What you’ll learn
The problem: When a purchase arrives damaged, it can be hard to explain what happened and ask for help.
How AI can help: AI can turn your notes into a clear, polite request. The company still decides how to respond.
In this lesson: You’ll draft and check a refund request using a made-up purchase.
What you’ll need: A phone, tablet, or computer with internet access and an AI chat. We’ll use ChatGPT as an example.
Before you start: Use the fictional example below. Don’t enter account numbers, payment details, addresses, or copies of real receipts into an AI chat.
1. Open an AI chat
Open ChatGPT (opens in a new tab) or an AI chat you already use. If you’re new to AI, start with your first conversation with AI. Keep this lesson open so you can return to it.
A free option is available, although access and limits can vary. If you’re asked to sign in or create an account, follow the on-screen instructions.
2. Give AI the facts
Imagine a kettle arrived damaged on Monday. You’d like to request a refund and find out what to do next. Copy or type this entire message into the AI chat and send it:
Your practice message:
Write a short, polite customer-service message. A kettle I ordered arrived damaged on Monday. I would like a refund. Ask what I should do next. Use only these facts. Do not say a refund is guaranteed or claim that I attached a receipt or photo.
Need help copying and pasting?
On a computer: Select the whole message above. Copy with Ctrl+C on Windows or Command+C on a Mac. Switch to your AI chat, click its message box, and paste with Ctrl+V or Command+V.
On a phone or tablet: Touch and hold the message, adjust the selection handles if needed, and choose Copy. Switch to the AI chat, touch and hold its message box, and choose Paste.
If the Copy button doesn’t work, use these steps or type the message. After pasting, remember to send it in the chat.
Read the answer and see whether it uses the information you gave it.
3. Ask for a change
Read the draft. To adjust it, send this follow-up in the same conversation:
Your follow-up message:
Make the message a little shorter and friendly. Keep the request for a refund and the question about next steps. Do not add any facts.
What a helpful answer might look like
This is an example we wrote for the lesson, not a recorded AI response. Your answer may use different words.
Hello,
The kettle I ordered arrived damaged on Monday. I’d like to request a refund. Could you please let me know what I should do next?
Thank you.
The company’s response may be different. The example asks for a refund; it does not promise that one will be granted.
4. Check the answer
Compare your answer with the fictional request:
- Does it say the kettle arrived damaged on Monday?
- Does it request a refund and ask about the next step?
- Did AI avoid adding an order number, attachment, or promise?
Change any detail that is wrong. If you use a draft for a real purchase, you decide whether and how to send it. Check the company’s return instructions yourself; a refund is not guaranteed.
Try it with your own idea
Choose a real, non-sensitive problem you’d like to explain. Tell AI what happened, what you are requesting, and the tone you want. Leave out private details. Review the draft and add any necessary order information only through the company’s trusted contact method.
For example: “Help me write a polite message about a lamp that arrived with a broken shade. Ask about my options. Don’t make up details.”
What if I get stuck?
AI invents a detail. Ask it to remove the detail and use only the facts you supplied. Check the revised message yourself.
I don’t want to ask for a refund. Ask about a replacement or the available options instead. The choice is yours.
I can’t find where to type. Look for a message box near the bottom of the AI chat screen. Click or tap it before typing.
You’ve finished when: You’ve written a request, adjusted the wording, and checked the facts and your request before deciding what to send.
Try the next lesson: Check a suspicious message →
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