Name of Process:

 Where’s My Refund 

Process Owner:

Pragye Sharma 

Created By:

Rally OurBus 

Last Updated By:

Pragye Sharma

Date Created:

13/02/23

Last Revision Date:

16/02/23

Process Purpose:

The purpose of the “Where’s My Refund” process documentation is to normalize the entire process of handling refund queries from the customer. The aim is to ensure that the refund requests are handled in an appropriate manner and within the specified timelines.

Process Scope:

The “Where’s My Refund” process documentation will include the processes to handle refund-related queries of the customer for refund status.

Process Input:

The process is initiated by a customer contact via any incoming channel namely Call, Email, Chat & social media posts. 

Process Boundaries:

The starting boundary of the “Where’s My Refund” process is defined by the customer request for issuing the refund to the preferred mode of payment or query about the status of a previous refund. The process’s ending boundary is defined by a formal communication from Rally-Ourbus to the customer about the success of the transaction and the timeline for the amount to reflect the preferred mode of payment. 

Process Flow:

1. Customer contacts to ask about the status of refund for their ticket

2. Ask for the pass reference number from the customer. 

3. If the ticket has been canceled already 

-If yes then check if the money was transferred to their OurBus Wallet (inform the customer if wallet credits are issued)

If money isn’t in the wallet, check if the ticket was booked from OTA 
If yes, then check on which date the refund was processed (by feeding in the user’s email on [email protected] and checking for a copy of the canceled ticket)

Scenario 1: Refunds >5 days ago – We refer the customer to check with their bank.

Check on AuthNet using the transaction ID to verify whether the refund was processed or not (to be checked by the person with AuthNet access)

a)If the refund transaction went through, inform the customer to check with their bank or credit card company

b)If the refund transaction did not go through, initiate the refund manually on AuthNet

c)Check if the customer changed their card.

If not, they should have received the refund. 

If yes, inform the customer that they need to settle it with their bank or the credit card company

Note: if the refund is through an OTA, and a refund request is raised follow up on the same email for confirmation. 

Scenario 2: Refund processed <5 days ago - Inform the customer that 
It usually takes up to 3-5 business days for the money to be reflected in the bank account. They can contact us back if the refund isn't credited. 

If the refund is through an OTA, check [email protected] and confirm the response from OTA to process the refund and timeline. 

If the email is not sent to the OTA for a refund request, create a fresh email and share the status with the customer that they will receive the refund within 3-5 business days and apologize for the delay. 

Scenario 3: Refund promised but not processed – In this case, the refund is immediately processed and informed to the customer about the ETA for being credited to the card. 

Scenario 4: Card was not charged/amount not captured (transaction still in pending stage) - In this case, the customer is informed about the pending charge. The customer is requested to contact the bank as their transaction is still pending and not with OurBus. 

Scenario 5: Refund status of refunds processed through OTA

-Check inbox using the ticket reference code to find the refund request and OTA's response, as on all the refund requests, [email protected] is copied.

If the refund has been raised and OTA confirmed the processing, reply back to the same email asking for a status update on the refund to check whether the refund was successfully processed or if there was any bounce back. Ask for 24 hours from the customer and revert back once OTA has responded

If a refund request was not raised, raise the refund immediately.

Scenario 6: Refund processed but amount not received as the customer changed the card - If the customer confirms they have changed their card, they need to contact their bank/cc provider to settle it. We cannot do anything in this case as we have already released the amount.

4. If the ticket is not canceled, then confirm to the customer that the ticket is still active and share if somebody else boarded the bus. We cannot offer a refund if the bus was boarded using the ticket purchased. 

If the bus was not boarded, we can offer wallet credits to the customer.

If the customer still requests a refund in payment card

Scenario 1: Booked with OurBus - Cancel the ticket and process the refund in payment card(informing the Manager) 

Scenario 2: Booked via OTA - Inform the customer that tickets booked through OTA can be canceled with wallet credits only

Process Output:

Successful transaction details were educated to the customer along with timelines for refund as per the preferred mode of payment. 

Exceptions to Normal Process Flow:

DC Trails operator cancellation policy is at least 1 hour prior to bus departure.

If the ticket is already purchased through wallet credits, a refund is not possible on the card. 

OBIC: If the ticket was refunded due to OurBus initiated change, then check the customer email on [email protected] or [email protected] and confirm if any refund announcement was sent to them. If found, apologize to the customer for the inconvenience and process the refund and confirm that they will receive it in 3-5 business days.

Note: If the bus is booked through OTA, email them the case and request a refund.  

Control Points and Measurements:

Where’s My Refund is a real-time process to act on the request from the 

customer to share the exact status of a pending/processed refund.