Send a written chaser today asking for the refund to be processed by a clear date, and keep everything in one email thread or letter chain. If nothing is done, the promise often drifts into “still pending” updates until the payment window quietly passes and the business stops prioritising it. Use the company’s official complaints route next, then escalate to the relevant dispute route if the deadline is missed again. Keep the request simple: confirm the amount, the payment method, and the date it was promised.
Where a refund was promised but never processed, the practical problem is that the business has accepted the outcome but has not completed the payment step. This commonly shows up after a cancellation, a return, a billing error, or a service failure where the company has already said “refund approved” or “refund issued”. It tends to affect people who paid by card, used a third-party payment provider, or dealt with a retailer that separates customer service from finance. The sticking point usually appears after an initial complaint has been upheld or partially upheld, when the customer is waiting for the final transaction rather than arguing about entitlement.
What the problem is
Where it shows
In UK consumer situations, a refund promise can be made by email, live chat, a call note, or a portal update, but the money does not arrive. The customer may be told it can take “up to” a certain number of days, then gets a follow-up message saying it is “with the payments team”. This often happens after the business has already accepted a return, confirmed a cancellation, or agreed compensation, so the conversation shifts from whether a refund is due to why it has not landed.
Who gets stuck
People tend to get stuck when the purchase involved multiple parts: a marketplace seller and a platform, a retailer and a courier return, or a service provider and a separate billing system. It also appears when the original payment method has changed, such as an expired card, a closed account, or a card replaced after fraud. The delay can also hit those who accepted a partial refund or store credit first and later agreed a cash refund, because the business then has to reverse earlier adjustments.
When it appears
The typical stage is after a complaint has been acknowledged and the business has said the refund is approved, but before any proof of payment is provided. Sometimes there is a “refund reference” that does not match any bank transaction, or the customer is asked to wait again without a new commitment date. If the business has given a final response but the money still has not arrived, the issue becomes a failure to carry out an agreed remedy rather than a disagreement about the underlying problem.
Why this happens
Payment pipeline
Refunds are often processed in batches, and customer service teams may not have direct control over finance queues. A refund can be “authorised” internally but not “settled” through the card network, or it can be triggered to the wrong payment route (for example, a voucher path rather than a card reversal). Where returns are involved, the refund may be held until the warehouse scans the item, and delays in that scan can stall the payment even when customer service has already promised it.
Business incentives
Holding funds for longer improves cashflow and reduces the urgency to fix back-office errors, particularly where the customer has already stopped using the service. Some businesses rely on the fact that many people will not chase repeatedly, or will accept a new “up to” timeframe each time. A common organisational pattern is that each contact resets the story to “it’s in progress” without anyone taking ownership of the end-to-end payment.
System mismatches
Refunds can fail silently when the original transaction cannot be matched, such as split payments, partial captures, or payments taken by a different trading name. If the customer paid through a wallet or intermediary, the merchant may have issued the refund to the intermediary, leaving the customer waiting for the intermediary’s own processing. Where the customer’s bank details have changed, some firms will not switch to a bank transfer without extra checks, so the refund sits pending while they request information in an unstructured way.
Your rights in practice
Leverage points
The strongest practical leverage is a clear written record that the business agreed to refund a specific amount by a specific route. When that exists, the conversation is less about persuasion and more about performance: asking for confirmation that the refund has been submitted and requesting evidence that can be checked against a bank statement. Setting a firm deadline for action, and stating the next escalation route, tends to get the issue moved from “waiting” to “done”.
What usually works
UK cases often resolve when the customer asks for one of two things: a payment confirmation that can be verified (such as an acquirer reference or transaction ID) or a re-issue of the refund via a different method where the original method is no longer valid. Keeping the request narrow helps: amount, date promised, and the exact step needed now. If the business keeps repeating generic timeframes, moving to the formal complaints stage is usually more effective than continuing informal chats.
Limits to accept
It is reasonable to reject open-ended delays and vague assurances that the refund is “processing” without any evidence. It is also reasonable to ask the business to correct its own internal mismatch rather than placing the burden on the customer to prove a negative. Where the business claims it has refunded, asking for proof of submission and the date it left their system is a practical way to test whether the refund actually happened.
Official basis in UK
Chargeback route
If the refund was promised but not received, a practical official route is to ask the card provider to raise a chargeback for non-receipt of the agreed refund or for the original transaction where the merchant has not provided the agreed remedy. In practice, the bank will want a timeline, evidence of the promise to refund, and proof that the refund has not arrived, and it will submit a claim through the card scheme to the merchant’s bank. The merchant can accept the claim or dispute it, so clear documentation matters, and acting promptly tends to avoid arguments about time limits and transaction age. Details on how to approach the bank and what to prepare are set out in Citizens Advice.
Evidence that matters
What to gather
Evidence is mainly about showing the promise and the absence of payment. Keep the original order confirmation, the payment receipt, and the message where the business agreed the refund. Add bank or card statements covering the period from the promise date to now, showing no matching credit. If the business claims it has already refunded, ask for the payment reference and keep their reply.
What to avoid
Avoid sending unnecessary personal documents unless the business has a clear, legitimate reason and a secure method to provide them. Avoid starting multiple separate chats that create conflicting timelines and make it easier for the business to say it cannot locate the case. One thing not to do yet is to accept a replacement voucher or store credit as a “temporary fix” if the aim is a cash refund, because it can complicate later escalation.
Quick checklist
- Screenshot or email showing the refund promise, amount, and date
- Order number, account email, and any complaint reference
- Statement pages showing no refund credit since the promise
- Any message where the business says “refunded” or “processed”
Common mistakes
Three common mistakes are relying on verbal assurances with no written confirmation, waiting through repeated “up to” timeframes without setting a deadline, and sending bank details over insecure channels because a chat agent asked for them.
What to do next
Send a chaser
Reply to the message where the refund was promised (or write to the customer service email used previously) and ask for the refund to be processed by a specific date. Include the amount, the order or booking reference, the date the refund was promised, and the payment method used. Ask for proof of submission if they say it has already been done, and request the transaction reference that a bank can trace.
Use complaints route
If the chaser does not produce a confirmed payment date, move to the company’s official complaints process rather than continuing informal chat. The official route is usually found on the company website under “Complaints”, “Contact us”, or “Help”, and it may be a webform or a dedicated email address; use that channel only and keep a copy of what was submitted. Prepare the same core information plus attachments of the refund promise and statement evidence.
Prepare details
- Refund amount and currency (if relevant)
- Date the refund was promised and by whom (name or team)
- Proof of payment and proof of no refund received
- Preferred resolution date and acceptable payment method
Normal timeframe
In many UK cases, a formal complaint gets a substantive response within 14 days, even if the business’s published timescales are longer. One typical outcome is that the refund is processed after a complaint is logged and the case is assigned to a back-office team.
Escalate if silent
If there is no response within 14 days, or the business responds without a confirmed payment date, escalate through the payment route. For card payments, contact the card provider and ask to raise a chargeback, providing the complaint reference and the evidence bundle; if the purchase was travel-related and the business keeps saying the refund is “in progress”, the decision point is the same as an Airline refund delayed situation where waiting longer rarely improves the outcome. If the business claims the refund was issued, ask the bank to trace using the reference provided, and if no reference is provided, treat it as not issued and proceed with escalation.
Change strategy
If the business says the original payment method cannot be refunded, ask for a written explanation and a secure alternative (such as a bank transfer) with a clear processing date. If the business offers store credit instead, respond in writing that the agreed remedy was a cash refund and restate the deadline. If the business is unresponsive but the card provider declines chargeback due to timing or other limits, the next strategy is to pursue the business directly using its formal complaints escalation and written demands, keeping the focus on the agreed refund promise rather than re-arguing the original dispute.
Related issues on this site
If the business has moved from “refund approved” to outright refusal, the situation often shifts into a different evidence and escalation pattern, and Refund refused by company may fit better. If a court claim has already been won and the company still does not pay, the next steps are enforcement-focused rather than complaint-focused, and the approach in Judgment issued but company does not pay becomes relevant. These related paths are most useful when the business changes its position or when the dispute has already passed the normal complaints stage.
FAQ quick answers
Refund reference meaning
A refund reference meaning in card payments is usually an internal note unless it matches a traceable transaction ID from the merchant’s bank. Ask for a reference the bank can use to locate the credit.
Expired card issue
An expired card refund delay often clears automatically because refunds route to the underlying account, but it can fail if the account is closed. Ask the business to confirm whether the refund was submitted and request an alternative method only if the bank confirms it cannot arrive.
Partial refund confusion
A partial refund still pending problem often happens when the business processed one part but not the remainder. Ask for a breakdown showing what has been paid and the exact date the outstanding balance will be processed.
Bank trace request
A bank trace for missing refund is usually possible only with a proper transaction reference and the date it was sent. If the business cannot provide that, treat the refund as not issued and escalate through the card provider.
Before you move on
Keep the next message factual: amount, promise date, and a firm deadline, then switch to the official complaints route if that deadline is missed. Time pressure can show up as repeated prompts to “wait a few more days” without any proof that payment has been sent.
Get help with the next step
Contact UKFixGuide — If the business keeps saying the refund is processed but no money arrives, share the promise date, amount, and what proof (if any) they provided.
