Refunds are a make-or-break moment. Customers can forgive a bad product — but they won’t forgive a hard refund. This guide gives you copy‑paste questions that measure effort, speed, and clarity.
Keep refund surveys short. The goal is to pinpoint the friction: policy clarity, steps required, time to refund, and how support handled it.
Use this for any return/refund flow (ecommerce, SaaS cancellations, services).
CES: “How easy was it to get your refund or exchange?” (Very difficult → Very easy)
Follow-up: “What made it difficult?”
This finds whether customers understood the policy, fees, return windows, and what qualifies for a refund.
“Was our refund/return policy clear before you requested a refund?” (Yes/Somewhat/No)
“What was confusing or unexpected?”
Refund speed matters — and customers judge it end-to-end (request → label → received → approved → money returned).
“How satisfied are you with the speed of your refund?”
“Where did the process feel slow?” (Approval / Shipping / Communication / Bank processing / Other)
Use this if you require photos, forms, labels, packaging, or drop-off points — these are common effort drivers.
“How easy was it to follow the return instructions?” (Very difficult → Very easy)
“Did you have everything you needed (label, packaging instructions, drop-off details)?” (Yes/No)
Follow-up: “What step was hardest?”
Don’t ask everyone. Gate this with “Did you contact support?” and only show if yes.
Gate: “Did you contact support about your refund?” (Yes/No)
If yes: “How satisfied are you with the support you received?”
CES: “How easy was it to get your issue resolved by support?”
Follow-up: “What could we have done better?”
This is the most important question if you want to reduce refunds — not just make them smoother.
“What was the main reason you requested a refund?”
Options: Product didn’t match description / Wrong size-fit / Damaged / Late delivery / Changed mind / Pricing / Other
Follow-up (optional): “Tell us more.”
Refund surveys are most valuable when you treat them like incident reports: tag, route, fix, and follow up.
If someone rates the experience “difficult,” send it to an owner the same day (ops lead, CX lead, or marketplace/fulfillment lead).
Refund customers often don’t expect follow-up. A quick “Thanks — we fixed X” can prevent bad reviews and build trust.