Processing Refunds (Self-Service)

Overview

Cleeng enables publishers to handle customer dissatisfaction through refunds—either full or partial—via the dashboard. This guide outlines when and how to issue refunds, the impact on customer access, and platform limitations.

Available to

Publishers using Cleeng Merchant with web-based payment gateways, specifically Adyen or PayPal.

Prerequisites

• You must be using Cleeng Merchant (Cleeng is your Merchant of Record). 
• You must be using Adyen or PayPal to handle web payments. 
• The transaction must be less than 30 days old.
• The transaction must not already be refunded, rejected, or managed externally.
• The refund must be related to a supported content type: subscriptions, passes, live events, or one-time purchases. Gift subscriptions are not eligible for refunds.

Refund Types

Cleeng supports two types of refunds:

Full Refund

A full refund returns the total amount of the original transaction to the customer. This option immediately revokes customer access and cancels future subscription billing.

Partial Refund

A partial refund returns a portion of the original transaction amount. You can decide the refund amount and whether to revoke access and stop billing. Enter the total refund amount, including tax, as this is the final amount the customer will receive. This option allows flexibility—customers can retain access and continue being billed, or access can be revoked at your discretion.

Use cases include:

• Downgrades or partial service issues.
• Retaining customers by offering compensation without full cancellation.
• Avoiding disputes and reducing churn while protecting revenue.

Key Benefits

How to Issue a Refund

1. In your Cleeng dashboard, go to Customer > Customer Accounts.
2. Manually input or search the customer's email address for the particular transaction you wish to refund.
3. Click on the e-mail address found in the search.
4. On the next page, under the Transactions section, click the x button Cancel transaction in the far-right column to open refund options.
   

5. Choose refund type:

   • Full Refund: Returns the full amount, revokes access, and cancels billing.
   • Partial Refund: You can decide about the refund amount and whether to revoke access and stop billing. Enter the total refund amount, including tax, as this is the final amount the customer will receive.

   

6. (Partial Refunds only) Enter the refund amount (up to the total transaction value).
   

7. (Partial Refunds only) Select whether to revoke access and stop billing.

   Note: If you choose this option for a subscription offer, recurring billing will be canceled. The user will lose access to the content and won’t be charged again unless they purchase the subscription again. 

   

8. Click Cancel transaction and refund to complete the process.
   

Example Scenarios

Full Refund – Subscription
A customer purchased a monthly subscription for $10. Due to a technical issue that prevented them from accessing any content, you decide to issue a full refund.

• Refund Type: Full
• Refund Amount: $10 (automatic, you can’t change the amount for a full refund)
• Result: The customer receives a $10 refund (including any applied taxes), their access is immediately revoked, and recurring billing is canceled.

Partial Refund – Pass
A customer purchased a $15 event pass but reported that the stream was unavailable for the first 30 minutes. You offer a $5 partial refund as a gesture of goodwill.

• Refund Type: Partial
• Refund Amount: $5
• Post-refund access: Continue access and billing
• Result: The customer receives a $5 refund. Their access to the event remains active. There is no recurring billing for Passes, so the user won’t be billed again. 

Partial Refund – Subscription (Access Revoked)
A customer subscribed to a monthly plan for $12 but only used it for a few days before requesting a refund. You issue a $6 partial refund and choose to revoke their access.

• Refund Type: Partial
• Refund Amount: $6
• Result: The customer receives a $6 refund. Their access is revoked, and recurring billing is stopped.

Refunds Reporting

All refund data, including partial refunds, is available in Analytics → Data Export → Refund Report.

Related Articles

• Canceling a User’s Subscription (without refund):
  Refer to this article if you need to cancel a customer’s subscription without issuing a refund.
  👉 Self-Service Portal – Canceling a User’s Subscription
• Chargebacks:
  Learn more about how chargebacks work and when they may apply to your business.
  👉 How to avoid chargebacks?

FAQ

Why can’t I issue a refund?

Refunds can only be processed for web-based payments made through Adyen or PayPal. Additionally, the transaction must be less than 30 days old and must not have already been refunded, rejected, or processed through an external platform. Transactions made via external payment methods (e.g., Apple, Amazon, Stripe) must be refunded through the original platform.

Why can’t I refund a free transaction?

Refunds are only supported for paid transactions. Free trials or zero-value purchases cannot be refunded.

Can I issue multiple refunds for the same transaction?

No. Only one refund (full or partial) is allowed per transaction. Once processed, the refund action is disabled.

Can I issue a partial refund via the API?

Not at this time. Partial refunds are only available through the Cleeng dashboard.

Which content (offer) types are supported for refunds?

Refunds (full or partial) are supported for subscriptions, passes, live events, and one-time purchases. Gift subscriptions are not eligible for refunds.

Will a partial refund cancel customer access or billing?

You can choose whether to revoke access and cancel future billing when issuing a partial refund.

What happens if I try to refund more than the paid amount?

The system will block the refund and display an error. You can only refund up to the original transaction amount.

Can I change a partial refund into a full refund later?

No. Once a partial refund is issued, no additional refunds can be made on the same transaction.

What if I refunded the wrong amount?

Refunds are irreversible. Double-check the amount before confirming. You may need to offer compensation through other means if the incorrect amount was refunded.

Are customers notified of partial refunds?

Yes. Customers receive a standard refund confirmation email regardless of the refund amount.