What to do if your online order never arrives — and how to get your money back (2024)

FAQs

What to do if your online order never arrives — and how to get your money back? ›

If you didn't get your stuff: First, contact the seller. Most businesses will work with you to resolve the problem and keep you as a customer. If that doesn't work, you still didn't get your order and the charge shows up on your credit card statement, dispute the charge.

You can cancel the order if not. Dispute any charges that appear on your credit card statement when an item never arrives. Call your credit card to start the process. Make sure to put the billing error complaint in writing within 60 days of receiving your credit card statement.

You should contact the seller to ask for a redelivery or a refund - you can phone, email or write a letter.

Try to contact the trader

If you can't contact the trader or they won't help, you can then ask your card provider or PayPal. If you paid through a Buy Now Pay Later provider, you should check their website to see if they can help.

Contact your state attorney general or consumer protection office. These government agencies may mediate complaints, conduct investigations, and prosecute those who break consumer protection laws.

The chargeback process lets you ask your bank to refund a payment on your debit card when a purchase has gone wrong. You should contact the seller first, as you cannot start a chargeback claim unless you have done this. Then, if you can't resolve the issue, get in touch with your bank.

Contact your bank immediately to let them know what's happened and ask if you can get a refund. Most banks should reimburse you if you've transferred money to someone because of a scam.

Call 1 (800) 742-5877 – speak with customer service for a tracking update. Ask neighbors if they received the package. Wait 24 hours after the expected delivery date and time to file a claim. Start a claim with UPS here.

The short answer is: The seller, which means you, the business owner. Obviously, if you printed the wrong address on the shipping label, didn't include a return address, or poorly packaged the item, it's 100% on you to compensate the customer with a new shipment or a refund.

USPS: File a missing mail search request with USPS (sometimes your recipient can find their missing package by visiting their local Post Office or speaking with the letter carrier for their address; if the package is missing, you may be eligible to file an insurance claim with USPS if you purchased an insured service ...

Do you have to accept a credit note instead of a refund? ›

Do I have to accept a credit note or voucher? In general, you do not have to accept a credit note if your complaint is covered by consumer law (except in very limited cases for package holidays – see below). Instead, you can insist on a repair, a replacement or a refund.

According to the Consumer Protection Act, 1986, a consumer can lodge a complaint with the state Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission within two years of purchasing a product / availing a service.

If you didn't get your stuff: First, contact the seller. Most businesses will work with you to resolve the problem and keep you as a customer. If that doesn't work, you still didn't get your order and the charge shows up on your credit card statement, dispute the charge.

If asking the merchant for a refund didn't work, request a chargeback with your credit card issuer. Many card issuers let you dispute transactions by phone, mail or online. You may also be able to submit a dispute directly through your card issuer's mobile app.

If the money order is not altered and in good condition, you may try to cash the money order at your bank or a check cashing store. Once you are with a teller, write the following phrase: "Not Used for Purpose Intended" on the back of the money order.

A pending transaction will affect the amount of credit or funds you have available. Canceling a pending transaction usually requires contacting the merchant who made the charge. Once a pending transaction has posted, contact your bank or card issuer to dispute it.

Can the bank reverse a payment? Yes, in some cases. Banks can initiate chargebacks, forcing reversals on settled transactions. They can also reverse payments if authorization errors appear in the transaction.

Start by securing any accounts that the scammer may have access to. Then, freeze your credit and contact your bank or financial institution and any impacted companies to alert them of the crime. Finally, you may need to file a report with your local police department and the Federal Trade Commission (FTC).

What to do if you've been scammed online? ›

The first thing you should do is contact your bank or payment service provider to explain what's happened. You should tell them about a suspected scam or a disputed payment as soon as you can. We share more detail about common types of fraud and what to do if you think you have been affected by a scam.

You must normally request a refund within 30 to 60 days, with certain credit cards allowing up to 120 days for a chargeback. Make sure you understand the difference between refunds and chargebacks before proceeding.

You can hire a consumer case lawyer to send a notice to the company. File a consumer complaint: If no reply is received from the company to the legal notice, you can hire a consumer law attorney to file a consumer complaint against it in the appropriate consumer forum.

(6) Recover Damages: If the seller repudiates a contract or wrongfully refuses to deliver conforming goods, the buyer can sue to recover the difference between the contract price and the fair market price of the goods (at the time that the buyer learned of the breach), plus incidental and consequential damages, less ...

USPS may reimburse you for stolen, lost or missing packages if the mail was insured. If your packages weren't insured, they likely won't issue a refund. Instead, you'll want to contact the seller. This holds for other delivery services, too.

Buying products

Satisfactory quality: The product shouldn't be damaged or faulty when you receive it. Fit for purpose: You should be able to use it for what the seller says it will do (its purpose), whether that's their statement when you buy it, or an answer to your question.

Most retailers make the credit card refund process straightforward. You will need the receipt and the credit card used to make the original purchase. If you do not have this credit card available, some merchants may be able to obtain the details from the receipt.

In the U.S., there's no federal law that says merchants have to accept returns. However, retailers are required to provide a repair, exchange, or refund if a product is defective. And under the FTC's “cooling off” rule, you have the right to cancel some sales within three days of the purchase and get a full refund.

How do I ask for a refund professionally? ›

Dear Sir/Madam, I am writing this letter to request a full refund for the clothes I ordered from your store. I had received a lot of reviews which is why I ordered a few cloth materials worth Rs. 20,000 for my painting business. I regret to inform you that I am not satisfied with the materials.

Take it to the Federal Trade Commission by filing a complaint. What kind of complaint? The Federal Trade Commission is the nation's Consumer Protection Agency. So if a business doesn't deliver on its promises, or if someone cheats you out of your money, the Federal Trade Commission wants to hear about it.

If the company won't help over the phone, write a complaint letter and send it to the company's head office. (If it needs to go to a local office, it'll be passed on.) Send all letters by recorded delivery, so you can prove they received it, and always save a copy.

Generally speaking, though, a white elephant implies not just that you don't get any value out of the money you paid to purchase it, but also that it becomes an additional burden on you, costing you more than just the up-front sticker price.

The most common reason for the non-delivery of orders are:

Incomplete/Incorrect address. The customer requested future delivery. Pay on the delivery amount not ready. The customer refused the delivery.

In some situations, you may end up with quite a large negative balance, perhaps if you've made a large purchase which you decide to return after paying your balance off. In these cases, you're able to request a refund from your issuer, which will usually come in the form of a cheque or bank transfer.

If you qualify for a return but the seller won't give you your money back, you have some options: Write a complaint letter: we have advice to help you do that and a sample letter. Consider getting help from a consumer organization like Call for Action, Consumer Action , or the Better Business Bureau.

If the merchant fails to submit a response by the deadline, the merchant will accept the chargeback by default. Merchants may decide to accept chargebacks for several reasons. Sometimes the chargeback is based on true fraud or some other valid and inarguable reason, and there is no point in trying to fight it.

Can you sue for not receiving a product? ›

So long as there isn't another court better suited to hear the case, then the lawsuit can be filed in small claims. Suing for an item you purchased but didn't receive is a common small claims court lawsuit.

Bad service and service not rendered are also eligible reasons to dispute a charge, even if you willingly made the purchase. For example, if you purchase something online that shows up broken, your credit card issuer can assist with getting your money back.

Can the bank reverse a payment? Yes, in some cases. Banks can initiate chargebacks, forcing reversals on settled transactions. They can also reverse payments if authorization errors appear in the transaction.