E-commerce refund notice: format and the grievance officer

What an e-commerce refund notice is

You returned an order, or it was cancelled, and the money has not come back. Customer care keeps saying "it is being processed". An e-commerce refund notice is a formal written demand, emailed to the platform's grievance officer, that sets out the facts and the law and asks for the refund by a date.

The law behind it is the Consumer Protection Act, 2019. Four terms from it:

• Consumer. Anyone who buys goods or hires a service, and the Act says this includes online transactions (Section 2(7)).
• E-commerce. Buying or selling goods or services, including digital products, over a digital or electronic network (Section 2(16)).
• Electronic service provider. Whoever provides the technology that lets a seller advertise or sell to you; the Act names online marketplaces (Section 2(17)). That is the platform.
• Unfair trade practice. Among other things, refusing to take back defective goods, or to stop a deficient service, and refund the money within the period on the bill, or within 30 days if the bill gives no period (Section 2(47)).

The Act also lets the Central Government make rules to prevent unfair trade practices in e-commerce (Section 94). Under those rules, platforms name a grievance officer to handle complaints.

If you are still deciding what to do, start with Online order not refunded. This page is about the notice itself.

The format, part by part

1. To. The grievance officer, with the platform's name and the email address it publishes.
2. Subject. "Legal notice for refund — order number [number]".
3. Your details. Name, registered mobile number and email on the account, and postal address.
4. The order. Order number, date, item, seller's name, amount paid and how you paid.
5. What went wrong. The return, pickup or cancellation, with dates, and the refund that has not come.
6. What you have already tried. Ticket numbers and dates.
7. The law. That the refusal is an unfair trade practice and a deficiency in service under the Consumer Protection Act, 2019.
8. The demand. The exact amount, with interest if you claim it, and the date by which it must be paid.
9. What follows. That you will complain to the Consumer Commission if it is not paid.
10. Attachments, date and your name.

Sample refund notice

To The Grievance Officer [Platform name] [Grievance officer's email address, as published on the platform]

Subject: Legal notice for refund — order number [Order number]

Sir / Madam,

1. I, Neha Joshi, residing at 7 Lake View Road, [City], hold an account with your platform registered to mobile number [number] and email [email].
2. On [Date] I ordered a mixer-grinder, sold by [Seller name], for [amount], paid by UPI (reference [reference]).
3. The mixer-grinder delivered on [Date] had a cracked jar and did not start. I requested a return the same day. Your courier collected the item on [Date], and the pickup is shown as complete in my order history.
4. The refund has not been credited. I raised tickets [number] on [Date] and [number] on [Date]. Each reply says the refund is being processed.
5. My invoice states no refund period. Under Section 2(47) of the Consumer Protection Act, 2019, refusing to take back defective goods and refund the price within 30 days, where the bill states no period, is an unfair trade practice. The delay is also a deficiency in service.
6. I call upon you and the seller to refund [amount] to my original payment method within 15 days of this notice, with interest from the date of pickup.
7. If the refund is not made in that time, I will file a complaint before the District Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission, [District], against you and the seller, claiming the refund, interest, compensation and costs, without further notice.

Attached: order invoice; payment record; pickup confirmation; screenshots of tickets.

Neha Joshi Date: [Date]

Replace the names and every bracket. Change paragraph 3 to fit your problem: a cancelled order still charged, a wrong or fake item refused for return, or a service not given.

How to send it, step by step

1. Save your proof first: the invoice, the payment record, the pickup or cancellation confirmation, and screenshots of every ticket.
2. Find the grievance officer's email on the platform's website or app, usually under help, contact us, or the terms of use.
3. Write the notice in the ten parts above. Keep to facts and dates.
4. Email it from the address on your account, with the attachments. Keep the sent email.
5. Mark the deadline in your calendar.

With eMunshi you answer the questions in about five minutes and read the full notice free before you pay. It is emailed to the grievance officer for you.

If the refund still does not come

You can complain to the District Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission. You may file where you live or work for gain, not only where the company is (Section 34). The complaint can be filed electronically (Section 35), and must be filed within two years of the problem arising (Section 69). No filing fee is payable when what you paid is up to ₹5 lakh. See the Consumer Commission complaint.

Costs

What	Who pays
Notice emailed to the grievance officer	You: ₹699 with eMunshi, all-inclusive — drafted from your answers, free preview, PDF, two revisions
A consumer notice by registered post instead, for a business that is not an online store	₹899 with eMunshi
Complaint to the District Commission	No filing fee up to ₹5 lakh paid; the advocate's fee, if you use one, quoted first

Mistakes that sink people

• Writing to the general help email instead of the grievance officer.
• No order number or the wrong amount.
• Naming only the platform, or only the seller. Name both.
• No date for payment.
• Deleting the app before saving the chat history and order trail.

If the product caused injury or the amount is large, the matter is bigger than a refund. An independent advocate from our panel can look at it; a 30-minute call starts at ₹999.