Some pram retailers let buyers choose a frame colour, fabric pack or even monogrammed embroidery before an order is built. That raises a practical question: does the usual 14-day right to cancel an online order still apply? Under UK consumer law there is an exception for goods made to the customer’s specifications or clearly personalised, but the government’s own guidance shows it is narrower than many shoppers assume. This guide sets out what the Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013, GOV.UK and Citizens Advice say. The regulations apply across the United Kingdom, and the guidance below is general information rather than legal advice.
The general rule for online orders (UK)
GOV.UK’s guidance for businesses says online, mail and telephone customers have the right to cancel for a limited time even if the item is not faulty, and that these sales are known as distance selling. A customer who tells the trader within 14 days of receiving the item that they want to cancel is entitled to a refund, and then has a further 14 days to return the goods. The trader must refund within 14 days of receiving the item back. Citizens Advice describes the same 14-day cooling-off period, adding that it starts the day after the order is received and that nothing has to be wrong with the item. For the full picture on ordinary returns, see the site’s guide to changing your mind on a pram ordered online.
What the exception says (UK)
Regulation 28 of the 2013 Regulations lists circumstances in which the cancellation part of the regulations does not apply. Paragraph (1)(b) covers the supply of goods that are made to the consumer’s specifications or are clearly personalised. GOV.UK gives personalised or custom-made items, for example curtains, as an example of goods where a business only has to offer a refund if they are faulty. Citizens Advice lists an item that was personalised or custom-made for you among the purchases with no cooling-off period, and says a buyer also has none when buying from a private individual.
Why choosing a colour is not usually enough (UK)
The 2013 implementing guidance from the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills explains the reasoning: items made to a particular, often unique specification are exempt because a trader could otherwise be left with a product with no other market once the consumer has cancelled. It says judgements about what is truly bespoke are made case by case.
The guidance adds that an item made up after an order is not necessarily bespoke. Its example is a sofa: a sofa where the consumer picks a fabric and colour from a range on offer is not bespoke, because the parts come from a standard range. By contrast, if the consumer asks the trader to source a special finish that is not in the range generally offered, that is likely to be a bespoke item. Applied by analogy to a pram, which the guidance does not itself discuss, selecting a colour or fabric from the retailer’s standard options looks like the sofa example, while a one-off order built to the buyer’s own design would sit nearer the exception. The guidance also gives a shirt printed with the buyer’s own name as likely to be personalised, and so outside the cancellation rights.
The guidance does not mention prams, so the position for any specific product depends on the facts, and a trading standards office or Citizens Advice can help with a disputed case.
What the trader must tell you (UK)
Citizens Advice says that where a business sells an item with no cooling-off period, it must tell the buyer before the purchase. A pram buyer who is offered a personalised option should therefore look for that statement in the order pages, terms or confirmation email before paying, and keep a copy or screenshot.
Faults are still covered (UK)
The exception removes the change-of-mind right; it does not remove the right to a faulty item to be put right. GOV.UK says that for personalised or custom-made goods a business only has to offer a refund if they are faulty. The site’s guide to faulty pushchair rights covers the 30-day and six-month periods that apply to faults.
A short checklist before ordering a customised pram
- Find out whether the option is chosen from the standard range or is a one-off.
- Look for a written statement that the item cannot be cancelled.
- Ask whether a colour change can be requested before the item enters production.
- Keep the order confirmation and screenshots of the options selected.
- Consider paying by credit card, which the site covers in its guide to Section 75 and chargeback.
Frequently asked questions
Is a pram in a colour I picked online personalised? Not necessarily. The government guidance treats a choice from a standard range as not bespoke, using a sofa fabric as its example.
Can I cancel a pram with my baby’s name embroidered on it? Goods that are clearly personalised are outside the cancellation rights, and the guidance treats a shirt with the buyer’s own name as likely personalised, so it is likely the exception would apply.
Do I lose my rights if the pram is faulty? No. GOV.UK says a refund is still due if a personalised item is faulty.
The bottom line
The 14-day right to cancel does not apply to goods made to a buyer’s specifications or clearly personalised, but the government guidance says picking from a standard range is not enough. Check the seller’s wording before ordering a customised pram, and remember that fault rights survive.
Sources
- legislation.gov.uk, "The Consumer Contracts (Information, Cancellation and Additional Charges) Regulations 2013, regulation 28"
- GOV.UK, "Accepting returns and giving refunds: the law"
- Citizens Advice, "Changing your mind about something you’ve bought"
- Department for Business, Innovation and Skills, "Consumer Contracts (Information, Cancellation and Additional Charges) Regulations: Implementing Guidance" (December 2013)