It has happened to everyone at least once in their life. It doesn’t matter whether you are the most attentive or clueless person; it only takes one wrong click to pay a higher amount when making a purchase. In the blink of an eye, you could be paying double the stated Value of the purchase.
When this situation occurs, the ideal thing to do is to send a letter requesting a refund for overpayment or mistaken payment to the business where you made your purchase. Read on to find the ideal way to write this type of letter.
Are return letters written solely by the customer?
Not really. A return letter can also be sent by customer service staff.
If the buyer never realized that he or she had paid more than the purchase price, the business or company must inform the buyer of the confusion and offer a refund.
These situations may arise when the buyer does not know the purchase’s Value and sends an advance payment. It can also happen when the taxes on the purchase have been reduced, and the correct amount now turns out to be higher.
The most frequent is when the buyer inadvertently sends a payment with a higher amount and contacts the company to request the money back.
Will the money be returned immediately after the letter is sent?
This depends on the company or business. Upon receipt of the letter, as a general rule, the money should be returned immediately. But perhaps the company’s policies require a review or other procedures that could take more than 24 hours.
There are also those companies that offer, in case the amount sent is a considerable amount, to keep the amount as a credit for possible future purchases.
There will also be those businesses seeking to offer you special cards for the excess Value. These decisions are entirely within your power and should be discussed with the company’s customer service.
How do you write an overpayment refund request letter?
These letters are simple to write and should not cause any inconvenience. Like all formal letters, this one should be in block format with left alignment.
The letter should start with the information of the person to whom the letter is addressed; in this case, to the company, it is important to add the full name, address, and e-mail or telephone number.
Then the date on which the letter is being sent should be positioned, followed by the subject of the letter: request for return of overpayment.
The body of the letter should begin with a cordial greeting to the business or company and then proceed to place the personal information and express the inconvenience raised with the payment.
It is relevant to add all the details of the bank transaction. If you are a regular buyer and have several payments in your name, adding support or an image of the erroneous amount would be good.
In the same way, you should add the amount that should have been paid in the body of the letter and the wrong amount.
To end the letter, it is recommended to remember how grateful you would be if the money was returned quickly, and thank you for your attention to the letter.
You should add your full name, address, contact information, and signature to close the letter. Make sure that visible information is only required in case of attaching an image. Here is a format to help you.