Refunds & chargebacks
They said “no refunds.” Karen heard “not yet.”
The item arrived broken, the service never happened, the “cancel anytime” plan charged you $89 anyway. Hire a human to escalate with the merchant first and, if that fails, put together a card dispute your bank can’t ignore, inside the deadline.
What counts as a win
You name the number. The bonus rides on it.
Refund from the merchant
The fastest route: money back on your card with no dispute at all. Most wins happen here.
A dispute that sticks
A billing-error notice with dates, evidence and the merchant’s own replies, filed before the window closes.
Charges reversed
Duplicate charges, a renewal you cancelled, a deposit that never came back, a surprise service fee.
Replacement or repair
If you’d rather have the thing working than the money, that can be the objective instead.
Know where you stand
Your deadlines and rights
Card disputes run on hard deadlines. Miss one and the strongest case in the world doesn’t matter, so your Karen starts with the calendar.
Checked against the sources on October 6, 2026
Credit cards: 60 days from the statement
Under the Fair Credit Billing Act, a billing-error notice must reach your card issuer within 60 days after the first statement showing the charge was sent. The issuer must acknowledge it within 30 days and resolve it within two billing cycles, no later than 90 days.
Defective goods and services
For a quality problem rather than a billing error, federal law lets you withhold payment from the card issuer if the purchase was over $50, made in your home state or within 100 miles of your address, and you first tried in good faith to sort it out with the seller. Many issuers go further under card-network rules.
Source:12 CFR § 1026.12(c)
Debit cards: also 60 days, different rules
For debit card and other electronic transfer errors, tell your bank within 60 days after the statement. The bank generally has 10 business days to investigate, or up to 45 days if it gives you a provisional credit.
Source:12 CFR § 1005.11
Card-network dispute windows (often around 120 days) and issuer policies vary, and some are more generous than the law. Your Karen checks your card’s terms. Chargebacks for fraud on your account go straight to your bank, not through a Karen.
How it works
You vent once. Karen does the hold music.
- 01
Show what happened
Receipt, order confirmation, photos, the merchant’s replies, and the card statement showing the charge.
- 02
Merchant first
Your Karen asks for a refund in writing, escalates past the first agent, and gives the merchant a clear deadline. That good-faith attempt also strengthens a dispute later.
- 03
Dispute, prepared
If the merchant stalls, your Karen drafts your billing-error notice and organizes the evidence. Only the cardholder can file it with the bank, so you send it.
- 04
Approve the refund
Your Karen attaches the refund confirmation or the bank’s decision. Bonus paid only for money back.
The money, itemised
What this costs, worked out.
A contractor took a $450 deposit and never showed. Your Karen spends an hour on two calls and a written demand with a deadline; the contractor refunds $450 before the dispute is needed.
You choose the hourly rate, the cap and each bonus. You fund that worst case up front, plus a 18% platform fee, and it sits in RentAHuman escrow. You approve the hours and each win; everything you don’t approve comes back with its share of the fee. Example numbers; your case sets its own.
Example · 2h cap at $25/h
- Time, up to the cap$25/h × 2h
- $50
- Bonus: Refund ≥ $400 back on my cardpaid only if you approve the proof
- $75
- Platform fee (18%)
- $22.50
Karen logs 1h and wins 1 of 1.
Paid to your Karen · 1h + bonus$100
Platform fee on that$18
You pay in total$118
Back to your wallet$29.50
Before you file
Bring receipts. Literally.
- The receipt or order confirmation, and the card statement showing the charge
- The statement date the charge first appeared on (it starts the 60-day clock)
- Photos, tracking numbers, and every message to and from the merchant
- The merchant’s refund or cancellation policy, if you can find it
- What you want: the money, a replacement, or a repair
FAQ
Things people ask before going full Karen
Can I pay someone to get a refund for me?
Yes. A Karen contacts the merchant for you, escalates and puts the request in writing. You pay an hourly rate up to your cap, plus a flat bonus you set that only pays when the refund lands.
Can a Karen file a chargeback for me?
A chargeback is between you and your card issuer, so you file it. Your Karen drafts the billing-error notice, assembles the evidence and tracks the deadlines, and keeps working the merchant in parallel.
How long do I have to dispute a charge?
For a credit card billing error, the notice must reach your issuer within 60 days after the statement with the charge was sent. Debit card errors also have a 60-day window. Many card networks allow longer for some disputes, but don’t rely on it.
Does disputing a charge hurt my credit?
Filing a billing dispute doesn’t by itself hurt your credit, and the issuer can’t report the disputed amount as delinquent while it investigates. Keep paying the rest of your bill.
What if the merchant is overseas or has disappeared?
Then the card dispute is usually the main route, and the paper trail your Karen builds is what makes it work.
Also on the list
More things a Karen handles
Five minutes to file