Refunds and credit notes
How to refund a web order – the full amount, part of it, or individual items with a return – and what happens to the credit note, stock and the customer's payment.
When a customer withdraws, returns an item or has paid for something you cannot deliver, you pay back from the order in the admin panel. The money goes back to the same payment method the customer used. For every refund that is completed, Cmerce issues a credit note.
Before you start
- You need the permission «Utstede refusjoner» (Issue refunds).
- You can only refund money that has actually been captured. If the amount is only reserved, cancel the order instead (see below).
- Till sales are refunded at the till, not here. See Returns and refunds.
Choose the right way to refund
| Situation | Use |
|---|---|
| The customer returns one or more items | «Opprett retur» (Create return) |
| You want to pay back the full amount | «Refunder alt» (Refund all) |
| You want to pay back a chosen amount, for example a price reduction | «Refunder» (Refund) on the payment under «Betalinger» (Payments) |
| The order must be stopped before delivery | «Kanseller» (Cancel) |
How to do it – returning items
- Go to «Salg» (Sales) → «Ordrer» (Orders) and open the order.
- Press «Opprett retur».
- Enter the quantity for each product being returned.
- Choose «Årsak til retur» (Reason for return), for example «Angret kjøp» (Changed mind), «Feil produkt mottatt» (Wrong product received), «Skadet ved levering» (Damaged in delivery), «Defekt produkt» (Defective product) or «Ikke som forventet» (Not as expected). If you choose «Annet (spesifiser)» (Other, specify), type the reason in «Beskriv årsak» (Describe reason).
- Confirm. The amount for the items is refunded and the stock level is updated. You get the message «Retur opprettet» (Return created).
How to do it – refunding an amount
- Open the order.
- Press «Refunder alt (… kr)» to pay back everything captured. Or press «Refunder» next to a payment under «Betalinger» and enter «Beløp» (Amount) for a partial refund.
- Choose «Årsak til refusjon» (Reason for refund): «Kundeønske / retur» (Customer request / return), «Initiert av butikk» (Initiated by shop), «Duplikat-betaling» (Duplicate payment), «Svindel» (Fraud) or «Annet (skriv inn)» (Other, type in). Optionally fill in «Beskrivelse» (Description).
- Confirm.
You can also refund specific lines with «Refunder linjer» (Refund lines) and «Refunder valgte linjer» (Refund selected lines) under «Ordrelinjer» (Order lines).
Cancelling an order
Press «Kanseller» to stop an order that has not been shipped. If anything has already been captured, the dialog shows the amount and the button reads «Ja, kanseller og refunder … kr» (Yes, cancel and refund … NOK) – the captured amount is refunded automatically. Amounts that are only reserved are not captured.
«Kanseller» is not shown once the order has been shipped, delivered or completed. Use a return or refund instead.
What happens next?
- Card and Vipps: the money is sent back through the payment provider. With Surfboard you first see «Refusjon initiert» (Refund initiated), and the status updates automatically once the refund has been processed.
- Manual payment: Cmerce records the refund («Refusjon registrert» – Refund recorded), but you must pay the customer back yourself, for example by bank transfer.
- Order status: the order becomes «Delvis refundert» (Partially refunded) or «Refundert» (Refunded).
- Credit note: for every completed refund, Cmerce issues a numbered credit note referring to the receipt it corrects. You find it under «Salgsdokumenter» (Sales documents) on the order. See Sales documents for online sales.
- The customer is notified by e-mail if «Refundert» is switched on under «Innstillinger» (Settings) → «Bedrift» (Company) → «Varslinger» (Notifications).
Good to know
- You cannot refund more than has been captured and not already refunded. If you try, you are told the amount exceeds what remains.
- A return of a web order can also be taken at the till. The money then goes back to the original payment method. See Web orders at the till.
Frequently asked questions
Can I refund with a different payment method than the customer used?
No. The refund always goes back to the original payment.
Why is «Opprett retur» greyed out?
There is nothing to return – for example because nothing has been captured yet, or everything has already been refunded.