Handling Refunds & Issues

Even with a smooth checkout process, payment issues can occasionally arise. Cards get declined, customers request refunds, and disputes sometimes happen. This guide covers how Leenkies and Stripe work together to handle these situations, what you need to do on your end, and how to communicate with customers when things do not go as planned.

Failed Payments

A payment fails when Stripe is unable to process the charge on the customer's card. This can happen for several reasons:

• Insufficient funds -- The customer's card does not have enough available balance or credit to cover the purchase price.
• Card declined -- The customer's bank or card issuer declined the transaction, which can be triggered by spending limits, geographic restrictions, or the bank's fraud detection system.
• Expired card -- The card used for payment has passed its expiration date.
• Incorrect card details -- The customer entered an incorrect card number, expiration date, or CVC code.
• Fraud prevention -- Stripe's built-in fraud detection system flagged the transaction as potentially fraudulent and blocked it.

What Happens When a Payment Fails

When a payment fails, the following things occur:

1. Order status -- The order is recorded in your Orders list with a payment status of Failed. This lets you see that a purchase was attempted but did not complete.
2. Customer notification -- The customer sees an error message on the checkout page indicating that their payment could not be processed. Stripe provides a clear error message so the customer understands what went wrong (for example, "Your card was declined" or "Insufficient funds").
3. No fulfillment -- Because the payment did not succeed, no product is delivered. The fulfillment process does not begin for failed orders. The customer does not receive a download link, access credentials, or any product content.
4. No charge -- The customer's card is not charged. A failed payment means no money was taken. In some cases, the customer may see a temporary authorization hold on their bank statement, but this is released automatically by their bank within a few business days.

Failed orders require no action from you. They are recorded for your reference so you can see the full picture of purchase attempts, but there is nothing you need to do. If the customer wants to try again, they can simply restart the checkout process with a different card or after resolving the issue with their bank.

Pro Tip: If you notice a pattern of failed payments from different customers, it could indicate an issue with your Stripe account configuration or a problem with the checkout flow. Check your Stripe dashboard for more detailed error information.

Processing Refunds

Refunds are processed through your Stripe Dashboard -- not through the Leenkies dashboard. Leenkies does not have a built-in refund button because Stripe provides a comprehensive, secure refund management system that handles all the financial details, including returning funds to the customer's original payment method.

How to Issue a Refund

1. Log in to your Stripe Dashboard at dashboard.stripe.com.
2. Navigate to the Payments section in Stripe's sidebar.
3. Find the payment you want to refund. You can search by amount, customer email, or date.
4. Click on the payment to open its detail view.
5. Click the Refund button.
6. Choose whether to issue a full refund (the entire payment amount) or a partial refund (a portion of the payment). Enter the refund amount if partial.
7. Optionally, add an internal note explaining the reason for the refund (this is for your records in Stripe and is not sent to the customer).
8. Confirm the refund.

Automatic Status Update in Leenkies

When you issue a refund through Stripe, Stripe sends a webhook notification to Leenkies. This webhook automatically updates the order's payment status from Succeeded to Refunded in your Orders list. You do not need to manually update anything in Leenkies -- the status change happens automatically and is typically reflected within seconds of processing the refund in Stripe.

This automatic sync ensures that your Leenkies order records always reflect the true state of each payment without requiring you to maintain two separate systems.

Pro Tip: Before issuing a refund, consider reaching out to the customer first to understand the issue. Sometimes a quick conversation reveals that the customer simply needs help accessing their download or had a question about the product. Resolving the issue may be better for both parties than processing a refund.

Disputed Charges (Chargebacks)

A chargeback occurs when a customer contacts their bank or card issuer to dispute a charge rather than requesting a refund from you directly. This is sometimes called a "disputed charge" or simply a "dispute."

How Disputes Are Handled

Chargebacks and disputes are managed entirely through Stripe. When a customer initiates a dispute with their bank:

1. Stripe notifies you via email and on your Stripe Dashboard that a dispute has been opened.
2. Stripe provides you with the opportunity to submit evidence and respond to the dispute. You can upload documentation such as order confirmation emails, delivery receipts, download logs, or any communication with the customer.
3. The customer's bank reviews the evidence from both sides and makes a final decision.
4. Stripe handles all the communication with the bank and manages the dispute process on your behalf.

Leenkies does not handle disputes directly because they are financial matters between the customer's bank, Stripe, and you. The Stripe Dashboard provides all the tools and guidance you need to respond to disputes effectively.

Preventing Disputes

The best way to handle disputes is to prevent them in the first place:

• Clear product descriptions -- Make sure your product listings accurately describe what the customer will receive. Misaligned expectations are a common cause of disputes.
• Prompt customer support -- Respond quickly to customer questions or complaints. Customers are more likely to file a dispute when they feel ignored.
• Easy refund process -- If a customer is unhappy, offer a refund proactively. A refund is much better for your business than a chargeback, which comes with additional fees from Stripe.

Reaching Out to Customers

When you need to communicate with a customer about their order -- whether to follow up on a failed payment, discuss a refund request, or address a product question -- you can find their email address directly in the order details.

From the Orders page in your Leenkies dashboard:

1. Locate the order by searching for the customer's email or browsing your order list.
2. Click on the order to view its details.
3. The customer's email address is displayed in the order information.
4. Use your own email client to reach out to the customer directly.

Leenkies does not include a built-in messaging system, so all customer communication happens through email. This keeps things simple and gives you full control over the conversation.

Pro Tip: When contacting a customer about an order issue, reference the specific product name and purchase date in your email. This helps the customer immediately understand which transaction you are referring to, especially if they have made multiple purchases.