LETTER BEFORE ACTION — SMALL CLAIM
Important legal-advice, jurisdiction and formality warning
This fictional letter is a worked example, not legal advice, a court claim form, a judgment or a guaranteed route to recovery. It assumes a consumer dispute in England and Wales and is drafted as proportionate pre-action correspondence under the Practice Direction—Pre-Action Conduct and Protocols and the Consumer Rights Act 2015. The correct defendant, remedy, limitation period, interest basis, service method, court fee and small-claims procedure must be checked. A claimant should obtain advice before issuing proceedings. The court may decide the facts differently, and a small-claims track does not make a case risk-free.
Date: 4 November 2026
To: Meridian Outdoor Living Limited, 22 Willow Street, Cambridge CB1 1BN Company number: 11840627 Email: resolutions@meridianoutdoor.example.test
From: Grace Elinor Hughes, 5 Fenmere Walk, Cambridge CB4 2QS Telephone: 01223 555 6380 Email: grace.hughes@example.test
Subject: Letter before action — refund for defective garden office, order MO-77419
1. Parties and the debt claimed
I bought a Meridian “Willow 3000” insulated garden office from Meridian Outdoor Living Limited on 19 June 2026 under order MO-77419. I paid £3,240.00 by debit card, comprising £2,995.00 for the building, £185.00 for delivery and £60.00 for the installation service. Delivery to my home at 5 Fenmere Walk, Cambridge, took place on 2 July 2026. The installation was completed by Meridian’s contractor, Jon Bellamy, on 3 July 2026.
The building was sold for use as a dry home-office room. Within 18 days of installation, rain entered through the roof valley and pooled on the internal floor. The floor panel was swollen, the rear insulation was damp and the electrical socket installed by the contractor repeatedly tripped the consumer unit. The structure has not been used for storage of chemicals, modified, overloaded or moved. I stopped using the electrical socket on 22 July 2026 and have kept the building available for inspection.
The present claim is calculated as:
* purchase price, delivery and installation paid: £3,240.00; * reasonable temporary dehumidifier hire for 14 days: £126.56; and * statutory interest calculated at 8% per annum on £3,240.00 from 3 August 2026 to 4 November 2026, 93 days: £66.04.
The interest arithmetic is £3,240.00 × 0.08 × 93 ÷ 365 = £66.04 when rounded to the nearest penny. The total claimed on that basis is therefore £3,432.60, made up of £3,240.00 + £126.56 + £66.04. Interest will continue at approximately £0.71 per day on the £3,240.00 principal, subject to the court’s decision and the applicable legal basis. The issue fee, if proceedings become necessary, will also be requested if recoverable.
2. Chronology and evidence
The online product page and order confirmation described the Willow 3000 as weather-resistant, insulated and suitable for year-round office use. The confirmation stated that Meridian would install the roof covering and connect the internal socket. I paid in full on 19 June 2026. Delivery was made on 2 July and the installation completion record was signed on 3 July, subject to ordinary inspection after the first rainfall.
On 21 July, after heavy rain between 14:00 and 18:00, I found a 1.4-metre damp line below the roof valley, a wet floor panel and water marks on the skirting. On 22 July the socket tripped twice when I used a desk lamp and laptop charger separately. I photographed the damage, isolated the socket and emailed Meridian at 09:18. Your service adviser, Lydia Marsh, opened complaint reference ML-260722-18 and promised an inspection.
Meridian’s installer attended on 29 July and applied exterior sealant around one flashing joint. He did not test the socket or remove the internal lining. Water entered again during rain on 1 August. I sent photographs and a video on 2 August. Meridian offered a further repair on 8 August, but I explained that I had lost confidence in a repair after the first attempt and requested rejection and a refund. On 19 August Meridian refused, stating without an engineer’s report that the issue was “probably condensation” and that the socket was outside its warranty.
I obtained a report from Eleanor V. Finch DipBSE, an independent building surveyor at Fenmere Building Reports, dated 17 September 2026. She observed failed flashing at the valley, an unsealed junction and damp insulation consistent with rain penetration. She recorded that the socket circuit required inspection by a competent electrician and that the building was not reasonably fit for the described year-round office use on the inspection date. I have retained the report, photographs, order confirmation, payment receipt, emails, installer record and the dehumidifier invoice. Copies are identified as GH-01 to GH-11.
3. Legal and factual basis
I rely on the contractual description and the consumer rights that cannot be excluded where applicable, including that goods must be of satisfactory quality, fit for the particular purpose made known and as described, and that an installation service must be carried out with reasonable care and skill. The defects were reported within 30 days of delivery. I gave Meridian a reasonable opportunity to inspect and attempted to allow a repair, but the defect recurred and the electrical issue was not addressed. I therefore seek the remedy available on the facts, including rejection and repayment, rather than a further unagreed repair.
I do not claim that the court must accept my surveyor’s conclusions without testing. I will make the building available at reasonable times for a competent inspection, provided Meridian gives at least seven days’ notice and identifies the inspector. Any inspection must be non-destructive unless separately agreed. Meridian may arrange collection of its building at its cost if a refund is agreed, but collection does not waive my claim for the defective goods, service or evidenced consequential loss.
4. Response required
Please treat this as proportionate pre-action correspondence under the Practice Direction—Pre-Action Conduct and Protocols and the Consumer Rights Act 2015. Within 30 days of receiving it, please either pay £3,432.60 to the debit card used for order MO-77419 or send a full written response stating whether liability is admitted, denied or partly admitted. If you dispute the sum, identify each disputed item and provide the documents on which you rely. If you propose a repayment plan, state the instalment amount, first payment date and completion date; I will consider a genuine proposal but am not obliged to accept one.
Please also provide the name of Meridian’s complaints manager, the identity of any insurer or installation subcontractor you say is responsible, and copies of the installation checklist, inspection notes, photographs and electrical test record for this order. If you need a reasonable extension to investigate, explain why and propose a specific date rather than leaving the matter unanswered.
5. Intended proceedings and settlement
If payment or a satisfactory written proposal is not received within the response period, I may issue a claim in the County Court through the appropriate online service. I expect the value to remain below the usual small-claims financial limit, but the court will decide the track and procedure. I will seek the principal, proven consequential loss, interest, the issue fee and any other remedy or costs allowed by law. I will comply with directions, consider mediation and keep the court informed of any settlement.
This letter is not a Part 36 offer. It is open correspondence intended to explain the dispute and provide an opportunity to resolve it without proceedings. I reserve the right to amend the figures for further reasonable loss, further interest or a different remedy if new evidence requires it, but I will not inflate the claim. I ask Meridian to preserve all order, call, email, installation, inspection, product and complaint records.
Please send a substantive response to me at 5 Fenmere Walk, Cambridge CB4 2QS and grace.hughes@example.test. Nothing in this letter is an admission of any alleged misuse or a waiver of statutory rights.
Yours faithfully,
Grace Elinor Hughes
Signed electronically by Grace Elinor Hughes on 4 November 2026