When someone asks for a refund
You'll know how to tell a refund you owe from one you can turn down, and respond to each case with a set message and a deadline, not on the fly. If a customer disputes the charge directly with their bank, you'll know what proof to keep and what to say so you don't lose the money twice.
A customer messages you asking for their money back. You don't know if they're entitled to it or if you can say no, so you wing it: sometimes you refund more than you should just to avoid an argument, other times you dig in and lose the customer. And if instead of messaging you they dispute the charge directly with their bank, you find out only after the payment's already been pulled back, and they're asking for proof you never kept.
This course sorts out the situations where you lose money by improvising: when a refund is yours to give and when it isn't, what to write in each case with a deadline you set, how to refund only the part still owed once the service has already started, and what to keep from the very first charge so you can answer a bank within its deadline, not whenever you get around to it.
For anyone who already charges customers and has ever wondered whether a refund is required. If you never charge upfront or offer a service that could be disputed, you don't need this.
- Figuring out whether a refund is required or you can say no, with one simple question and the 14-day right of withdrawal for online purchases, no matter how the customer frames the complaint
- Respond to a refund you owe with a fixed message and a deadline, the same day you confirm it
- Calculate how much to refund once the service is already in use, by dividing the price across units delivered
- Save the proof your bank asks for from the very first charge, and answer a chargeback through your payment processor within its deadline
Keep the message history or the email where the customer paid on hand, so you can reference it in your response.
The 6 lessons
In the order it makes the most sense to read them.
- 1
The refund that's yours to give, and the one that isn't
You'll learn to tell, with a single question instead of listening to how upset the customer sounds, when a refund is required and when you can turn it down.
6 min - 2
What to say when the refund is yours to give
Walk away with a fixed three-part message and a real deadline to close out any refund you owe, the same day you confirm it.
7 min - 3
How to say no without losing the customer
You'll know how to write the denial for a refund that isn't warranted, citing the exact reason, leaving no question open, and setting your own deadline for follow-up requests.
4 min - 4
Charge for what you delivered, refund what you didn't
Once the service is already in use, it's not all or nothing: you divide the price across units and refund only what's left to deliver.
4 min - 5
If they dispute it with the bank, don't argue with them: document it for the bank
You'll recognize a chargeback the moment it lands, with the proof the bank asks for already on hand to rule in your favor.
6 min - 6
A chargeback gets answered in days, not whenever you get to it
Know what to keep from the first charge and what to submit when the chargeback comes in, so you don't lose the order and the money at the same time.
5 min