How to get a ClickBank Refund

In this post, I’ll be looking at the steps involved in the Clickbank refund process – for when a product purchased via ClickBank just doesn’t deliver.

While there are some great products sold via the ClickBank affiliate program that live up to every word on the vendor’s sales page, unfortunately there will always be some which don’t live up to what is promised.

ClickBank Refund Policy and FAQ

While the ClickBank Refund Policy and FAQ provide some guidance, they don’t go into much detail regarding the circumstances in which ClickBank will refund a product purchased through the ClickBank network.

The key part of the official ClickBank refund policy is:

ClickBank will, at its discretion, allow for the return or replacement of any product within 60 days from the date of purchase. For recurring billing products, returns for more than one payment may be provided if requested within the standard 60 day return period.

This is very broad and leaves things completely up to ClickBank regarding whether a refund will be given or not.  In addition to applying for a ClickBank refund within 60 days of purchase, we would need to show a ‘valid reason’ for requesting a refund.

What Might Constitute Valid Reasons for a ClickBank Refund

So what are the sorts of reasons which ClickBank might consider ‘valid’?  Some hints are to be found in the ClickBank terms and conditions:

• if the way a product is advertised is inaccurate, misleading or deceptive – this is prohibited by clause 2(d) of the ClickBank Client Contract;
• if the product infringes on another person’s copyright, trademarks or other intellectual property rights – this is prohibited by clause 2(b) of the ClickBank Client Contract; and
• if the product is ‘unsatisfactory’  for reasons completely beyond ClickBank’s control – the ClickBank Refund Policy identifies this as a basis where Clickbank may not bother trying to solve technical issues before issuing a refund.

There are also a few other reasons which can be selected when lodging a ticket to get a refund (more on how to do this below).

The ClickBank Refund Process

The typical steps in the ClickBank refund process are:

1. Go to the ClickBank Customer Support Page
   The easiest way to do this is to find the email receipt that ClickBank sent – this will include a link to the  particular order.  The other option is to manually enter the details on the ClickBank Support page. Either way you should then be able to view the details of the order.
   
2. Lodge a Customer Service Ticket and specify the reason for refund
   From the ClickBank order page, there will be the option of lodging a ticket requesting that the product be refunded. There are a number of different reasons which can be selected, one of which is “I was not satisfied with the product. / Product did not meet expectations.”  There is also a text box where specific details regarding the issue can be entered.
3. Wait for at least 24 hours
   Under the ClickBank Customer Support Ticket System, a refund will be automatically granted after 24 hours have lapsed, provided those hours don’t fall on  a weekend, unless the vendor attempts to save the sale by offering assistance to help utilize the product or service.  If the vendor doesn’t respond within this period then the refund should be processed.
4. The vendor may make contact to try and save the sale
   What happens from here on will really depend on the circumstances surrounding the product, purchase and vendor. If the vendor makes contact to provide technical support, either the customer or the vendor can change the ticket to a ‘technical support’ ticket.  But the vendor should only do this with the customer’s consent – otherwise the matter can be escalated to ClickBank for review.

The ClickBank refund process is very simple to use, and is quite generous to the customer.  There doesn’t appear to be any need to contact the vendor directly before seeking a refund straight from ClickBank. However, there are few of other things worth noting regarding the ClickBank refund process, which are outlined in the ClickBank Refund Policy and FAQ along with the explanation of the ClickBank ticketing system:

• Refunds will be for 100% of the purchase price.
• If a refund is requested after 60 days from the date of purchase, then you will be referred to the vendor for technical support, and the vendor may seek a refund on your behalf for another 90 days.
• ClickBank will only credit returns back to the account used to make the original purchase, so if the original account has been closed, then no refund will be forthcoming.
• ClickBank vendors are not allowed to make any guarantee that conflicts with the ClickBank return policy.  If you spot this sort of a conflict then bring it to ClickBank’s attention as it may help your case.
• Customers requesting serial or repeated ClickBank refunds may be blocked from making further purchases.
• If the refund request was for a subscription product, only the latest bill in the subscription is refunded, and the subscription is cancelled.

I hope you found this post useful, and good luck with any ClickBank refunds you end up applying for.

© Tom McEwin
AffiliatePlayground.net

Tagged as: ClickBank, ClickBank Affiliate Program, ClickBank Refund