Money owed to you · Updated Oct 2026
My online order never came or they won't refund me
Under the FTC's Mail, Internet, or Telephone Order Rule, a seller must ship within the time it promised, or within 30 days if it gave no time, and if it can't, it must offer you the choice to cancel and get a prompt refund. If you paid by credit card, you can dispute the charge, but your written dispute must reach the card issuer within 60 days after the first statement showing the charge. Act quickly.
This plan is general legal information, not legal advice. RobinClaim is not a law firm. Laws and deadlines change and have exceptions: check with the official source or a lawyer or legal aid office about your own case.
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Choose your state and answer 2 quick questions. The plan below changes as you answer: steps that don't fit your answers are hidden, and your state's deadlines appear. It all happens in your browser. Nothing is sent, and the page address holds only your answers.
Your plan
Do now
Save everything: the order confirmation, the product listing (screenshot it), tracking pages, emails and chat messages with the seller.
Why: Listings and chats can disappear, and you'll need them for a dispute.
If you answered “Tracking says delivered, but I didn't get it” to “What happened?”
Check around your home, with neighbors and your building's mailroom, and ask the carrier. For USPS, you can file a missing mail search online.
Why: Packages marked delivered are sometimes left at the wrong door or delivered late.
If you answered “Wrong, damaged or not as described” to “What happened?”
Take photos of the item, labels and packaging, and keep everything.
Why: The seller or card issuer may ask for proof or for the item to be returned.
If you answered “Gift card, wire transfer, crypto, or Zelle to a stranger” to “How did you pay?”
Stop sending money. Report it to the FTC at ReportFraud.ftc.gov and contact the company you used to send the money (gift card company, bank or wire service) right away.
Why: Scammers ask for payment methods that are hard to reverse. Quick reports sometimes stop the money.
Contact the seller in writing and ask for delivery by a set date or a full refund.
Why: A written request is needed for most disputes and buyer-protection claims.
If you answered “They promised a refund but never paid” to “What happened?”
Save the seller's refund promise (email, chat or return label) and ask in writing for the date the refund was sent and a confirmation number.
Why: If the refund doesn't arrive, the promise and the seller's answer are your proof in a card dispute, a buyer-protection claim or small claims.
Nothing extra here for your answers.
This week
If you answered “It never shipped or keeps getting delayed” to “What happened?”
If the seller can't ship on time, it must offer you the choice to cancel. You can cancel and ask for a prompt refund. The refund (or, for a card payment, the credit to your account) should be sent within 7 working days after you cancel; if the seller itself gave you the credit, such as a store card, within one billing cycle.
Why: That is what the FTC Mail, Internet, or Telephone Order Rule requires of sellers.
If you answered “Credit card” to “How did you pay?”
Send a written dispute to your card issuer's billing-error address (letter template below), or use the issuer's online dispute form if it says that counts as written notice. Keep paying the rest of your bill.
Why: The Fair Credit Billing Act covers goods not delivered as agreed, but your dispute must reach the issuer within 60 days after the first statement showing the charge. While the issuer investigates, you don't have to pay the disputed amount.
If you answered “Debit card” to “How did you pay?”
Call your bank now and ask how to dispute the charge, then follow up in writing.
Why: Debit card disputes for undelivered goods depend on your bank's and the card network's rules, which often have short deadlines.
If you answered “PayPal or another payment app or marketplace checkout” to “How did you pay?”
Open a claim with the payment app or marketplace under its buyer-protection program.
Why: These programs have their own deadlines, often counted from the purchase or the expected delivery date.
Nothing extra here for your answers.
If it's not resolved
If your card issuer or bank doesn't follow the rules or ignores your dispute, file a complaint with the CFPB.
Why: The CFPB forwards complaints to banks and card issuers, and they must respond.
Report the seller to your state attorney general or consumer protection office, and to the FTC.
Why: AG offices sometimes mediate, and reports help stop sellers that cheat many people.
If nothing else works, you can sue the seller in small claims court, if you can identify where it is based.
Why: Online sellers in other states or countries can be hard to sue and collect from, so card disputes are often the better route.
Nothing extra here for your answers.
Deadlines
When the seller must ship
General rule: Within the time the seller stated, or within 30 days after receiving your completed order if it stated no time (50 days if you applied for credit from the seller to pay). If it can't, it must offer you the choice to agree to the delay or cancel for a prompt refund (16 CFR 435.2).
Dispute a credit card charge in writing with the card issuer
General rule: Your written dispute must reach the card issuer within 60 days after it sent the first statement that shows the charge (Fair Credit Billing Act, 15 U.S.C. 1666; Regulation Z, 12 CFR 1026.13).
Card issuer's deadline to answer your dispute
General rule: The issuer must acknowledge your written dispute within 30 days and resolve it within two complete billing cycles, and in no case later than 90 days (12 CFR 1026.13(c)).
Documents to gather
- Order confirmation and receipt
- Screenshot of the product listing
- Tracking information and delivery notices
- Emails and chat messages with the seller
- Photos of a wrong or damaged item and its packaging
- Your card statement showing the charge
- Copy of your dispute letter and proof of the date it was sent
Letters you can send
Fill in the blanks; the letter updates as you type. Copy it, print it or save it as a text file. Nothing you type is sent or saved: it stays on this page until you close it.
Credit card billing-error dispute
Disputes a charge for goods not delivered as agreed (or a refund not credited) under the Fair Credit Billing Act. Send it to the billing-error address on your statement, not the payment address, so it arrives within 60 days after the first statement showing the charge.
[Today's date] [Your name] [Your address] Account ending in [Last 4 digits of the account] [Issuer name] [Billing error address] Re: Billing error dispute I am disputing a charge of $[Charge amount] from [Merchant name] dated [Charge date], which first appeared on my statement dated [Statement date]. This is a billing error because [Problem description]. I tried to resolve it with the merchant: [Steps taken]. Please remove the charge and any related finance charges or fees, and send me an accurate statement. Copies of my order confirmation and messages with the merchant are enclosed. Sincerely, [Your name]
Request for delivery or refund
Asks the seller in writing to deliver by a set date or refund you; you'll need this for a card dispute or buyer-protection claim.
[Today's date] To: [Seller name] Re: Order [Order number] placed [Order date], $[Amount paid] I have not received what I ordered: [Problem description]. Please either deliver the order as described by [Respond by date], or cancel it and refund $[Amount paid] to my original payment method by that date. If I don't hear from you by [Respond by date], I plan to dispute the charge with my card issuer and report this to consumer protection authorities. [Your name] [Your phone or email]
Where to go
- FederalYour credit card issuer (billing-error address on your statement)
Right away, and no later than 60 days after the first statement showing the charge.
- FederalUSPS missing mail search
If USPS delivered (or lost) the package.
- FederalConsumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) complaint
If your bank, card issuer or a debt collector does not handle your problem properly. The CFPB forwards your complaint to the company, which must respond.
- FederalFederal Trade Commission: ReportFraud.ftc.gov
To report a business that cheated you or a scam. The FTC does not resolve individual complaints, but reports help build cases.
- StateYour state attorney general or consumer protection office
To file a consumer complaint against a business; many offices offer free mediation. The federal directory lists every state's office.
- LocalSmall claims court for the county where you would file
If a written demand does not work and the amount fits your state's small claims limit. Your state page lists the court, limit, fee and official forms.
Costs
Card disputes, CFPB complaints, FTC reports and AG complaints are free. Small claims has a filing fee (see your state page), and suing an out-of-state seller can add service costs.
Talk to a lawyer if
- The amount is large and the seller is a business you can identify
- You lost money to a scam and are being offered 'recovery services' for a fee (that is often a second scam; report it instead)
- Your identity or card information was stolen in the purchase
Free help
LawHelp.org (lawhelp.org) lists free legal aid programs and plain-language self-help pages for every state. The Legal Services Corporation's finder (lsc.gov/about-lsc/what-legal-aid/i-need-legal-help) shows the federally funded legal aid office for your address; these offices help people with low incomes for free. Most state court websites also run a free self-help center for small claims, and your state page on smallclaimsmap.com links to the official forms.
Guides for your state
Choose your state above for direct links to its pages.
Guides for every state
Questions
What is the when the seller must ship?
Within the time the seller stated, or within 30 days after receiving your completed order if it stated no time (50 days if you applied for credit from the seller to pay). If it can't, it must offer you the choice to agree to the delay or cancel for a prompt refund (16 CFR 435.2).
What is the dispute a credit card charge in writing with the card issuer?
Your written dispute must reach the card issuer within 60 days after it sent the first statement that shows the charge (Fair Credit Billing Act, 15 U.S.C. 1666; Regulation Z, 12 CFR 1026.13).
What is the card issuer's deadline to answer your dispute?
The issuer must acknowledge your written dispute within 30 days and resolve it within two complete billing cycles, and in no case later than 90 days (12 CFR 1026.13(c)).
When should I talk to a lawyer?
The amount is large and the seller is a business you can identify; You lost money to a scam and are being offered 'recovery services' for a fee (that is often a second scam; report it instead); Your identity or card information was stolen in the purchase.
How much does it cost?
Card disputes, CFPB complaints, FTC reports and AG complaints are free. Small claims has a filing fee (see your state page), and suing an out-of-state seller can add service costs.
Plans by state
This plan is the same in every state. Each state's RobinClaim page lists its courts, agencies and deadlines:
Sources
- eCFR: 16 CFR Part 435, Mail, Internet, or Telephone Order Merchandise Rule
- CFPB: Regulation Z, 12 CFR 1026.13 Billing error resolution
- 15 U.S.C. 1666 Correction of billing errors (GovInfo)
- FTC: Using Credit Cards and Disputing Charges
- FTC: Sample letter for disputing credit and debit card charges
- USPS: Missing mail
- CFPB: Submit a complaint
- FTC: ReportFraud.ftc.gov
- USA.gov: State consumer protection offices
Plan checked Oct 2026. Independently fact-checked 2026-10-24.
This plan is general legal information, not legal advice. RobinClaim is not a law firm. Laws and deadlines change and have exceptions: check with the official source or a lawyer or legal aid office about your own case. How we research.