Demand Letter for Refund - Product, Service, or Subscription

When a company refuses to refund a faulty product, a service not rendered, or an unauthorized charge, a formal demand letter is your most effective escalation before a consumer protection complaint or credit card chargeback. Consumer protection laws give you powerful statutory rights in this scenario — and most companies know it. In the US, state consumer protection acts (often modeled on the FTC Act § 5) prohibit unfair and deceptive practices, and many provide for treble damages and attorney fee recovery. In the UK, the Consumer Rights Act 2015 gives you the right to reject goods that are not of satisfactory quality, not fit for purpose, or not as described — with a full refund within 30 days, and repair or replacement after that. In the EU, the Consumer Rights Directive provides a 14-day cooling-off period for all online purchases, and the Consumer Sales Directive guarantees a 2-year legal guarantee on goods. A formal demand letter citing the applicable statute and giving a 14-day deadline creates a legal paper trail that triggers corporate escalation — most companies have dedicated teams that respond to formal legal correspondence differently from regular customer complaints. If the refund is not provided, your parallel remedies include: credit card chargeback (within 60–120 days of the charge), complaint to the state attorney general or consumer protection agency, and small claims court.