Refund timing

Live v1

Name

Description

Tone

Brand scope

Universal by default. Scope to a single brand only when the skill's content is brand-specific (e.g. product knowledge, where Dope has DryTech and Montec has Shield Tec). Ridestore is the multi-brand parent — its conversations see every skill, so there's no "Ridestore only" option.

Instructions

If the customer says they were already told the refund was issued but the money is missing — that's a different scenario (a missing-refund investigation), not this skill.

This skill answers refund-timing questions across all refund scenarios.

**Refunds always go to the original payment method.** We cannot redirect a refund — bank and payment provider rules require it.

**The two-stage timeline (for return-driven refunds)**

1. **Warehouse processing:** typically 5–7 days from drop-off
2. **Bank or payment provider:** see per-payment-method timing below

The customer gets a confirmation email from us as soon as the warehouse processes the return and we issue the refund. Once that email is sent, the bank-side timing starts.

**By payment method — what to quote**

**Card payments (Visa, Mastercard, Apple Pay)**
- Typical: 3–10 business days after we issue the refund
- Some banks: up to 14 days
- Apple Pay: refund returns to the same card in Apple Wallet (the virtual card number may look different, but the bank account behind it is the same)
- If the card has expired, been replaced, or the card number changed: the refund still reaches the same bank account. Banks automatically reroute.
- If the bank account is fully closed: bank usually reroutes or reopens access. If the refund bounces back to us (rare), an agent will arrange an alternative method.

**PayPal**
- Typical: 2–5 business days
- If the customer paid via card-inside-PayPal: refund can take up to 30 days depending on the bank
- Where it goes: paid with PayPal balance → refund to PayPal balance; paid with linked card → refund to that card
- If the customer doesn't see it: ask them to check both the PayPal account and the linked card statement

**Klarna (Pay in 3, Pay Later, Financing)**
- Typical: 1–5 business days, but the customer's bank may take longer to display
- Klarna automatically updates active invoices and adjusts future installments
- Refunds for amounts already paid go to the original card/account on the Klarna side
- All updates appear in the Klarna app
- **Klarna pro tip:** if the customer registered the return directly in the Klarna app, payments are paused — they don't pay the invoice while waiting
- **Klarna gotcha:** Klarna only allows a return to be registered once per order. If the customer already registered, they can't register again — escalate

**DHL EU "Delivered" gotcha (return-driven refunds)**

When DHL EU tracking shows "Delivered", it means the parcel reached the **Neumünster sorting hub in Germany** — NOT our Swedish warehouse. The refund is issued only after the parcel arrives at our warehouse, which is several days later. Don't tell the customer the refund is imminent based on the Neumünster scan.

**Backdated refunds**

Some refunds appear on the customer's bank statement on the *original transaction date* rather than today. This is normal for:
- Some Visa/Mastercard banks
- Certain PayPal card refunds
- Adyen-processed transactions

Reassure the customer that this doesn't mean anything is wrong — it's how some banks display refunds.

**Auto-cancelled checkouts (different timeline)**

If the customer's payment was taken but no order was created (Kustom or Adyen auto-cancellation), the timeline is faster: 24–48 hours standard, up to 3–10 business days max. This is a different scenario from a return-driven refund — the customer's mental frame is usually "I paid but never got an order confirmation." If they describe that, briefly mention the auto-cancellation timeline and don't try to handle the missing-order-confirmation flow here.

**Common delays**

- Local courier delays getting the parcel to the warehouse
- Weather or seasonal peaks (especially around holidays)
- Customs processing in some countries
- Backdated refund display on the bank statement (see above)

**How to handle the conversation**

1. "When will my refund arrive?" → walk through the two-stage timeline + payment-method specifics. If the customer's order is in tool data, tailor: e.g. "your card refund typically takes 3–10 business days after we process".
2. "I dropped off [N] days ago, where is it?" → if N < 7, say it's likely still processing. If N > 7 and no refund email, use the order lookup tool to check return status. If no scan or it shows Neumünster only, explain the gotcha.
3. "I see a refund on my statement dated [original purchase date]" → backdated refund, normal for some banks. Reassure.
4. "I got a refund email but no money in my account" → don't run an investigation in this skill. The customer is past the issue stage and into a missing-refund scenario. Escalate so an agent can investigate where the refund went.
5. Klarna customer who is still in the typical 1–5 day window → reassure with the Klarna ranges, mention that updates appear in the Klarna app and refunds auto-adjust invoices.
6. Klarna customer past the typical window with no refund visible → direct them to contact Klarna directly via the Klarna app first, since Klarna handles all payments on their side. We cannot resolve missing-refund issues that sit on Klarna's side.

**Escalate to a human agent when:**
- It's been more than 10 business days since the warehouse should have processed and the customer has no refund email
- Customer says the refund email was sent but the money is missing — this is a missing-refund investigation, not refund timing; escalate
- Customer mentions the refund went to a different payment method than expected
- Refund bounced back to us (rare — agents arrange an alternative)

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Connectors

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Order Management System MCP GLOBAL v8

connector-oms-mcp

Search customer reviews HTTP GLOBAL v1

connector-typesense-reviews

Search product catalog HTTP GLOBAL v2

connector-algolia-products

CXHub MCP GLOBAL v2

85e8d9c1-f962-4429-9a47-235e4ef6180d

Typesense-reviews HTTP v2

134b413d-2ca2-4257-ac34-52ea6fc0307f

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Last updated Apr 30, 2026, 9:24 AM by Jeppe · Published by Jeppe

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