Minimum Standards on Refunds
Last updated: March 6, 2023
These standards are set by Microsoft as the minimum requirement for access to Buy with Microsoft.
General standards
1. Merchant will comply with the refund standards that the Merchant provides to the Buyer in connection with the Buyer's Purchase Transaction.
3. If a Merchant offers any product that is a Disallowed Product, is illegal, or is otherwise deemed dangerous by Microsoft, the Merchant will issue refunds for all such orders from such countries.
4. If Merchant does not respond to a return request within the Return Request Processing Time (as set forth in the Minimum Standards on Returns Policy), Merchant must promptly provide a return shipping label or refund the Buyer. If the Seller has not done so within five (5) business days from the date of the original return request, Microsoft reserves the right to issue a refund to the Buyer on the Merchant's behalf and at Merchant's expense.
5. If the item ordered by a Buyer is not delivered to the Buyer by Merchant prior to or within the original estimated delivery time, Microsoft reserves the right to issue a refund to the Buyer on Merchant's behalf and at Marchant's expense.
6. Microsoft may, at any time in its sole discretion, issue a refund to a Buyer where such refund is not required by this Policy or Merchant's refund standards (a "Courtesy Refund"). In the event Microsoft issues a Courtesy Refund to the Buyer from the Merchant's Payment Account, Microsoft will reimburse Merchant for the cost of the refund.
Returnless resolutions (refunds/replacements)
A returnless resolution takes place when the Merchant issues a refund or replacement and lets the Buyer keep the product. Merchant can either issue a returnless refund/replacement or require the customer to return the product for a refund.
Return shipping
Merchant may require that the product be returned before issuing a refund. In this case, Merchant will either send Buyer a return shipping label or provide a US shipping address for Buyer to return the product.
Return shipping cost
Merchant may deduct the cost of return shipping from the refund issued to Buyers for any of the following reasons for the return:
• Bought by mistake
• No longer needed
• Found a better product/price
• Do not like it
• Bought wrong size/color/quantity/style
If the Buyer paid upfront for return shipping and Merchant is at fault for the return, Merchant is required to refund the return shipping cost in addition to the item price.
Merchant may ask Buyer to provide images of product Buyer received before approving a refund.
Refunds where Merchant is at fault
The merchant is required to refund or ship a replacement / missing part, on request from a buyer (with the merchant covering all return shipping and replacement shipping costs), for the following return reasons:
1. Arrived too late: "Delivery Grace Period" means 3 calendar days after the last day of the Estimated Delivery Window. If delivery does not occur within such Delivery Grace Period, Buyer has 30 calendar days after the end of the Delivery Grace Period to request a refund. Merchant will either demonstrate proof of the delivery or issue the refund.
2. Received damaged product
3. Didn't match description: The item does not match the Product's listing description and/or the image does not accurately depict the actual item being sold.
4. Wrong size/color/quantity/style OR Wrong item was sent OR Buyer Received wrong size/color/quantity/style
5. Item wasn't delivered: If the item was sent to an address that is different from what Buyer provides, Merchant will, at Buyer's instruction, either ship a replacement item to the Buyer or issue a refund to Buyer. If delivery fails and the carrier returns the item to the sender, Merchant will issue a refund to the Buyer. If a package's tracking information marks the order as "delivered", but Buyer did not receive the package, Merchant will send replacement to Buyer or issue refund.
6. Missing item or broken parts: A missing item is where the Merchant did not ship the correct quantity of items or did not ship all parts of an item.