For consumers / Services not done properly
Services not done properly
Repairs, installations, renovations, cleaning, events, courses: the law sets a minimum standard for services sold to consumers.
In short
- Services must be done with due care and skill, fit for the purpose you made known and finished in a reasonable time.
- A failure that can be fixed and is not major: the business must fix it within a reasonable time.
- A major failure: you can end the contract and get a refund for any part of the services not yet provided or used, or keep the contract and claim compensation for the drop in value.
- Building work on a home has its own set of warranties.
- Cost and next step: $990 for a review and a letter, including GST. Start online or call 1800 776 529.
The guarantees for services
A business supplying services to a consumer guarantees that it will:1
- use due care and skill;
- make the services, and any product that results, fit for a purpose you made known, and likely to achieve a result you made known;
- supply them within a reasonable time, if no time was agreed.
Building work on a home has its own set of warranties. See Home building and renovation.
What you can claim
- A failure that can be fixed and is not major: the business must fix it within a reasonable time. If it refuses or delays, you can have someone else fix it and recover the reasonable cost.
- A major failure: you can end the contract and get a refund for any part of the services not yet provided or used, or keep the contract and claim compensation for the drop in value.2
- In either case: compensation for other reasonably foreseeable loss.3
What my $990 covers
I read the quote or contract, invoices, photos and messages, tell you whether the failure is likely to be major and what to claim, and send a letter setting out the failure, the law and what must be done by a set date.
Questions
Have another question? Phone 1800 776 529 or send me a message.
If the work was not done within the agreed time, or a reasonable time, you may be able to cancel and recover the deposit. Send me the quote, the payment record and the messages.
That is a common answer. An independent report often settles it. I tell you whether one is worth the cost before you pay for it.
The law
- ACL ss 60 to 62; s 63 (services not covered: transport or storage of goods for a business, and insurance).
- ACL s 267(3); major failure: s 268; refund on termination: s 269(3).
- ACL s 267(4).
Last reviewed: November 2026. This page is general information about Victorian and Commonwealth law as at November 2026. It is not legal advice about your circumstances.
Tell me what happened
I reply within one business day.
To send documents, use the Start online form.
Phone: 1800 776 529
Email: info@consumerlawyers.com.au
Hours: Monday to Friday, 9 am to 5:30 pm
Office: 435 Nepean Highway, Frankston VIC 3199 (by appointment)
I act for consumers and for businesses, but never for both sides of the same dispute. Before I start, I check that I have not acted for the other party.