Return triage

Return triage — approve remedy

A zip failure on a jacket worn twice within 30 days reads as a durability fault under the Consumer Guarantees Act 1993 (s6 — acceptable quality). The customer is entitled to a remedy. The failure is substantial — the jacket can't be worn closed — so the customer chooses between repair, replacement, or refund.

Decision

Approve remedy. Offer repair or replacement first; if neither is available within a reasonable time, refund the full purchase price to the original payment method.

Statutory basis

• Consumer Guarantees Act 1993, s6 — goods must be of acceptable quality
• CGA s18 — customer can choose the remedy when the failure is of a substantial character
• Fair Trading Act 1986 — store policy cannot contract out of CGA rights

Reply draft

Kia ora,

Thanks for letting us know about the zip on the jacket. A zip giving out after two wears is a fault under the Consumer Guarantees Act, so you're entitled to a remedy from us.

We can offer one of three options:

• Repair — we'll have the zip replaced at our cost (~5 working days)
• Replacement — same jacket, same size, sent out today
• Refund — full purchase price returned to the original payment method

Let us know which one suits and we'll get it moving.

Ngā mihi,
[Your name]

Reviewer note

If the store's own returns policy is more generous than CGA's statutory minimum, apply that instead. For high-value items or items beyond a reasonable durability expectation (e.g. a $20 t-shirt 18 months later), escalate to a manager.