Consumer guarantees

Consumers have rights for the products and services they buy called consumer guarantees. These are set under the Australian Consumer Law (ACL).

Consumer rights for products

Consumers have the right to expect the products they buy will meet the following consumer guarantees.

Consumer rights for services

Consumers have the right to expect the services they buy will meet the following consumer guarantees.

Warranties

A warranty is a promise made by a business to a consumer when they buy a product or service.

Unfair contract terms

As a supplier, you must ensure your standard form consumer contracts comply with national unfair contract terms laws.

Unsolicited goods and services

Unsolicited supplies occur when goods or services are supplied to a person who has not agreed to purchase or receive them.

Unsolicited agreements

There are a number of requirements in relation to unsolicited consumer agreements.

Cooling-off and cancelling unsolicited contracts

Consumers have 10 business days to reconsider an unsolicited consumer agreement, during which they can cancel the agreement without penalty.

Examples of unsolicited consumer agreements

Some typical examples of situations that may lead to an unsolicited agreement being made are listed in this page.

Door-to-door sales and contracts

Door-to-door sales are a type of unsolicited consumer agreement. 

Telemarketing

If you agree to buy something from a telemarketer you must be given a contract.

Times allowed to contact consumers

There are different times set by law for when a salesperson is allowed to contact you depending on whether the contact is by phone or in person.

Do not knock campaign

If you do not wish to deal with uninvited door to door sellers you should display a Do Not Knock sticker on your front door or near the doorbell.

Do Not Call Register

The Do Not Call Register is a secure database where you can list your Australian numbers to opt out of most unsolicited telemarketing calls and faxes.