---
name: handling-refund-requests
description: Decides whether a customer is eligible for a refund and which approval path to follow, based on Northwind's current refund policy. Use when a customer requests a refund, plan downgrade with money back, or service credit, or when a CSM is drafting a response to a refund request. Always cites the policy version and required Salesforce template.
---

Handling Refund Requests

This skill encodes Northwind's current refund policy (v3) authored by Sarah Chen, VP CS. It supersedes v2.

When to use this skill

A customer (or a CSM acting on behalf of one) is asking for:

• Money back on a current or recent purchase
• A pro-rated refund / credit for unused time
• A service credit for product-quality issues
• A "we're not happy" exit during the contract

If the request is about an SLA breach (downtime), use handling-sla-credits instead — those have a different process.

Decision workflow

Copy this checklist and check items as you complete them:

Refund Progress:
- [ ] Step 1: Pull plan tier and contract start date from Salesforce
- [ ] Step 2: Determine the refund window (within 30d / 30–90d / >90d)
- [ ] Step 3: Determine if the cause is product-quality or preference
- [ ] Step 4: Determine the dollar amount and pick the approver
- [ ] Step 5: Draft the response (do NOT promise the refund yet)
- [ ] Step 6: Get approval, then issue refund or credit
- [ ] Step 7: Log in Salesforce with template RFND-2026

Policy table

Authority matrix

Drafting the response

Do NOT commit to a refund in writing before approval lands. Use language like:

"Thanks for sharing this — I want to make sure we get to the right outcome for you. Let me look at your account history and what we can do, and I'll come back to you with a clear answer within one business day."

Once approved, use this template:

"Based on your contract (Plan: [TIER], started [DATE]) and our refund policy, we can offer you [REFUND or CREDIT AMOUNT]. [If credit:] This will appear as a credit memo on your next invoice. [If refund:] This will hit your card on file within 5–10 business days. I've logged this in your account."

Issuing the refund

• Cash refund: Stripe (refund), reference the original charge ID.
• Service credit: NetSuite (credit memo against the customer), do NOT also issue a Stripe refund.
• Salesforce template: RFND-2026 (do not use RFND-2025; that's archived).

Examples

Example 1: Enterprise customer, 6 months in, mixed cause

Request: "We've been on Northwind for 6 months. The v2 routing migration broke our workflows. We want a full refund."

Decision:

• Plan: Enterprise. Time: > 90 days. → Pro-rated credit only, max 6 months.
• Cause: partial product-quality (v2 migration). Generous interpretation appropriate.
• Amount: 6 months credit (maximum allowed).
• Approver: VP CS (since amount is likely > $2,500).

Reference: This was the actual decision in TICK-4488 (Lumen Labs, Apr 2026). Outcome: $48k credit issued, customer accepted, renewal conversation booked for Aug.

Example 2: Starter plan, 14 days in, no specific issue

Request: "I changed my mind, can I get a refund?"

Decision:

• Plan: Starter. Time: < 30 days. → Full refund eligible.
• Cause: preference. Eligible but routine.
• Amount: full charge to date. Likely under $2,500.
• Approver: CSM unilateral.

What NOT to do

• Do not reference Refund Policy v2. It is archived. v3 is current as of April 2026.
• Do not issue both a Stripe refund AND a NetSuite credit. Pick one.
• Do not promise a refund in customer-facing writing before approval.
• Do not handle SLA-breach credits through this skill — that's a separate process.

Sources

• Refund Policy v3 — Notion (Sarah Chen, last updated 2026-04-08)
• #cs-policies announcement thread — Slack (2026-04-08)
• TICK-4488 worked example — Intercom (Lumen Labs, Apr 2026)