What are your rights?
When you buy a product for personal, family, or household use, you can expect:
The seller has the right to sell it and you can own the product without a third party making a claim on it, unless you knew about the claim before the contract was made
It meets health, safety, and quality standards
It works for its intended purpose
It’s suitable for any special use or purpose you told the seller about before you bought it
It’s new and unused (unless clearly stated otherwise)
It’s reasonably durable
If the product doesn’t meet these expectations, you may be entitled to a repair, replacement, or refund.
Not always. In New Brunswick, sellers don’t have to accept returns just because you changed your mind. They can set their own policies for:
Whether they allow returns or exchanges
How long you have to return something
Whether you’ll get a refund, store credit, or exchange
Always ask about the return policy before you buy and keep your receipt. If the receipt is printed on thermal paper, take a photo or make a copy, as it may fade over time.
A warranty is a promise that a product will work the way it’s supposed to. Under CPWALA, there are two types of warranties:
These are promises made by the seller, either spoken or written, that you rely on when deciding to buy. They might appear in:
Contracts
Product packaging
Signs or brochures
Verbal statements
These apply automatically, even if the seller doesn’t say anything. They cover:
Ownership rights (title)
Product quality
Fitness for purpose
If you’re buying a used item and the seller tells you about a defect—or you had a chance to inspect it and the defect was obvious—the seller may not be responsible for that issue.
CPWALA applies to goods commonly used for personal, family, or household purposes. It covers:
Sales contracts
Service contracts
Leases
It applies to everyone in the supply chain:
Sellers
Retailers
Wholesalers
Manufacturers
CPWALA does not apply to private sales (like buying from someone who isn’t a regular seller).
If a product doesn’t meet reasonable expectations, you have the right to ask the seller to fix the issue. This could mean a repair, a replacement, or a refund.
Visit Making a Complaint to learn what steps to take if the issue isn’t resolved.