The sofa took nine weeks to arrive. When you pulled off the plastic, one leg was split and the frame creaked like an old boat. You called the store. Twice. Each time someone promised a callback that never came, and now the receipt is sitting on your counter while $640 sits in someone else’s account.
This is when it’s time to stop calling and write. A clear letter to request a refund gives the business a specific amount, a date, and a record they can’t lose. It also sets you up for what comes next if they ignore you, which is often a card dispute or a complaint with your state.
Below you’ll find what to check first, five templates for different situations, how to send them, and what to do if the answer is no.
Quick note: This guide is general information, not legal advice. Refund rights depend on what you bought, where you bought it, how you paid and your state’s law. If there’s a lot of money involved, consider talking to a lawyer.
Are You Actually Owed a Refund?
It helps to be clear-eyed about this before you write, because it decides how firmly you can word your letter.
In general, no single federal rule forces a store to take something back just because you changed your mind. For ordinary purchases, the store’s return policy usually sets the terms, and your state’s law may add to it. You have a much stronger position in situations like these:
- The item is broken or isn’t what was described. A product that doesn’t work as sold, or a listing that misrepresented it, gives you a reason that goes well beyond buyer’s remorse.
- You never got what you paid for. An order that didn’t arrive, or a service that wasn’t performed.
- The store’s own policy covers you. Print or screenshot it. Quoting a company’s policy back at it works surprisingly well.
- You bought it somewhere covered by the Cooling-Off Rule. More on that next.
- You were promised a refund. An email from the company saying so is about the best evidence you can have.
If none of these apply, you can still ask. Just write it as a request for goodwill, and accept that they may offer store credit instead.
Three Rules Worth Knowing
The FTC’s Cooling-Off Rule
If you bought something at your home, workplace or dorm, or at a temporary location like a hotel room, convention center or fairground, the FTC’s Cooling-Off Rule may let you cancel until midnight of the third business day after the sale. It covers sales of $25 or more at home, and $130 or more at temporary locations. It doesn’t cover purchases made entirely online, by mail or by phone, and there are other exceptions, including cars sold at temporary locations by sellers with a permanent lot.
Once you cancel properly, the seller has 10 days to refund your money. So don’t wait on this one. Three business days go fast.
The rule on online and phone orders
Under the FTC’s Mail, Internet, or Telephone Order Merchandise Rule, a seller should ship within the time it promised, or within 30 days if it didn’t say. If it can’t, it has to tell you and give you the choice of agreeing to the delay or canceling for a refund. When an order is canceled, refunds paid by cash, check or money order are due within seven working days, and credit card refunds within one billing cycle.
Your credit card dispute rights
If you paid by credit card, you have a federal process to fall back on. The FTC explains that a billing dispute must reach your card issuer within 60 days after the first bill showing the problem was sent to you. For quality problems, you generally have to try to work it out with the seller first, the purchase must be over $50, and it must have happened in your home state or within 100 miles of your billing address. A letter to the seller is how you show you tried.
That 60-day clock is why you shouldn’t let a refund request drag on for months while a business keeps stalling. Debit cards and payment apps have different rules, so contact your bank or app as soon as you know there’s a problem.
Before You Write
Ten minutes of gathering now will save you from a weak letter.
- Find your proof of purchase. Receipt, order confirmation, bank or card statement.
- Save the promise. Screenshot the product listing, the return policy, and any ad or email that says what you were supposed to get.
- Take photos. If something’s damaged, photograph it before you move it again, including the packaging.
- Write a short timeline. Dates you ordered, received, called, and who you spoke to.
- Decide what you want. Full refund? Refund minus the shipping? A replacement? Be exact, because a vague request gets a vague answer.
- Find the right recipient. A store manager is fine for a small purchase. For anything bigger, send it to customer service or the corporate office, and copy the store.
What a Good Refund Letter Includes
- Your contact details and the date.
- The specifics of the purchase: order number, item, date, price paid, how you paid.
- What went wrong, in two or three factual sentences.
- What you’ve already tried, with dates and names.
- The exact remedy: “a full refund of $640 to my Visa ending in 4417.”
- A deadline. Fourteen days works for most cases.
- What you’ll do next if you don’t hear back, stated calmly.
- Copies, never originals, of your receipts and photos.
Keep it to one page. Anger is understandable, but it reads badly when a manager or, later, a card dispute team goes through the file.
Worked Example
Say you’re Renee, the sofa owner from the top of this article. (She’s invented.) She paid $640 on her credit card on June 3, and it was delivered August 8 with a split leg. She called on August 9 and August 16 and got nothing but a reference number.
Renee’s letter says what she bought, when it arrived, what’s wrong, when she called, and that she wants $640 back on her card within 14 days. She attaches her receipt and two photos. She mentions she’ll dispute the charge with her card issuer if it isn’t resolved. She doesn’t call anyone a thief.
She also looks at her statement date. The charge appeared on a June statement, which raises a fair question about whether the 60-day window has already run. It’s less clear-cut for a product that arrives damaged weeks later, so she calls the issuer the same day to ask how they’d treat it instead of guessing. That’s a good habit whenever the dates feel tight.
Template 1: Defective or Not-as-Described Item
[Your Full Name]
[Your Address]
[Phone] | [Email][Date]
[Company Name]
Attn: Customer Service
[Company Address]Re: Refund request for order #[number]
Dear [Name or Customer Service Team],
On [date], I bought [item] from [store or website] for $[amount], paid by [method]. A copy of my receipt is attached.
When the item arrived on [date], I found that [specific problem]. This doesn’t match [the description / the product’s advertised function / your written promise that…]. Photos are attached.
I contacted your team on [date] and spoke with [name], but the problem hasn’t been resolved.
I’m asking for a full refund of $[amount] to my original payment method by [date 14 days away]. I’m happy to return the item at your expense, or make it available for pickup.
If I don’t hear from you by then, I plan to [dispute the charge with my card issuer / file a complaint with my state consumer protection office].
Sincerely,
[Signature]
[Printed Name]
Template 2: Order That Never Arrived or Arrived Late
Subject: Refund request, order #[number] not received
Hello,
I placed order #[number] on [date] for [item], totaling $[amount]. You promised delivery by [date / within (number) days]. As of today, I haven’t received it, and I haven’t agreed to any delay.
I’m canceling this order and asking for a full refund of $[amount] to my original payment method. Please confirm the refund in writing by [date 10 days away].
Thank you,
[Name]
[Phone]
Template 3: Service Paid For but Not Delivered
This fits a cleaner who didn’t show, a course that was canceled, a repair that didn’t fix anything, or a contractor’s deposit for work that never started.
Re: Refund request for [service] on [date]
Dear [Name],
On [date], I paid [Company] $[amount] for [service], as shown in the attached [invoice / agreement / receipt]. We agreed that you would [what was promised] by [date].
[That work wasn’t performed. / You completed only (portion). / The work didn’t solve (problem), and I gave you the chance to correct it on (date).]
I’m asking for a refund of $[amount], which is [the full payment / the part of the payment for work not done], by [date 14 days away].
Please reply in writing. I’d like to settle this directly, but if it isn’t resolved by that date, I’ll look at my other options, including a complaint with my state consumer protection office and small claims court.
Sincerely,
[Name]
[Address] | [Phone]
Template 4: Cancellation Under the Cooling-Off Rule
Send this before midnight of the third business day. Use the cancellation form the seller was supposed to give you if you have one. If you don’t, a signed and dated letter can do the job, and mailing it certified gives you proof of the date.
Re: Notice of cancellation, purchase on [date]
Dear [Seller],
On [date], I bought [item or service] from your representative, [name], at [my home / hotel / convention center, city]. The price was $[amount].
I’m canceling this purchase under the FTC’s Cooling-Off Rule. Please refund all money I paid and return any signed check or trade-in within 10 days, as the rule requires.
Please also tell me how you’d like the [item] returned, or whether you’ll pick it up.
Sincerely,
[Signature]
[Printed Name]
[Address]
Template 5: Final Notice Before You Escalate
Use this after your first letter’s deadline has passed. For larger sums, our guide to the demand letter for unpaid money goes further.
Re: Final request for refund, order #[number]
Dear [Name],
On [date], I asked in writing for a refund of $[amount] for [item or service]. A copy of that letter is attached. Your deadline passed on [date], and I haven’t received a refund or a substantive reply.
Please send the $[amount] by [date 10 days away]. If I don’t receive it, I’ll take the next steps, which may include disputing the charge, filing complaints with [state consumer protection office] and the FTC, and filing in small claims court.
Sincerely,
[Name]
Better Wording for Each Line
| Say this | Not this |
|---|---|
| “I’m asking for a full refund of $640 by August 30.” | “I want my money back immediately.” |
| “The frame arrived split, as shown in the attached photos.” | “You sold me garbage.” |
| “I called on August 9 and spoke with Tom.” | “I’ve called a hundred times.” |
| “I plan to dispute this charge with my card issuer.” | “My lawyer will destroy you.” |
How to Send It and What to Do After
For a small purchase, email or an online form is fine. Over a couple hundred dollars, send it by certified mail with return receipt as well, so nobody can claim it never arrived. Keep copies of everything in one folder.
A simple timeline
- Day 0: Send your letter. Set a 14-day deadline.
- Day 7: If you’ve heard nothing, send a short reply to your own email: “Checking that you received this.”
- Day 14: Deadline passes. Check your card issuer’s dates and dispute now if you paid by credit card and the window is closing.
- Day 15 to 30: Send Template 5, and file with your state consumer office if the company still won’t respond.
- Day 30 and beyond: Consider small claims court if the amount justifies it.
Don’t return an item without a return authorization or a written agreement on who pays shipping. And don’t let a business talk you into store credit if you’ve asked for money back, unless you actually want it.
What If the Company Refuses?
You’ve got options, roughly in this order:
- Dispute the charge. For a credit card, write to the issuer’s billing inquiries address. Issuers must acknowledge a dispute within 30 days and resolve it within 90 days, per the FTC.
- File with your state. State consumer protection offices take complaints against businesses and can sometimes get a company to respond.
- Report it to the FTC. The agency doesn’t resolve individual complaints, but reports help it spot patterns. ReportFraud.ftc.gov is the place to do it.
- Try small claims court. Limits and filing fees vary by state, and you often don’t need a lawyer. Your county court’s website will spell out the process.
- Leave an honest review. Stick to the facts. An accurate account of what happened is fair, but exaggeration can come back to bite you.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can a store refuse a refund if I changed my mind?
Often, yes, as long as it isn’t breaking its own posted policy or your state’s rules. Some states have requirements on how return policies must be disclosed, so check with your state consumer office if a policy was never shown to you.
Can I demand cash if I paid by card?
Usually a refund goes back to the original payment method. That’s normal, and it also gives you a clean record. Ask for the method you paid with.
How long should I give a business to respond?
Fourteen days is a reasonable default for most purchases. For a Cooling-Off cancellation, the seller has 10 days. Keep your own deadlines short if a card dispute window is approaching.
Do I need a lawyer to write this letter?
Not for an ordinary purchase. If the amount is large, or you’ve been harmed by a product, a short consultation with a lawyer may be worth it. Local legal aid groups may also help if you qualify.
Does sending a letter stop my card dispute deadline?
No. Your deadline with the card issuer keeps running while you wait on the business, so mark it on your calendar as soon as you spot the problem.
Related Guides
- How to Write a Demand Letter for Unpaid Money (Free Template)
- Credit Report Dispute Letter Template (and How to Use It)
Sources
We checked this guide against the following sources:
- FTC: Buyer’s Remorse and the Cooling-Off Rule
- FTC: Business Guide to the Mail, Internet, or Telephone Order Merchandise Rule
- FTC: What to do if your online order never arrives
- FTC: Using credit cards and disputing charges
- USA.gov: State consumer protection offices
Last reviewed: November 5, 2026 by the PerfectWordNow Editorial Team.
Disclaimer: This article is for general information only and is not legal advice. Consumer protection laws vary by state and change over time. For advice about your situation, talk to a licensed attorney, a legal aid office or your state consumer protection agency.