New Rules for Refunding Digital Goods in the UK

A variety of new laws have been put into place by the act, which the Citizen’s Advice Bureau say will allow consumers and businesses to buy and sell with much more confidence.

The act also enshrines the rights for purchasing digital content for the first time in the UK, including online purchased games, films, music and e-books.

This is especially relevant to gamers who regularly purchase digital content. From now on, all digital content in the UK must be of a satisfactory quality, be fit for purpose, and meet the purchaser’s expectations.

If the product does not meet these rights of the customer, they are then entitled to a 30 day long refund period. Customers are also entitled to a repair or replacement of a faulty product, even after 30 days.

Should a consumer have a difficulty or dispute with a retailer, there is now an Alternative Dispute Resolution system which will help to solve the issue.

Potentially substantial consequences are now made possible by the updated Consumer Rights Act. If a game ships in a particularly unsatisfactory condition, such as Assassin’s Creed: Unity’s buggy state of release, purchasers are covered by the act if they want to return the game.

Perhaps this will lead developers to spend more time refining their games instead of allowing them to be released needing patches and updates. However, as discussed by MCVUK, there is a delicate balance between creating a quality product and a product that ships on time.

At any rate, these new consumer rights will give some more security to gamers who purchase digital content. If you want to learn more about the Consumer Rights Bill, you can do so at this link or by calling the Citizen’s Advice helpline at 03454 04 05 06.