Ready-to-send local document
Non-delivery refund letter Paid for an order that never arrived?
Get a ready-to-send formal document with a clear demand, a deadline, relevant U.S. rules, and the next practical step. PDF and editable DOCX included.
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Example situation
I paid for express delivery, the promised date passed, and the seller will not cancel or refund the order.
Official sources for this type of problem
- Mail, Internet, or Telephone Order Merchandise Rule, 16 C.F.R. Part 435
What the source covers: Goods ordered by mail, internet, or telephone were not shipped within the promised time or, when no time was clearly stated, within 30 days (50 days when the buyer applied to the seller for credit); after a covered cancellation the seller generally refunds within seven working days, or credits a seller-issued credit account within one billing cycle.
- Federal Trade Commission Act § 5, 15 U.S.C. § 45
What the source covers: A commercial business materially misrepresented a paid product, service, completion status, charge, or consumer-facing information, or retained money through a potentially unfair or deceptive practice affecting commerce; use only as an FTC enforcement standard or complaint route, never as a private cause of action or direct refund entitlement, and do not use for banks, nonprofits, or a pure employment dispute. A towing operator's posted business hours plus a refusal to release a vehicle do not alone establish this reference unless the facts also show that the consumer satisfied the stated payment, identification, or other release conditions, or that the operator made an explicit false representation about release or fees.
Before you send your letter
Gather the order facts first
Note the order number, order date, amount paid, payment method and the delivery date or shipping time the seller promised. Add the tracking status, the carrier's last scan and every message you exchanged with the seller. Screenshots of the listing or checkout page that show the promised timing are useful because they record what you were told before you paid. If the seller already sent a delay notice, keep it: what you replied, or did not reply, matters for the next step. A short, dated sequence is more persuasive than a long description of frustration.
Ask for delivery by a date or a refund
Decide what you actually want. You can ask the seller to deliver by a clear date or to cancel the order and refund the full amount to your original payment method. Say whether you are willing to accept store credit; if not, state that you expect money back. If only part of the order arrived, list the missing items and their prices so the requested amount is easy to check. One concrete request with a deadline gets a faster answer than several alternatives.
Know the federal baseline
The FTC's Mail, Internet, or Telephone Order Merchandise Rule generally expects a seller to ship within the time it advertised, or within 30 days if no time was stated, to tell you about a delay and give you the option to cancel, and to refund promptly after a covered cancellation. The FTC uses complaints to find patterns; it does not resolve individual orders, so the letter is written to get the seller to act.
If the seller does not respond
If you paid by credit card, ask your card issuer about a billing dispute for goods not delivered; issuers generally expect the dispute within 60 days after the statement that first showed the charge. Payment platforms have their own buyer-protection windows. You can also report the seller to the FTC or your state attorney general. Keep the letter and proof of sending with your order records.
Before you pay
Do I need to know which document or law I need?
No. Describe the problem in your own words and DocBrain chooses the most useful document and supporting rules.
What if I do not know every date or detail?
You still receive a complete document. Any genuinely missing fact appears as a clear editable placeholder.
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