Consumer Law for Repair Shops: US, UK, Canada and Australia

1. Key points

In the UK, a repair must be done with reasonable care and skill. If it isn't, the customer can ask you to redo it at your cost, or for a price reduction.
In Australia, repairs come with consumer guarantees (due care and skill, fit for purpose, a reasonable time). A minor failure must be fixed for free.
In the US and Canada, the rules come mainly from state and provincial law. The federal warranty law in the US applies when your written warranty covers both parts and workmanship.
Your own warranty is a promise you choose to make, alongside what the law already gives the customer.
Items left uncollected still belong to the customer. Several places have a law that sets out notice and sale steps; follow it, and get advice before selling or disposing of anything.

2. The law and your warranty are two different things

The law sets a minimum: the standard every repair has to meet, and what the customer can ask for when it doesn't. Your warranty is a promise you choose to make on top, such as “90 days on the work and parts.”

That's why a warranty that has expired doesn't always end the conversation, and why wording such as “no responsibility for anything” can cause more trouble than it saves. For deciding your own warranty and handling comebacks, see repair warranty policy.

3. What the law expects of a repair, by country

Country	The standard	When a repair fails
United Kingdom	A service must be performed with reasonable care and skill. What you say or write to the customer about the service can become part of the contract.	The customer can ask you to do the work again at your cost. If that's impossible or not done in a reasonable time, they can ask for a price reduction, which can be up to the full price.
Australia	Services come with consumer guarantees: provided with due care and skill, fit for any purpose the customer made known, and delivered within a reasonable time.	Minor failure: you must fix the problem for free; if you don't, the customer can have it fixed elsewhere at your cost or cancel. Major failure: the customer can cancel for a refund (less a reasonable amount for work done) or keep the service at a lower price.
United States	No single federal standard for repair work. Implied warranties come from state law.	Depends on the state. The federal warranty law covers written warranties on consumer products, and it applies when your written warranty covers both the parts and the workmanship of a repair.
Canada	Set by each province's consumer protection law.	Depends on the province. Check your provincial consumer protection office.

4. United Kingdom: the Consumer Rights Act 2015

Reasonable care and skill (section 49). Every contract to supply a service includes this term.
What you say is binding (section 50). What you say or write to the customer about the service, and that they take into account, can become part of the contract. Keep promises on tickets and estimates realistic.
Reasonable price and time (sections 51 and 52). If no price was agreed, the customer pays a reasonable price and no more. If no time was agreed, the work must be done within a reasonable time.
Repeat performance (section 55). The customer can require you to do the work again, at your cost, within a reasonable time and without significant inconvenience.
Price reduction (section 56). If repeating the work is impossible or isn't done in time, the customer can require a price reduction, which can be up to the full price.

5. Australia: consumer guarantees for services

Under the Australian Consumer Law, services come with three guarantees: due care and skill (work at least as good as a competent provider with average skills and experience), fit for any purpose the customer told you about, and delivered within a reasonable time.

Minor failure: you must fix the problem for free. If you can't or won't, the customer can have it fixed elsewhere at your cost, or cancel and be compensated.
Major failure: the customer can cancel and get a refund, less a reasonable amount for work already done, or keep the contract at a lower price.
Repairs that may lose data or use refurbished parts: the ACCC says repairers must give a repair notice saying so, which matters for phone and computer repairs.

6. United States: written warranties and state law

No business has to give a written warranty. The federal Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act doesn't require one.
Services alone aren't covered, but repairs can be. The FTC says the Act doesn't apply to warranties on services, only on goods. If your warranty covers both the parts used in a repair and the workmanship, the Act does apply.
Implied warranties are state law. If you give a written warranty on a consumer product, you can't also disclaim the implied warranties.
Repair liens are state law too. Many states give repairers the right to keep an item until paid, with their own notice and sale steps (California is an example below).

7. Items customers never collect

A finished repair on your shelf still belongs to the customer. Before any law matters, most uncollected items are solved by contact: tell them the day it's ready, remind them after a week or two, and send a final dated notice in writing. Keep a record of each attempt. See ready-for-pickup messages for wording.

If that fails, these are examples of laws that set out the steps:

Where	Law	What it sets out
England, Wales and Northern Ireland	Torts (Interference with Goods) Act 1977, section 12 and Schedule 1	Once the repair is done, you can give written notice of your intention to sell, by registered letter or recorded delivery, naming the date on or after which you'll sell. The notice period must give a reasonable chance to collect, and at least three months if money is owed. No notice or sale while the amount claimed is in dispute.
New South Wales, Australia	Uncollected Goods Act 1995	Goods under $1,000: notice (verbal or written) with 14 days. $1,000 to $20,000: written notice with 28 days, then sale by public auction or private sale at fair value. Over $20,000: only with an application to the Tribunal. Other states have their own laws.
Ontario, Canada	Repair and Storage Liens Act	A repairer has a lien and may keep the item until paid. The repairer may sell after 60 days from when payment was due (or the repair was completed, if no due date was agreed), with written notice at least 15 days before the sale.
California, US	Civil Code sections 3051 and 3052	A person who repairs an item at the owner's request has a lien for reasonable charges and may keep it until paid. If not paid within 10 days of the charges becoming due, the item may be sold at public auction after published notice. Other sections set exceptions and other procedures.

In the UK, the trader guidance from Business Companion (run by the Chartered Trading Standards Institute) also covers putting up a clearly visible notice in the shop saying how long repaired goods are kept. Wherever you are, get advice from a lawyer or your local consumer protection office before selling or disposing of anything.

8. What to put in your drop-off terms

Most disputes start with something nobody wrote down. Show these at drop-off and get the customer's agreement:

Your warranty: how long, what it covers, what it doesn't (see the repair warranty guide)
Diagnostic or cancellation fees, and when they apply
How long you hold finished repairs, and how you'll contact the customer before taking any further step
The item's condition at drop-off: scratches, missing parts, accessories
For phones and computers: whether data may be lost and whether refurbished parts may be used

Keep the wording plain and fair, and if you're unsure whether a term is allowed, ask your consumer protection office or a lawyer. For fees, see diagnostic and cancellation fees; for the ticket itself, see the repair work order form.

9. Drop-off terms, redos and reminders in Repair Karte

In Repair Karte, the last step of check-in shows your drop-off terms and takes the customer's signature on screen, on every plan. You write the terms yourself, and the signature stays on the repair record.

When a repair comes back, check it in as a redo from the original record, marked in or out of warranty, and both records link to each other. From Standard, customers get an email when the repair is done, and a pickup reminder can go out once after the number of days you choose.

The timeline on a repair record in Repair Karte, with each status change and message in order — The timeline on a repair record: when the item came in, when it was ready, and when the customer was told.

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10. Frequently asked questions

What does UK consumer law say about repairs?

Under the Consumer Rights Act 2015, a repair service must be performed with reasonable care and skill. If it isn't, the customer can require the trader to do it again at the trader's cost, and if that's impossible or not done in a reasonable time, to reduce the price, which can be up to the full price.

What are the consumer guarantees for repairs in Australia?

Services must be provided with due care and skill, be fit for any purpose the customer made known, and be delivered within a reasonable time. For a minor failure the business must fix the problem for free; for a major failure the customer can cancel for a refund or keep the contract at a lower price.

Does the Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act apply to repair shops?

The FTC says the Act doesn't apply to warranties on services alone. If a repair shop's written warranty covers both the parts used and the workmanship, the Act does apply.

Can I sell a repair that the customer never collected?

Only by following the law where you are. In England, Wales and Northern Ireland, the Torts (Interference with Goods) Act 1977 requires written notice by registered or recorded post, with at least three months if money is owed. NSW, Ontario and California have their own steps. Get legal advice first.

11. Sources

Checked as of November 2026 on these official pages. Rules change, so check the latest version before you rely on them.

This page is general information, not legal advice. How the law applies depends on the item, the agreement and where you are; check with a lawyer or your consumer protection office.

Doing this in Repair Karte

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Consumer Law for Repair Shops: Repair Guarantees, Comebacks and Uncollected Items in the US, UK, Canada and Australia