The supplier ignored your CGA demand. Take it to the Disputes Tribunal.
The Disputes Tribunal decides Consumer Guarantees Act claims up to $60,000, fast and cheap — and lawyers cannot represent parties against you.
You sent a Consumer Guarantees Act demand and the supplier ignored it, denied the fault, or offered a partial fix you don't accept. The next step is the Disputes Tribunal. As of 24 January 2026 it hears claims up to $60,000, and it is deliberately informal: lawyers cannot represent parties at a hearing, so a self-represented consumer is on a level field.
Your leverage is the Act itself. Goods must be of acceptable quality (s 6), fit for a purpose you made known (s 8), and match their description (s 9); services must be carried out with reasonable care and skill (s 28). Where a failure is of a substantial character (s 21), you — not the supplier — choose between a refund and a replacement (s 23). These guarantees apply automatically and cannot be contracted out of.
The filing fee scales with the claim: $61 under $2,000, $121 to $4,999, $243 to $29,999, and $468 up to $60,000 — and the Tribunal can order the other party to reimburse it. Misleading or deceptive conduct can also be reported to the Commerce Commission under the Fair Trading Act 1986.
Legal mechanisms now in play
- Disputes Tribunal jurisdiction up to $60,000 (from 24 January 2026)
- Consumer Guarantees Act 1993 — automatic guarantees (ss 6, 8, 9, 28) that cannot be contracted out of
- Substantial-failure rule (s 21) — the consumer chooses refund or replacement (s 23)
- Lawyers cannot represent parties at the hearing — a level field for self-represented consumers
- Tribunal can order the supplier to reimburse your filing fee; orders are enforceable
Disputes Tribunal Claim
Builds a structured claim narrative for the Disputes Tribunal: the parties, the purchase, the guarantee breached, whether the failure is substantial, your stage-1 demand and the supplier's response, and the order you want — refund, replacement, repair, or damages, plus your fee back.
$19.00 ($9.00 if you bought our earlier letter — apply via the receipt URL or QR code in your first letter's PDF)
Start the Disputes Tribunal Claim →Frequently asked
How much does it cost to file at the Disputes Tribunal?
The fee scales with your claim: $61 (under $2,000), $121 ($2,000-$4,999), $243 ($5,000-$29,999), and $468 ($30,001-$60,000). If you succeed, ask the Tribunal to order the other party to repay it.
Can the company bring a lawyer?
Not to the hearing. The Disputes Tribunal does not allow lawyers to represent parties at a hearing — you can get a lawyer's advice beforehand, but neither side argues through one in the room. It is built for self-represented people.
What does 'substantial character' mean?
Under s 21 of the Consumer Guarantees Act, a failure is of substantial character if a reasonable consumer wouldn't have bought the goods knowing of it, the goods are substantially unfit, or they're unsafe. When the failure is substantial, you choose between a refund and a replacement — the supplier can't insist on a repair.
Is there a time limit?
Bring your claim promptly. While the Limitation Act allows up to six years for many claims, evidence fades and the Tribunal expects you to act within a reasonable time of the problem arising.
How much does the next-step claim cost?
$19 standalone, or $9 if you bought our original NZ Consumer Guarantee demand — your receipt URL or QR code applies the discount automatically.