body: Mindy Chen-Wishart. [*Contract Law* (2018 6 edn)](https://www.amazon.co.uk/Contract-Law-Mindy-Chen-Wishart/dp/0198806353/ref=dp_ob_title_bk). [Scanned p 225](https://i.stack.imgur.com/P6gae.jpg).
  
  
  
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  > 1. Where the claimant refuses to continue with the contract, the court must decide whether this amounts to rescission (limiting her to reliance damages) or termination (preserving her right to expectation damages).
  > 2. Since the threshold for termination is very high (it is only available for ‘serious’ breaches (12.2.2)), a claimant may find that she has unwittingly rescinded the contract (eg by returning defective items), thereby extinguishing her right to potentially superior contractual damages.
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  I don't understand 2. Why would returning defective items be worth less than contract damages?
  
  
  
title: Why would contractual damages be superior to returning defective items?