The refund demand letter is a formal notice to a seller by the buyer of the goods or services requesting a monetary refund due to some defect with the product. This letter is written anytime you’ve bought a product or service, but its quality wasn’t satisfactory. Many retail shops allow you to write refund demand letters within a particular timeframe, usually between 30 or 60 days after purchasing an item. However, some sellers have implemented a no-refund policy to ensure this isn’t the case.
When writing the refund demand letter, you need to state why you want a refund, details about the transaction, and your repayment expectations. But if you don’t know how to go about doing this, here’s an overview of how to write this letter.
What to Include In the Refund Demand Letter
Before you even start to write the refund demand letter, first identify everything to include in this letter. The main facts to include should be;
- Why you’re requesting the refund
- What you bought, the buying price, and when you made the purchase
- How you should get the refund
- The deadline by when the refund should be issued
Tip: If you might have already sent previous refund requests, go ahead and outline if you are willing to take legal action if you don’t get your refund.
How to Demand A Refund
There are five steps you should follow when requesting a refund, and these are;
Step 1 – Go Over The Refund Policy
You need to first read over the merchant’s refund policy carefully before writing your refund demand letter. Doing this gives you better insight into what to expect when claiming for a refund from the seller.
With that said, not every seller has a refund policy. And if it did, they might outright choose to dispute the fact that the policy ever existed in the first place. Moreover, the merchant can still go ahead and argue that not all the terms were followed during the transaction to try and overrule the refund policy if they can’t deny its existence.
Note: Should the merchant have no refund policy, the state law will, in most cases, decree consumer rights. With that said, you should know that even the strict “no refund” policies can’t necessarily be enforced if the goods and services on offer are dangerous, defective, or not working as advertised.
Step 2 – Locate Your Receipt
Having the necessary documents is crucial when looking to get a refund is essential. If you’ve misplaced the original receipt and paid for the goods or services using your debit or credit card, worry not. You can request a back-up receipt from your bank, which you can use to claim your refund.
Step 3 – Detail Reasons For The Refund
The next step to take should be elaborating why you need a refund. But as you do this, make sure that this reason is within the refund policy. This can either be the product was defective, or the good or service didn’t work as described. The more verifiable and objective your description, the greater the likelihood of your request going through.
Step 4 – Request For Payment or Credit
When writing the demand letter, you must be specific on certain issues, including;
- The deadline by when you should get your refund
- How much refund you want
- The total amount you’re demanding
Once you’ve included all these details, go ahead and make sure to state when the merchant will get the letter and follow up on this issue as necessary. Timing is vital when making a refund request. Ideally, you should request a refund not long after completing the original transaction.
Step 5 – Take Further Action
While some merchants oblige to your refund request, others don’t. If a merchant doesn’t refund you within the time stipulated in your request, then it’s time to take the next step. You can do this in several ways, including;
- Get in touch with the local chamber of commerce or Better Business Bureau (BBB)
- File with the office of the state attorney general a consumer complaint
- Go to a small claims court and demand damages
- Post a negative review of the seller online
Tips for Writing a Refund Demand Letter
As you write this letter, there are several tips you must follow for your merchant to take your request seriously. These include;
- Making sure to include all the facts
- Typing your letter instead of it being handwritten
- Be polite as you don’t want the merchant to look like an enemy
- Set a deadline by when a response should be made
- Use certified mail to make sure the merchant gets the refund demand letter
- Directly ask for what you want
- Make copies of the refund demand letter
Sample Refund Demand Letter
March 15, 2021
Dear Tierney,
I am writing this letter to inform you about a purchase of a phone I made at your store on February 2021, SN 56389293. Upon close inspection of the product, I am not fully convinced they are working as described as their quality is not acceptable. This is despite carefully following every guideline on how to set it up correctly because the phone is still not working. I also have gotten in touch with your tech services, but this issue is yet to be resolved.
For this reason, I am returning this product and expect a full refund on the buying price, which was $200. Attached you will find the transaction receipt.
Please get in touch at 963-637-5362 as soon as you can and if you have any questions about my refund request.
If I do not receive a full refund by March 25, 2021, you will leave me no choice but to head to the office of the state attorney general and file a consumer complaint.
Sincerely,
James Carrington
Refund Demand Letter (Word Template)
Takeaway
If you’re unsatisfied with the quality of a product you’ve bought, it’s within your rights to request a refund. You go about doing this by simply writing a refund demand letter. If you didn’t know how to write one, discussed above is every detail to have in mind while writing this letter.
