The fan I bought just a fortnight ago has stopped working. Can I get my money back? I've been using it for seven hours a night since I bought it. RL

DEAN DUNHAM replies: The Consumer Rights Act says that goods must be fit for purpose, of satisfactory quality and as described.

To be of satisfactory quality there is an expectation that the goods will last a reasonable amount of time, and although what this time will be in practice will vary depending on the goods in question and frequency of use.

A fortnight in the case of your fan will certainly fall foul of the law. This means unless the issue here has been caused by your own misuse – meaning you have accidentally broken the fan or have operated it contrary to the manufacturer's instructions (I'm sure neither of these apply) you will be entitled to a remedy.

In this particular case, as your fan has stopped working within the first 30 days of purchase, you could invoke what is known as the 'short-term right to reject' under the Consumer Rights Act.

This gives you the automatic right to hand back faulty goods and receive a refund. However, when invoking this right the consumer has the burden of proving that the goods are faulty, although in practice most retailers will accept the position or carry out an investigation themselves to ascertain the cause of the issue.

If you still want the fan, you could instead ask the retailer to carry out a repair or replace it.

If you opt for this route the retailer gets to choose which of these two remedies to implement, but it's important to note that: (i) in either case you do not have to put your hand in your pocket, these remedies should come free of charge; (ii) you do not have to prove anything – that burden is on the retailer (unless you are outside of six months from the date of purchase, which is not the case here); and (iii) the retailer must not cause you significant inconvenience – meaning they must provide the repair or replacement reasonably quickly.

My neighbour's too bright security lights wake me up 

Next door's bright security lights go off every time a fox walks across their lawn and it wakes me up several times a week. Can I force them to turn it off? FD

DEAN DUNHAM replies: As with all neighbour issues, the first step to take is to speak to your neighbour to explain the problem and therefore to try and deal with the matter on a friendly and amicable basis.

If this does not prove fruitful, create a log for the next 14 days, recording the times when the lights came on and the effect this had on you. You should also take pictures or video, so that you can demonstrate the impact the lights are having on you. 

Armed with this evidence, contact your local authority and say you want to make a complaint as you believe your neighbour's security lights give rise to a statutory nuisance.

Local authorities have an obligation to investigate all complaints of light pollution, which is deemed a nuisance or is prejudicial to health (you potentially fall under both) under Section 79(1) of a law called the Environmental Protection Act 1990.

When the authority investigates, it will consider whether the lights interfere with the use and enjoyment of your property, adversely affect your health and how often the issue occurs. That is why your evidence is so important.

If the officer accepts your position, an abatement notice will usually be served on your neighbour requiring them to take action to prevent the issue

However, note there are two points that should always be considered with light issues. Local authorities will always consider how the average person would be affected, so will not take account of unusual sensibilities.

Secondly, although not relevant here, there are exemptions to the rules here as the following sources of artificial light cannot be treated as a statutory nuisance: airports, railway premises, bus stations and associated facilities, public service vehicle operating centres, goods vehicle operating centres, prisons and premises occupied for defence purposes.