Buying a desk: your rights and product safety

A desk is a significant purchase, and with online shopping and flat-pack delivery, problems can range from a damaged box to a motor that fails after a few months. Australian Consumer Law gives you rights, regardless of what a store's returns policy says. This guide explains those rights, how to handle problems, and product safety tips, based on ACCC guidance.

This guide is general information written in our own words, based on the official sources listed at the end. It isn't health, legal or tax advice. Everyone's body, work and space are different, so if you have pain or a health condition, talk to a health professional, and check tax questions with the ATO or a registered tax agent. We don't sell furniture or recommend particular brands or shops.

Consumer guarantees

The ACCC explains that when you buy a product, you automatically get basic rights called consumer guarantees. If a product doesn't meet one of these guarantees, you're entitled to a repair, replacement or refund. Businesses can't take away your right to a refund or replacement for faulty products. These rights apply even if the product comes with a manufacturer's or extended warranty.

Major and minor problems

The ACCC distinguishes between major and minor problems.

A major problem is when the product:

• is unsafe;
• is very different from the description or sample;
• has one serious problem, or several smaller problems that would have stopped you buying it if you'd known; or
• can't be used for its normal purpose and can't easily be fixed within a reasonable time.

For a major problem, the ACCC says you can choose a refund or a replacement. A refund should be the full amount paid.

For a minor problem, the business must fix it or repair the product for free. If it can't or won't do so within a reasonable time, you can get it fixed elsewhere and recover reasonable costs, or get a refund or replacement.

Common desk problems

Examples include a desk that arrives damaged, parts missing, a sit-stand motor or control that fails, a frame that wobbles excessively, or a desk that doesn't match its listed dimensions or height range. Take photos, keep your receipt and contact the business promptly. The ACCC's online problem solver can help you work out your options.

Before you buy online

• Check the dimensions, height range and weight capacity in the listing.
• Read the delivery terms: to the door, to the room, or kerbside.
• Check who is responsible for assembly and whether it's included.
• Keep screenshots of the listing.

Delivery and assembly

Inspect the boxes on delivery and note any visible damage. Check all parts before starting assembly. Follow the instructions carefully, tighten fixings fully and recheck after a few weeks. For electric desks, check that the controls, motors and any safety features work.

Toppling furniture

The ACCC's toppling furniture guide warns that freestanding furniture can be dangerous if it topples, and that serious injuries and deaths have happened when furniture or TVs have fallen onto children and adults. It advises planning where furniture will go, anchoring it to the wall or floor, buying an anchoring kit if needed, and keeping heavy items low. A mandatory information standard requires suppliers to warn about tip-overs and the importance of anchoring for covered furniture.

Safe design

WorkSafe Victoria's workstation checklist asks whether desk corners and under-desk surfaces are rounded, smooth and free of sharp edges. Check this before buying, especially if children use the space.

Buying second-hand

Second-hand desks can be good value and keep furniture out of landfill. Check:

• stability, with no cracked or bent frame parts;
• electric desks raise and lower smoothly, with working controls;
• the height range suits you;
• all fixings are present.

Consumer guarantees generally apply differently to private sales, so inspect carefully before paying.

Recalls

Check the ACCC's Product Safety Australia website for furniture recalls, including sit-stand desks and chairs. If a product is recalled, stop using it and follow the supplier's instructions.

Making a complaint

If a business won't help, the ACCC suggests putting your complaint in writing, explaining the problem and what you want. If that doesn't work, you can contact your state or territory consumer protection agency, such as NSW Fair Trading or Consumer Affairs Victoria, for help.

Change of mind

Consumer guarantees don't cover change of mind. Many stores offer change-of-mind returns as a policy, but they don't have to. Check the store's policy before buying, especially for large items with delivery costs.

Try the desk height checker

Our free desk height checker lets you enter your seated and standing elbow heights, and optionally a desk's lowest and highest settings. It suggests where your desk surface should sit and whether the desk's range covers your heights, using the AS/NZS 4442 ranges that WorkSafe Victoria cites. It runs entirely in your browser, and nothing you enter is sent anywhere.

Where our information comes from

Factual statements in our guides are based on official and authoritative sources, including Safe Work Australia, WorkSafe Victoria, WorkSafe Queensland, the Australian Government Department of Health, the Australian Taxation Office and the ACCC. We link to each source at the end of the page and write everything in our own words. We don't invent statistics, prices or product test results, and we don't rank or review brands.

Everyone is different

Workstation guidance describes general principles that suit most people. Your body, your tasks and your space are unique, and what feels comfortable for one person may not suit another. Use the guidance as a starting point, adjust until you're comfortable and, if you have pain or a health condition, get advice from a health professional such as a physiotherapist or occupational therapist.

Small changes add up

You don't need to replace all your furniture to work more comfortably. Raising a screen, moving a keyboard closer, adding a footrest or standing for phone calls can each make a difference. Start with the change that addresses your biggest discomfort, then review your setup again after a week.

Workplaces and employers

Employers have duties under work health and safety laws to manage risks to workers, including from workstations and from too much sitting or standing, so far as is reasonably practicable. That applies in offices and, in many cases, when people work from home. If your workstation isn't working for you, talk to your manager or health and safety representative.

Corrections and feedback

We review our guides against their sources and show the date each page was last checked. If you notice something out of date or incorrect, such as a change to ATO rates or workplace guidance, please tell us through our contact page. We read every message and correct mistakes promptly.

About this site

Office Desks is an independent information site. We aren't a furniture retailer, manufacturer, ergonomist, government agency or tax adviser, and we don't sell furniture or recommend particular brands or shops. Our guides are general information, not health, legal or tax advice.

A short glossary

Sit-stand desk: a desk whose height can be raised and lowered so you can work sitting or standing. Desk converter: a platform on top of a desk that raises the screen and keyboard. Footrest: a stable, sloped platform for your feet when they don't reach the floor comfortably. Five-point base: a chair base with five castors or glides, the most stable design. Monitor arm: an adjustable bracket that holds a screen above the desk. AS/NZS 4442: the Australian and New Zealand standard for office desks, which WorkSafe Victoria cites for desk height ranges. Decline in value: the ATO term for claiming the cost of an asset over its effective life.

Key points

• Consumer guarantees give you a right to repair, replacement or refund for faulty products.
• For a major problem, such as an unsafe product, you choose a refund or replacement.
• Warranties don't replace your consumer guarantee rights.
• Inspect deliveries, keep receipts and photos, and contact the business promptly.
• Anchor furniture that can topple and check for recalls.