Refund Decision Policy

# Refund Decision Policy

## When this skill fires

- Customer files a refund request via Zendesk
- Slack `#cx-escalations` thread tagged with `refund-request`
- Order delivery has passed without delivery confirmation

## Decision tree (in order)

### 1. Damaged on arrival
**Always full refund + replacement at our cost. No debate.**

> *@priya, 2026-04-29: "damaged-on-arrival is the easiest decision tree — never debate it. customer is already mad, fastest resolution wins."*

### 2. Shipped > 14 days, no delivery confirmation, no prior refund in 90d, LTV > $500
**Auto-approve up to $500.**

> Pattern from ticket #44021 (cust_4f12, $312 order, 47 prior orders, no refunds → approved).

### 3. Shipped < 14 days, "changed mind"
**Not in policy. Offer 80% store credit using the standard counter-offer template.**

> Pattern from ticket #44318 (jules → store credit accepted).

### 4. SLA breach + enterprise customer with > $50k LTV
**Full refund + 10% credit. Tag for quarterly carrier review.**

> Pattern from ticket #45102 (Atlas Freight, $80k LTV, 11d delivery vs 7d SLA → $1200 refund + $120 credit).

### 5. Anything > $500 or outside the rules above
**Escalate to CX lead (@rachel).**

## Source authority (when sources disagree)

If `policy.md` (HR-owned doc) and Slack threads disagree:
1. **`policy.md`** wins for any policy question
2. **Most recent Slack precedent** wins for "how do we handle X edge case" if no policy
3. **CX lead override** wins for any one-off

## Concrete approval ranges (current)

| Scenario | Auto-approve | Escalation | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Damaged on arrival | Yes, any amount | Never | Replace at our cost |
| Lost in transit, > 14d | $500 | > $500 → @rachel | LTV > $500 required |
| Change of mind, < 14d | None — offer store credit | Customer rejects → @rachel | 80% counter |
| SLA breach, < $50k LTV | $300 | > $300 → @rachel | Standard customer |
| SLA breach, > $50k LTV | $1500 + 10% credit | > $1500 → @rachel | Enterprise |

## Tone & comms

- Damaged: apologize, replace immediately, proactive
- Lost: acknowledge frustration, file carrier claim in parallel, set 48h follow-up
- Change of mind: warm but firm, present store credit as a positive alternative
- SLA breach: own it. Customer is right. Offer above-policy resolution if it saves a $50k+ relationship.

## Auto-resolved metrics

- 73% of refund tickets resolve without escalation
- Median time-to-resolution: 18 minutes (target: <30)
- Customer satisfaction post-refund: 4.6/5

## Source

Extracted from 4 distinct tickets between 2026-04-08 and 2026-04-29. Cross-referenced against `policy/refunds-v3.md` (HR-owned, last updated 2026-02-12).

## See also

- [[companies/acme-logistics]] — tenant context
- [[people/rachel]] — primary owner; CX-lead escalation
- [[people/priya]] — co-owner; "damaged-on-arrival" pattern attribution
- [[skills/new-hire-onboarding-cx.skill]] — CX ramp lands here in week 4
- [[skills/pricing-exception-approval.skill]] — adjacent threshold/sign-off pattern