Reasonable time

Repair and replacement have to be carried out within a reasonable time and without significant inconvenience for the consumer (if this is not possible the consumer should select an alternative remedy). The retailer has to bear any costs such as transporting the goods. Complaints have to be judged on a case-by-case basis and take account of all the circumstances including:

the nature of the goods;
the purpose for which they were bought; and
their importance to that particular customer.

It is difficult to define "reasonable time" here just as it is to specify the "reasonable time" for rejecting a good. Normally, a reasonable time would be a matter of days for electrical goods. Repair might then not be feasible but a replacement might be appropriate.

With a fridge, the lack of an alternative during hot summer months would weigh heavily in the analysis of this crucial household item but the provision of a loaned item might prove part of a successful remedy and so avoid "significant inconvenience".