Bad Service From a Trader? What You Can Ask For (UK)
Services are covered differently from goods, and the difference decides what you can realistically ask for. You are usually not entitled to walk away and pay nothing — but you are entitled to more than an apology.
The short answer
Under the Consumer Rights Act 2015 a service must be carried out with reasonable care and skill, within a reasonable time where no time was agreed, and for a reasonable price where no price was agreed. Where a service falls short, the main remedies are repeat performance — the trader putting it right at no extra cost — or, where that is impossible or not done within a reasonable time, a price reduction.
Contents
What "reasonable care and skill" means in practice
It is the standard a competent person doing that job would meet — not perfection, and not the best possible outcome. That boundary matters: a complaint that a job is imperfect will usually fail, while a complaint that it falls below what a competent trader would produce is the one that succeeds.
Making the standard argument
- Describe what is objectively wrong, not that you are unhappy with it
- Photograph the work, and anything that shows the standard
- Note anything that was agreed and not done
- If a time was agreed and missed, say so — that is a separate failing
Repeat performance usually comes before money
The normal first remedy is that the trader puts the work right at no extra cost. Asking straight for a refund often gets refused for that reason. If repeat performance is impossible, or the trader will not do it within a reasonable time, a price reduction becomes the remedy instead.
Where a price was never agreed
If you did not agree a price in advance, the trader is entitled to a reasonable one — not whatever appears on the invoice. If the bill looks far above the market rate, ask for a breakdown and compare it against quotes for the same work. That comparison is the substance of the dispute.
If the trader will not put it right
Many trades have an ADR or ombudsman scheme, and some belong to a trade association with its own complaints process. Where the work was paid for by card, the card routes may also be open. Keep the complaint factual and specific — a third party reading it later needs to see the standard shortfall, not the frustration.
Poor service complaint
Edit this template with your facts, dates, and requested outcome before sending.
Subject: Complaint about [service] carried out on [date] Dear [Trader], You carried out [describe the work] at [location] on [date], for [amount]. The work has not been done to a reasonable standard: [describe plainly and specifically what is wrong — what you can see, what does not work, what was left undone]. Under the Consumer Rights Act 2015 a service must be performed with reasonable care and skill. I am asking you to [return and put the work right at no further cost / provide an appropriate reduction in the price], and to confirm in writing within 14 days what you will do. Kind regards, [Your Name]
Common mistakes to avoid
- Asking for a full refund first, when repeat performance is the normal starting remedy
- Describing the work as "terrible" without saying what is objectively wrong with it
- Not photographing the work before anyone returns to alter it
- Paying the full invoice and then complaining, which weakens the negotiating position
- Missing that a missed agreed deadline is a separate failing worth stating
- Not asking for an itemised breakdown when no price was agreed in advance
Next steps
- 1Photograph the work and note exactly what falls short
- 2Find what was agreed — quote, messages, or what was said and when
- 3Write to the trader asking for repeat performance, with a deadline
- 4If that fails or is refused, ask for a price reduction instead
- 5Check for an ADR, ombudsman or trade association route
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