# The Consumer Subscription Contracts (Cancellation and Information) Regulations 2026, Regulation 14: Goods which have been over handled


(1) This regulation applies to returnable goods in the circumstances referred to in regulation 12(1) where—
(a) any of those returnable goods returned to, or collected by, the trader in accordance with regulation 12 have diminished in value as a result of handling of them by the consumer beyond what is necessary to establish the nature, characteristics and functioning of those goods (see paragraph (5)), and
(b) the condition in paragraph (2) is met.
(2) The condition is that—
(a) in the case of a contract cancelled during the initial cooling-off period, the trader has met the initial cooling-off information requirement in relation to that contract;
(b) in the case of a contract cancelled during a renewal cooling-off period, the trader has met the renewal cooling-off notice requirement in relation to that period.
(3) Where this regulation applies, the consumer’s liability for relevant payments is extinguished by (T − D), where—
(a) “T” is the total amount of those payments, and
(b) “D” is the diminution in the value of the returnable goods mentioned in paragraph (1)(a), as a result of the consumer’s handling of them beyond what is necessary to establish the nature, characteristics and functioning of those goods, up to the amount the consumer is liable to pay under the subscription contract in exchange for those goods.
(4) If the consumer has made any relevant payments to the trader which in total exceed the amount of D, the trader must refund those payments less that amount to the consumer.
(5) For the purposes of this regulation handling is beyond what is necessary to establish the nature, characteristics and functioning of the goods if, in particular, it goes beyond the sort of handling which might reasonably be allowed in a shop.

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Source: https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukdsi/2026/9780348287912/regulation/14 (the official version)
Page: https://openlegislation.uk/draft-consumer-subscription-contracts-cancellation-and-information-regulations-2026/regulation-14
Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Source: legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives.