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How-to

Runbook: Process a Refund

Account: VITAG (Vitagen Labs)
Navigation: Operations → Orders → [find order] → Refund

When to Use This Runbook​

Use when a customer requests a refund, return, or exchange. Also covers partial refunds (e.g., one item from a multi-item order) and what to do when the order has an active subscription tied to it.

Who can do this: Any user with Orders — Refund permission. If you don't have this permission, escalate to the owner.

Before You Start​

  • [ ] Confirm you have the order ID or customer email to look up the order

  • [ ] Know whether this is a full refund, partial refund, or exchange

  • [ ] Know whether the customer is returning the product or keeping it (affects restocking)

  • [ ] Check if the order has an active auto order (subscription) — refunding may affect it

Step 1: Find the Order​

  1. Go to Operations → Orders

  2. Search by order ID, customer email, or customer name

  3. Open the order

Step 2: Review the Order Before Refunding​

Check:

  • Order status — Refunds work on Completed orders. Orders still in processing may need to be rejected instead.

  • Payment method — Credit card refunds go back to the original card. PayPal refunds return to the PayPal account. Check, ACH, or "offline" payment methods may require a manual bank transfer — UltraCart cannot reverse these automatically.

  • Order age — Most payment processors allow refunds up to 90–180 days from the original charge. Older orders may require a manual credit (check or store credit) instead.

  • Auto order link — Look for an "Auto Order" badge or link on the order. If present, read Step 6 before proceeding.

Step 3: Full Refund​

  1. From the order detail page, click Refund (top right area or in the Actions menu)

  2. The refund dialog shows the original charge amount

  3. Confirm the refund amount equals the full order total

  4. Select reason (optional): Return / Customer Request / Duplicate Order / Other

  5. Add a note describing why (visible internally, not to customer): e.g., "Customer called — product arrived damaged"

  6. Click Submit Refund

  7. UltraCart sends the refund to the payment processor

  8. The order status updates to Refunded

Time to customer: Credit card refunds typically appear in 3–5 business days. PayPal is usually 1–3 days.

Step 4: Partial Refund​

Use when refunding one item from a multi-item order, or refunding a portion of the amount (e.g., shipping cost only).

  1. Click Refund on the order

  2. In the refund dialog, change the amount to the partial amount you want to refund

  3. Add a note explaining what's being refunded: e.g., "Refunding $29.99 for Item SKU VL-001 — not included in shipment"

  4. Submit

Important: UltraCart does not automatically link partial refunds to specific line items for accounting purposes. Make a note in the order comments of exactly which item or amount is being refunded so your bookkeeper can reconcile it.

Step 5: Mark Restocked (If Product is Being Returned)​

If the customer is physically returning the product and you want to add inventory back:

  1. After the refund is processed, go to the order

  2. In the order notes or item line, check if there's a Return to Stock option — this varies by account configuration

  3. If not available in the UI: manually update the item's inventory count in Items → [find item] → Inventory

For VITAG supplements: Most returns should not be restocked. Opened supplement bottles cannot be resold. Only restock sealed, unopened products.

Step 6: Check for Active Auto Order (Subscription)​

If the refunded order is linked to a subscription:

  1. Look for an Auto Order link on the order detail page and click it

  2. Review the subscription status

  3. Ask: should the subscription continue, pause, or cancel?

SituationAction
Customer is unhappy with the productAsk if they want to cancel or pause before processing refund
SituationWhat To Do
Processor won't accept refund (order too old)Issue a check or store credit manually; note in order
Customer paid by check or ACHRefund cannot be automated — issue a check from VITAG's bank account; note order with check number
Double refund riskBefore refunding, confirm no prior refund on the order — check the order history/notes
Partial refund on a subscription rebillRefund the individual rebill order, not the original order
Chargeback already filedDo NOT process a refund — you may lose both the refund AND the chargeback dispute. See handle-a-chargeback.md first.

When to Escalate to Owner​

  • Refund amount is over your comfort threshold (suggest: >$150)

  • Customer is threatening a chargeback (see handle-a-chargeback.md)

  • Payment processor is returning an error on the refund

  • Order is more than 6 months old

  • Customer is demanding compensation beyond the order value

After the Refund​

  • [ ] Add a note to the order explaining what happened and why

  • [ ] Update the subscription if applicable

  • [ ] Send customer confirmation email

  • [ ] If the refund was due to a product defect or consistent complaint, flag for the owner — it may indicate a quality or fulfillment issue worth investigating

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