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Refund message to customer
A refund message to customer has to settle money and feelings at once, in a chat the customer may screenshot and share. The trap is vagueness: "we will process your refund" with no amount and no date. That one line produces three more angry messages asking when. This page covers each step: request received, refund approved, refund sent with the reference, a partial refund with the reason, a store credit offer, a polite decline and a refund that is taking longer than promised. Four are in Bahasa Malaysia. Each one names the amount, the method and the date, because those are what the customer is waiting to read.
Tap any green message to copy it.
When to send it
Reply to every refund request within the same working day, even if the answer is "checking". Silence is what turns a refund into a bad review. Ask for photos and the order number in your first reply, so you aren't asking for them one at a time. Once you've sent the money, send the reference straight away. Don't wait for the customer to ask whether it came through.
1. Request received, checking
Use as the first reply to any refund request.
2. Refund approved
Use when you've agreed to it. State the amount and method.
3. Refund sent, with reference
Use right after you transfer it.
4. Card refund, timing out of your hands
Use when the refund goes back through a card payment.
5. Partial refund, with the reason
Use when part of the order was fine, or a fee is not refundable.
6. Store credit offered instead
Use when the refund is owed but you'd like to keep the sale.
7. Declined politely, with an alternative
Use when the request falls outside your rules.
8. Refund delayed
Use when you missed the date you gave.
In Bahasa Malaysia
Refund diluluskan
Refund sudah dihantar
Tawaran kredit kedai
Refund ditolak dengan sopan
What not to send
- "We'll process it soon." Soon means tomorrow to the customer and next month to your accounts team.
- A decline that quotes your full return policy. It reads as a wall. One sentence with the reason is enough.
- Store credit as the only option when the refund is owed. Customers notice, and it's the kind of message they screenshot.
- An apology with no action. "Sorry for the trouble" without an amount or date leaves the customer exactly where they started.
Stop typing these by hand
Cupbots runs on your own WhatsApp number. It takes orders, sends invoices with a pay-link and answers "any update?" in the chats you already use, so messages like these go out on time without you.
Get it set up for you →FAQ
How do you tell a customer their refund is being processed?
Give the amount, where it is going (same card, bank account, e-wallet) and a date range. "RM89 back to your Maybank account by Friday" ends the conversation. "Your refund is being processed" starts a new one. If you don't control the timing, say who does, such as the card issuer.
How do you politely refuse a refund?
Thank them, give the specific reason in one sentence, and offer something you can do: an exchange, a repair, store credit or a discount on the next order. Point to the rule they agreed to, such as the return window, without pasting your whole policy. Never decline without an alternative.
Is store credit better than a refund?
For the shop, usually, because the money stays with you. Offer it as a choice, not a replacement. Adding a small top-up, such as RM100 credit against an RM90 refund, makes the credit worth choosing. If the customer wants the cash back and the refund is owed, give it.
How long should a refund take?
Promise only what you control. A bank transfer from you can go the same day. A card refund depends on the card issuer and often takes several working days to show. Tell the customer which kind it is, give a range, and send the transaction reference once you have done your part.
More message templates
- Payment received message
- Order confirmation message
- Out of stock message
- Payment reminder message to customer