Refund request letter

Faulty, not as described, never arrived or cancelled in time: fill in the order and the letter asks for your money back clearly, politely and by a date.

General information, not legal advice. The letter states the facts politely and asks for a clear outcome by a date. Any law it mentions is a short, general statement; check the rules where you live.

You

Your name

Email or phone (optional)

Your address (optional for email)

The shop and order

Shop name

Order number

Order date

Date of the letter

What you bought

Shop's address (optional)

What went wrong

Amount you paid

Paid with (optional)

In your own words (optional)

What you want

Outcome

Full refundPartial refundReplacement, else refund

Days to reply

Mention consumer law

Sam Rivera
8 Willow Court
Leeds LS6 3AB
sam.rivera@example.com

Friday 30 October 2026

Lantern Home Store

Re: Refund request: order LH-20931

Dear Lantern Home Store customer services,

On Monday 12 October 2026 I bought a table lamp (model TL-40) from you for £64.99 (order LH-20931). Unfortunately it is faulty.

The switch stopped working on the second day, and the lamp no longer turns on.

Please refund the full £64.99 to the credit card I paid with, within 14 days of this letter.

I have kept copies of my order confirmation and our correspondence. If I do not hear from you by then, I will consider taking the matter further, for example through my card issuer or a consumer advice service. You can reach me at sam.rivera@example.com.

Yours sincerely,

Sam Rivera

Every detail is filled in. Read it through once before you send it.

Your details are kept in this browser only, so they are here next time. "Clear my details" removes them.

Writing a refund request that gets an answer

Pick the reason and the outcome you want, and the letter says what you bought, when, what went wrong and what you are asking for, with a reply deadline (14 days unless you change it). Add a line in your own words if it helps: when you first contacted the shop, or that you have photos.

Mention consumer law adds one short line for the UK, the EU or the United States, but only where a rule clearly fits the reason you chose; the rules are linked below. If you are not sure, leave it off: a polite, factual letter works without it. Anything still blank appears as a highlighted gap.

Send it by email or the shop's contact form and keep a copy. If the shop does not reply by your deadline and you paid by card, your card issuer may be able to help: the chargeback timeline shows how long you have.

Sources for the optional law lines

Consumer Rights Act 2015, section 22: the short-term right to reject faulty goods, normally within 30 days.
Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013, regulation 30 (the 14-day cancellation period) and regulation 34 (refund timing).
Consumer Rights Directive 2011/83/EU: the 14-day right of withdrawal for distance contracts.
Directive (EU) 2019/771: the seller's liability for faults that appear within at least two years.
16 CFR 435.2, the FTC Mail, Internet, or Telephone Order Merchandise Rule: shipping times and the option to cancel for a prompt refund.

Questions

How long should I give the shop?

Fourteen days is a common, reasonable deadline. For an order that never arrived, a week is fair.

Should I send the item back first?

For faulty goods, ask the shop how it wants the item returned, and keep proof of postage. Do not throw anything away.

Is this legal advice?

No. It is general wording written for this site. For a dispute, contact a consumer advice service where you live.