A digital product not working as described

A digital product complaint should describe the promised function and the failure on your actual device. Digital content has its own consumer rules; remedies do not simply mirror returning physical goods. Trading Standards guidance explains the distinction. ^[1]

Capture a reproducible fault Record the product version, operating system, hardware and error message. Save advertised compatibility requirements and evidence that your setup met them when you bought the product. A brief screen recording may show an intermittent failure more clearly than a long description.

Keep support correspondence and the results of suggested fixes. Back up important data before reinstalling software or applying troubleshooting steps that may erase information.

Separate functionality from cancellation A product that fails to work as described raises a different issue from changing your mind about a download. Record any consent to immediate supply and the information given during checkout; [online cancellation rules](/guides/consumer-disputes/online-purchases-and-cancellation-information/) require a distinct assessment.

Explain whether you seek a working replacement, repair or another remedy supported by the circumstances. If payment renews for continuing access, preserve the subscription and cancellation history as well as the technical fault evidence.

Identify the digital entitlement that was purchased Keep the order, account identifier and description of the product or access purchased. Record whether it was a download, a licence for a particular version, an in-app purchase or access supplied over a period. Identify any relevant platform and the trader named in the transaction documents. A developer's name on a splash screen may not answer who supplied the consumer's purchase. Explain bundled content and how it was obtained, retaining the main purchase record where the item was advertised as included without an additional charge.

Business Companion distinguishes digital content from the services used to transmit or purchase it and explains that some content described as free is covered as part of a paid arrangement. That classification affects the questions to examine. A broadband connection failing to deliver data is not necessarily the same dispute as a purchased file being defective. Describe the actual product and failure before asking a provider to apply a remedy intended for another type of contract. ^[1]

Preserve a reproducible account of the failure Write down the shortest sequence that demonstrates the problem, starting from a known state. Include the device, operating system, product version and relevant settings, with exact error text where possible. Record whether the failure occurs every time or under particular conditions. If testing on another supported device, explain what changed and what remained the same. The aim is to make the observation understandable without overstating that one successful or failed test proves the cause across every possible configuration.

Compare the setup with the compatibility and functionality information supplied when the purchase was made. Preserve any subsequent change in those requirements. If support attributes the fault to another application or device setting, ask for the reason and record the result of a safe, agreed check. Avoid removing security protections or carrying out destructive steps merely to demonstrate cooperation. Back up important information and preserve useful logs before reinstalling or resetting, because those actions may remove the evidence needed to understand the original fault.

Track the remedy through specific attempts Keep a record of updates, replacement downloads and support instructions, showing the date and outcome of each attempt. State whether the promised function became usable and whether another material problem appeared. Business Companion describes a digital-content remedy framework involving repair or replacement and, where the conditions are met, a price reduction. It is not simply the physical-goods return process applied to a file. Explain why an attempted remedy has failed or caused significant inconvenience using the actual experience and purpose of the purchase. [1]

If the trader proposes a workaround, check whether it restores the feature that mattered or removes an essential part of the promised use. A method requiring repeated manual conversion may have different practical consequences from a corrected download. Record the burden without assuming that every workaround is legally inadequate. Ask what permanent solution is proposed and when it can be assessed. Keep requests focused on the identified failure rather than combining unrelated preferences about the interface with the contractual functionality complaint.

Separate product loss from damage to other information If the content allegedly damaged a device or other data, preserve what happened and obtain appropriate technical advice before attempting extensive recovery. Identify the files or device affected, backups available and any expenditure incurred. The statutory questions concerning such damage differ from merely disliking or being unable to use the purchased content; Business Companion discusses the relevance of damage that reasonable care and skill would have prevented. A connection in time is useful to record but does not, by itself, establish technical causation. [1]

Present the remaining complaint with the purchase description, reproducible fault and remedy history. State the practical result being requested and any separate loss that requires assessment. If continuing access is billed periodically, keep account cancellation and disputed payments visible without treating cancellation as proof that the earlier defect has been resolved. Preserve the provider's final technical explanation and decision. The next reviewer should be able to distinguish a supported compatibility issue, an unresolved product failure and a separate request to stop future supply.