This isn't quite a flat refusal — it's worse in a different way. Someone told you the refund was approved. Or the order was canceled and you were told the money would come back. And then it just doesn't. You check your account, nothing. You follow up, and get "it's processing," or "give it another week," or a different rep telling you something slightly different each time.
A refund that's stuck is a distinct problem from one that was denied outright, and it usually calls for a different approach: stop accepting reassurance and start asking for something specific.
If a rep has already said the refund is happening — over chat, by email, in a support ticket — that's the single most useful thing you can have. It converts this from "will they refund me" into "why hasn't a refund they already agreed to actually arrived." Save the transcript or screenshot before it disappears from a support portal.
Write down each time someone told you a refund was coming, what they said the timeline was, and whether that date passed. A pattern of missed dates is itself useful — it shows this isn't a processing delay, it's a company that keeps saying things it doesn't do.
If you paid by card, your card issuer can usually step in with a chargeback if the company won't act — this exists specifically for situations where a merchant agreed to refund and didn't follow through. It's worth doing in parallel with, not instead of, pushing the company directly, since a chargeback opened too late is harder to win.
You're probably in good shape if: you have something in writing where the company agreed to refund you, a reasonable amount of time has passed with no money showing up, and you have a specific order or ticket number to point to.
You may not have much if: no one has actually agreed to a refund yet and this is really a request being reviewed for the first time, the delay is short and within what the company told you upfront, or the refund did arrive and the dispute is really about the amount.
If a refund was actually promised, a short written follow-up — quoting exactly what was said and when, and asking for a specific date — is often enough on its own. See demand letter for a refund for what to include. If the company hasn't agreed to anything and is refusing outright instead, that's a different version: business refuses to refund.
Wherewithal is an organizational tool, not a law firm, not legal advice.
Wherewithal is an organizational tool only. Not legal advice. Consider consulting a licensed attorney.