AIWorkDex
Customer Support Practice

Review, decide, and close a reimbursement request

Reach one supported decision, take the correct authorised action, and state the escalation route.

Preparation
45–120 minutes, plus any legal or payment-provider review
Difficulty
Advanced
Task
Close a reimbursement decision
Back to the Task: Close a reimbursement decision

Before you start

Get what you need before you start

  • Collect the order, fulfilment, return, payment, policy, and conversation records.
  • Identify the governing market, consumer rules, contract, and payment-provider process.
  • Confirm who may approve the refund, refusal, exception, or escalation.

Steps

Work through the method

Use the listed inputs and tools. Check the evidence when you need to verify a step.

  1. Build the refund decision record

    Restate the customer’s request and list the evidence reviewed, policy terms, applicable rule, disputed fact, previous remedy, and available escalation route.

    Why it matters: A complete record prevents the final reply from repeating an unsupported position.

    Input
    The order, messages, policy, applicable guidance, and payment record.
    Output
    A reviewable decision record with unresolved questions clearly marked.
    Tools in this stepZendeskShopify

    Evidence for this step

  2. Approve and apply the decision

    Have the authorised person approve the entitlement and remedy. For an approved Shopify refund, check the item quantity, refund amount, order total, shipping, duties, restocking, reason, customer notification, payment-method split, required permission, and existing refund or store-credit state. Immediately before submission, show the final values and require the authorised person to confirm the irreversible refund action once more.

    Why it matters: The commerce operation records the remedy and cannot decide whether the customer is entitled to it.

    Input
    The approved decision and eligible Shopify order.
    Output
    A recorded refund action, alternative remedy, refusal, or specialist escalation.
    Tools in this stepShopify

    Evidence for this step

  3. Send one final response

    State the understood request, evidence considered, decision basis, remedy, completion timing, and escalation route. Avoid reopening settled points unless new evidence arrives.

    Why it matters: The customer receives a complete answer and knows what route remains available.

    Input
    The decision record and completed or scheduled remedy.
    Output
    A final response linked to the decision and transaction records.
    Tools in this stepZendesk

    Evidence for this step

Success checks

Check the result before you finish

  • The decision cites the applicable rule and evidence instead of relying only on store policy.
  • The Shopify action matches the authorised quantity, amount, total, shipping, duties, method split, reason, and notification choice.
  • The final confirmation records the authorised person and the duplicate-state check immediately before submission.
  • The final response states the remaining escalation route.

Failure modes

Watch for these problems

  • The jurisdiction or entitlement is unclear. Pause and obtain authorised legal or consumer-law guidance.
  • The responder initiates a refund before approval. Restrict the operation and require the decision record.
  • A duplicate refund is possible. Check the order and payment records immediately before submission.
  • The reply threatens or argues with the customer. Replace it with the decision facts and escalation route.

Tools

Choose the tools you need

Sources

Read the sources behind this practice

Check what each source supports and where the advice has limits.