When the money just does not arrive

You sent a parcel back or cancelled an order, and ever since you have been checking your account regularly. When a refund takes longer and longer and nothing seems to happen, at some point you are right to wonder whether anything is happening at all. That is no reason to panic at first, because between the return and the moment the money is actually back in your account there are several stages, each of which takes time. Still, there comes a point where a wait is no longer normal and you should ask what is going on.

The difference between "it just takes time" and "something is wrong here" usually comes down to whether you have any confirmation that your return has arrived, and how long ago that was. If you know these two things, you can either wait much more calmly or chase it up in a more targeted way.

Why a refund is never instant

There are several separate steps between dropping off the return parcel and the money being credited. First the parcel has to reach the shop or its warehouse, which can take several days on its own depending on the shipping method. Then the goods are checked, usually to confirm that the number of items and their condition match the return. Only once this check is complete does the shop actually trigger the refund. From that moment another wait begins, because the amount still has to go through the payment system, whether that is a card transaction, a bank transfer or a credit to a payment service.

How long each step usually takes

A rough rule of thumb helps you judge the situation, even though the exact time varies depending on the shop and the payment method. Getting the return to the shop often takes several working days, and checking it in the warehouse usually a few more. Once the refund has been triggered, some payment methods show the credit almost immediately, while others take a few working days. How this differs in practice for a refund by PayPal, card or invoice often decides whether a particular wait is still normal or already unusually long.

When a refund really is taking too long

As long as you have no confirmation at all that your return has arrived, it is worth checking the tracking first before you assume the refund itself has been delayed. Things are different if the shop has already confirmed in writing that it received your return and considerably more time has passed since then than normal payment processing would need. If the credit still does not appear and you have heard nothing new from the shop, that is a good reason to take action yourself rather than keep waiting.

What to check yourself first

• Whether you have a confirmation email stating that the return was received and the date the refund was triggered, including in your spam folder.
• Whether the expected amount may already be showing as a pending transaction in your online banking or your payment service account, just not yet as a completed one.
• Whether you are really expecting the full purchase price or only part of it, for example because only one item from a multi-item order went back.
• Whether the tracking for your return shows it as delivered at all, before you assume the refund itself has been delayed.

Worked example: judging a partial return correctly

Say you ordered two jumpers at 48 euros each, so you paid 96 euros in total, and you send only one of them back. What you can expect then is a refund of 48 euros, not the full invoice amount of 96 euros. If the shop confirms receipt of the goods on Monday and your account still shows no 48-euro credit on Friday of the same week, even though the usual processing time for your payment method has long passed, it is reasonable to contact the shop. If, on the other hand, your account already shows a refund of 96 euros even though you only returned one jumper, it is also worth getting in touch, just in the other direction.

If the shop does not respond: the next steps

If a written query to customer service goes unanswered or the delay is not plausibly explained, the next point of contact is your payment provider or your bank. With a chargeback through the card issuer, you can if necessary get the money back without the shop's cooperation, provided you can prove the return. If you paid through a payment service, its own buyer protection often applies as well, which lets you resolve the case independently of the shop. For both routes, have your proof of return and your correspondence with the shop ready.

Getting the balance between patience and chasing right

If you ask after just a few days, you will usually only be told that the process is still under way, because the normal processing steps take their time. But once the usual processing time for your payment method has clearly passed and the shop has already confirmed receipt of the goods, asking is not pushy but entirely appropriate. If you keep both dates in mind, when the return was confirmed and how long your payment method normally takes, you do not need to justify yourself when you chase it up. Our frequently asked questions page has more answers about orders and returns.

Frequently asked questions

What is the longest a refund should take?

There is no fixed figure that applies in every case, because shipping, the warehouse check and the payment method each take their own time. Once the shop has confirmed receipt of your return and the usual processing time for your payment method has clearly passed, it makes sense to ask.

Should I contact the shop or the bank first?

The shop first, because it can usually trigger the refund straight away once it knows about the delay. Only if the shop does not respond or cannot plausibly explain the delay is your bank or payment provider the next step.

What if I am only expecting a partial refund?

Then before you ask, work out exactly what amount you can expect for the part of the order you actually sent back, rather than automatically comparing it with the full invoice amount.

Can a refund fail to arrive altogether?

That is rare if the return demonstrably reached the shop. If the money still does not arrive despite proof of return and repeated queries, a chargeback through your bank or payment provider is the most reliable next step.