, the law says they must do the job with reasonable care and skill. This means the service should meet the standard you would expect from any competent professional in that field.
If the business makes a mistake and does not meet this standard, you have specific rights under consumer law. These include asking the company to redo the service, asking for money back, or claiming any extra costs you have had to pay because of their error.
When you can ask for the service to be done again
If the service was not carried out properly, you can ask the company to put things right. This is known as a repeat performance.
For example, if a company made an error with your flight booking, fixing the problem could mean rebooking you onto another suitable flight. The business must do this within a reasonable time and without causing unnecessary inconvenience.
When you can ask for a price reduction
If the company cannot fix the problem, or if they take too long to put it right, you may be entitled to a price reduction. This means getting some of your money back.
The amount you can claim depends on how much of the service you actually received. Sometimes this will be only part of what you paid. However, if the mistake meant the service had no value to you at all, you may be able to argue for a full refund.
An example might be missing your flight entirely because of the business’s mistake. In that situation, a full refund is likely to be reasonable.
Claiming extra costs (consequential loss)
If the mistake caused you to lose money in other ways, you may be able to claim those additional costs. These are known as consequential losses.
For example, if you missed a non refundable hotel stay because the company made an error, you may ask them to cover that cost.
What you need to remember
The law expects both you and the company to behave reasonably. Before making your own arrangements, you should give the business a fair chance to fix the problem. Keep any emails, messages, or other evidence showing you tried to let them put things right.
If you do need to book something yourself because of what happened, try to keep the cost as low as possible and keep your receipts. If you act unreasonably or spend more than necessary, it may affect what you can claim back.
Last reviewed 10 April 2026
