Refund outside return window: reply templates
Saying no to a late refund is easier when you offer something else. This reply explains the window kindly, offers store credit or an exchange as a goodwill gesture, and asks whether there is a fault, because faulty goods have separate rights.
Template
Subject: About your return for order {order_number}
Subject: Your return request: order {order_number}
Subject: Your return
- {first_name}
- The customer's first name. Hobson fills this from the conversation.
- {order_number}
- The Shopify order number. Hobson fills this from the matched order.
- {return_item}
- The product the customer wants to return.
- {delivery_date}
- The date the order was delivered, from tracking.
- {return_window_days}
- Your return window in days, such as 30.
- {store_credit_amount}
- The value of the store credit you are offering.
- {agent_first_name}
- The first name of the teammate sending the reply. Hobson fills this.
- {workspace}
- Your shop name. Hobson fills this.
When to use it
- A change-of-mind return arrives after your return window has closed.
- The customer wants a refund on an item they have used for weeks without a fault.
- You want to offer store credit as a goodwill gesture instead of a cash refund.
If the item is faulty or damaged, treat it as a damaged item, whatever the date. Damaged item
UK consumer law
Your own return window can be longer than the legal 14 days, but not shorter, and if you never told the customer about their right to cancel, the 14 days can extend by up to 12 months. Faulty goods are separate: under the Consumer Rights Act 2015, a customer can still ask for a repair, replacement or refund well after your return window ends. This is a general guide, not legal advice.
How to use it
- 1
Check the delivery date
Use the tracking delivery date and your published policy. If it is within a day or two of the window, consider just accepting it.
- 2
Check for a fault
Read the message again for anything that sounds like a fault. If there is one, switch to the damaged item or complaint template.
- 3
Choose your goodwill offer
Decide whether you will offer store credit, an exchange or nothing, and fill in the amount.
- 4
Note the decision
Tag or note the conversation so your team gives the same answer if the customer writes again.
Common mistakes
- Refusing a faulty item because it is outside your change-of-mind window.
- Quoting the policy without the delivery date, which makes the refusal feel arbitrary.
- Refusing a customer who is one day over the line on an expensive order. The goodwill is worth more.
What they usually ask next
Can I swap it instead? Exchange request
Related templates
All returns and refunds templates- Refund request within 14 daysReply templates for change-of-mind refund requests inside the 14-day UK cancellation period: how to send it back, what gets refunded and when the money arrives.
- Exchange requestReply templates for size and colour exchanges: check stock, hold the new item, and choose whether to send it now or once the return arrives. Friendly, formal, brief.
- Damaged itemReply templates for items that arrive broken or damaged: apologise, ask for a photo if you need one, and offer a replacement or refund without making the customer chase the courier.