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Email template to request a refund for a service that was not delivered

You paid, in full or as a deposit, for something that never happened: the cleaner did not show up, the tutor cancelled every session, the installer never installed, the course never launched, the order never shipped. You are not arguing about quality; the service simply was not delivered. That is the easiest refund case there is, and a clear written request usually settles it. Email, rather than a call, matters because your card issuer, a small claims court, or your state attorney general's consumer office will all ask for the same thing: proof that you asked the business for the refund, when, and what they said. A dated email with the receipt attached is exactly that proof.

Before you send

  • The proof of payment: the receipt, invoice, or card statement line, with the date and the amount. Attach it.
  • The written promise: the booking confirmation, order page, contract, or email that says what was supposed to happen and when.
  • A short factual timeline: the date you paid, the date the service was due, and each time you tried to contact them. Dates only, no adjectives.
  • The refund method you want. Ask for it to the original payment method; store credit is not a refund unless you want it.
  • Your credit card's dispute window, if you paid by card. Card issuers generally allow 60 to 120 days from the charge, depending on the card network, so do not let a slow business run out the clock.
Subject Refund request for [service] paid on [date], order [order or confirmation number] 
Hi [business or contact name],

On [date of payment] I paid [amount] for [service, e.g. a deep clean of my apartment / a six-week course / installation of a water heater], confirmation number [number]. It was scheduled for [date or timeframe].

The service was not provided. [One or two factual sentences, e.g. No one arrived on the scheduled day. I contacted you on date and date and was told it would be rescheduled, and it was not.]

I'm asking for a full refund of [amount] to my original payment method. Please confirm in writing that the refund has been issued, and let me know when I should expect to see it. I'd like this resolved by [date, about ten days out].

I've attached the receipt and the booking confirmation. If you need anything else from me to process this, tell me and I'll send it right away.

Thanks,
[Your name]
[Phone number]

Everything in brackets is yours to fill in. Keep the rest as it is or change the tone to match how you write.

After you send

  • Many businesses simply refund; card refunds typically take 5 to 10 business days to appear. Note the date they say they issued it and check your statement.
  • A common stall is an offer to reschedule or to give credit instead. You can accept if you want to, but you do not have to. Reply that you would like the refund as requested.
  • If there is no reply or no refund by your date, send one more short email calling it a final request with a date, then dispute the charge with your card issuer, or file with your bank if you paid by debit. Include the emails.
  • For amounts over a few hundred dollars with no card recourse, small claims court handles exactly this, without a lawyer, in every state. A complaint to your state attorney general's consumer office is also free and sometimes prompts a refund on its own.

Or don't send it yourself

Forward the job to myagent@standinfor.me and let StandIn run the whole thread.

StandIn is an email assistant that handles conversations with businesses for you. You write it one email saying what you need. It writes to the business, waits for the answer, follows up when they go quiet, pushes back on the number when it should, and brings the results back to your inbox for you to decide. You don't need to install an app or sign up. The first email you send is already the start of the task.

Hand this to StandIn opens an email to myagent@standinfor.me with the job already written out

To myagent@standinfor.me Subject Get my money back for a service that never happened 
Hi StandIn,

Please get me a refund from a business that took my payment and never delivered the service.

The business: [name, and the email or contact I've been using].
What I paid for: [the service, the date it was supposed to happen, confirmation or order number].
What I paid: [amount, date, and how I paid; I'll attach the receipt and confirmation].
What happened: [short timeline of no-shows, cancellations, and my attempts to reach them].
What I want: [full refund to my original payment method].

Send the request, follow up until they respond, decline any offer of credit or rescheduling unless I say otherwise, and if they don't pay by the deadline, tell me so I can dispute the charge with my card company.

Thanks,
[Your name]

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