After Amazon receives your returned item, it won’t be too much to ask to expect a refund within a short time.
However, declined refunds are too common nowadays, and Amazon uses “Refund issuance failed” as the status. Under that update, they say, “Refund not issued: Your refund could not be processed.”
Let’s get to it and share our nuggets from what we have learned dealing with Amazon Prime.
What Does Amazon Mean When They Say “Refund Issuance Failed?”
This status means that after Amazon received a returned item, their inspection proved that the customer wasn’t entitled to any refund or that the refund didn’t go through as expected.
Some of the reasons why Amazon doesn’t refund returned items include when the customer damaged, lost some parts, manuals, or accessories, or used the item.
However, most of the recipients complain that they did none of those, and so, they believe they are entitled to a refund.
Minor Reasons Why Amazon Says, “Refund Not Issued”
Incorrect Refund Amount
Sometimes errors happen on Amazon systems, which can make it possible for them to miss the refund amount.
In such a scenario, the refund automatically fails. What’s inconveniencing at that point is that the customer has to contact Amazon before rectification happens. Such refundable cases are usually sorted within a couple of hours or a day.
The Payment Method Declines The Refund
Depending on the original payment method you used to pay for your order on Amazon, several reasons might prevent you from receiving a refund. For instance, if the account is closed, it means that it won’t be automatically possible to get your funds back using that very account.
Another issue is when there is an account cancellation. While it’s logical to expect the refund to route back to the original account, the automatic process can decline.
If you would like the refund process to go faster, we recommend asking Amazon to refund the money to your Amazon account balance, and it will reflect faster than when they send a check or refund it via a Prepaid card.
Also Read: Our Amazon Returns And Refunds Guide
What Should I Do When Amazon Tells Me My Refund Issuance Failed?
If you believe that you deserve a refund for your returned item and Amazon thinks otherwise, this is how to go about it:
Contact Customer Support Reps
We recommend contacting Amazon reps via the Live Chat option immediately after receiving the “Refund not issued: Your refund could not be processed” update.
By so doing, you can screenshot the messages should the need to escalate the issue further arise.
If chatting doesn’t seem to do anything meaningful, you can opt to call them and keep escalating the calls until you can receive a manual refund.
In case of a manual refund, it will appear as “Pending” on your Credit Card and that should tell you that you are all good. The transaction will be approved in a few minutes or hours.
If nothing seems forthcoming, we recommend contacting Jeff@amazon.com as the last resort. That is their executive customer service email and you will be sorted out in a maximum of 48 hours.
From our experience speaking to one of the knowledgeable supervisors, we noted that any refund above $300 takes longer to be issued as a way for Amazon to avoid getting scammed. So, if the reps don’t seem to help, asking to talk to a supervisor is another way to go about it.
File A Chargeback
If everything fails and you simply can’t lose money on a returned expensive item, you can consider filing a chargeback with your payment provider.
We recommend you let Amazon know that you will do so as telling them in advance usually shakes them to refund items.
From what many users on Social say, Amazon usually closes or bans accounts that file chargebacks, and knowing this in advance is vital for you before going through that route.
