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Refund Procedures

Refunds in Otesse are processed through Stripe back to the customer's original payment method. Here is how to handle different refund scenarios.

When to Refund

Common refund triggers:

  • Service cancellation within the free cancellation window
  • Service quality issue reported by the customer
  • Billing error (duplicate charge, incorrect amount)
  • Partial service (crew could not complete the full scope)
  • Promotional adjustment (coupon applied after payment)

Issuing a Full Refund

  1. Navigate to the invoice or payment record
  2. Click Refund
  3. Confirm full refund amount
  4. Add an internal reason note
  5. Submit

The refund is processed through Stripe immediately. Funds typically appear in the customer's account within 5-10 business days, depending on their bank.

Issuing a Partial Refund

  1. Navigate to the invoice or payment record
  2. Click Refund
  3. Enter the partial amount to refund
  4. Add a reason note explaining the partial refund
  5. Submit

The invoice status updates to reflect the reduced balance. If the remaining balance is zero, the invoice is marked "Refunded."

Refund as Credit

Instead of refunding to the payment method, you can issue a credit to the customer's account:

  1. Navigate to the invoice
  2. Click Issue Credit
  3. Enter the credit amount
  4. The credit is applied to the customer's account balance
  5. The credit is automatically applied to the next invoice

Credits are visible to the customer in their portal under Payments > Credits.

Refund Approval Workflow

Depending on the refund amount, different approval levels may be required:

AmountApproval Required
Under $25Dispatcher or account manager can approve
$25 - $100Operations manager approval
$100 - $500Admin approval
Over $500Super admin approval

Approval thresholds are configurable in Settings > Finance > Refund Policies.

Refund Tracking

All refunds are tracked with:

  • Original invoice and payment reference
  • Refund amount and type (payment method or credit)
  • Reason and internal notes
  • Approval chain (who requested, who approved)
  • Stripe refund ID for reconciliation
  • Customer notification status

The Finance team can view all refunds in Reports > Refund Report with date range, reason, and amount filters.

Dispatch RulesVariable Reference