Hire an AI retail returns response writer

Everything it can hand back

Your task sets the actual outputs. The specialist picks the methods that cover them.

• A return check that shows the window, the condition, the category rules and the result, each with the reason
• The refund amount worked out, with any deduction and the method
• A reply to the customer that leads with what you can do
• A list of what needs a manager, and an internal note if anything looks wrong
• A suggested next step for the item, such as restock, open box, vendor return or hold

How it does the job well

• Draft only. Do not issue a refund, change an order, contact the customer or accuse anyone. A person does these in the store's own system.
• Apply the policy the same way each time. Do not bend it to please the customer. Route exceptions to the person with authority and log them.
• Do not refuse to give a declined item back, and do not tell the customer a fraud suspicion.
• Do not give legal advice. For a legal threat or a regulator, tell the user to pass it to the right person.
• Policy is the foundation — empathy is the delivery. The return policy exists for good reasons. Enforce it consistently, but always with genuine empathy for the customer's situation. A policy delivered harshly feels like punishment. The same policy delivered warmly feels like a service.
• Consistent policy enforcement prevents discrimination claims. Apply the return policy the same way for every customer, every time. Inconsistent enforcement — giving exceptions to some customers but not others — creates legal exposure and destroys trust.
• Never accuse a customer of fraud directly. If fraud is suspected, follow the escalation protocol. Never accuse, confront, or imply dishonesty to a customer's face. Handle it through proper channels.

Mistakes it avoids

• Promising refunds, dates or fixes the policy does not allow.
• Copy-paste replies that ignore what the customer said.
• Closing a ticket without a clear next step.

What a good result looks like

An example, not your task: A customer asks to return an online order after the window, and you need to know if you can say yes.

• Case. What the customer asks for, the item and dates, and any facts that are missing.
• Policy check. The window, condition and category result, one line each, with the reason.
• Decision and refund. Eligible or not, the refund amount with any deduction, and the method.
• Needs a manager. Late, no-receipt or high-value cases that need approval before you reply.
• Internal note. Any fraud signs, kept for a manager and never put in the customer reply.
• Reply to the customer. A kind reply that says what you can do and offers another path if it is a no.

How the work is checked

• Every reply states the facts it relies on and is checked against the policy.
• Escalations name the reason and the owner.
• Repeated issues are grouped so the root cause can be fixed.
• States which checks passed, failed or could not run, and names missing inputs.

These checks have not been run against a model yet. Your AI uses them to check its own work.

Capabilities

• Read the case. It pulls out the customer's ask, the item, the dates and how it was paid, and lists anything missing.
• Check the policy. It tests the window, the item's condition and any category rule, one at a time, and shows the result of each.
• Work out the refund. It starts from the price paid, takes off only the deductions your policy allows, and gives the method.
• Flag exceptions. It lists what needs a manager, such as a late return, no receipt or a high-value item. Fraud signs go in an internal note only.
• Write the reply. It starts with empathy, says what you can do, and gives another path if the answer is no. It never accuses the customer.
• Plan the item and the record. It suggests what happens to the item, a reason code, and a record of any exception.

How the role works

1. Checks your task, context and available tools.
2. Picks the methods needed and prepares a work plan.
3. Carries out supported tasks, with each method's limits and review gates.
4. Checks the real deliverables and corrects supported faults.
5. Hands back files, evidence and unresolved gaps.

Your specialist's working setup

Download the base specialist without a task form or account. README.md and SETUP.md explain how to use the folder. SOUL.md defines its scope. INTAKE.md asks missing questions inside your AI. PLAYBOOK.md, SKILLS.md, BEST_PRACTICES.md, CHECKS.md and HANDOFF.md guide the work and its checked deliverables.

Complete associated skills, supporting files and licences are included. Choose only the methods needed for the actual task. Keep context, working files and accepted feedback in your AI project.

Use this specialist through MCP or the API

Call prepare_specialist with role_id retail-customer-returns only. No task is required to load it. Your AI asks what job you need done, what you want back and which relevant context it can use.

For task-led hiring, call find_specialist, explain the suggested specialists and let the user accept or change the team.

Complete ZIP: Download base specialist. API: GET /api/v1/specialists/retail-customer-returns/pack. The host AI supplies its own model, tools and execution; a pack does not connect accounts or run a task.

Inputs and helpful context

The specialist starts from the task brief. Only active methods require their inputs.

For the primary method, when used

• The customer's return or refund request, copied as written
• The order details, such as item, price paid, purchase date, how they paid and the item's condition
• Your written return policy, including the window, condition rules, final sale items and any restocking fee
• Your refund options, such as original payment, store credit or exchange, and which need a manager (optional)
• Your past return reasons in a list or sheet, if you want a pattern review (optional)

Helpful context (optional)

• Your reason codes, so the record uses your own list
• A list of final sale and non-returnable categories
• Your restocking fee rules and any limit above which a manager signs off

Tools and access

• Claude, ChatGPT or Gemini: Any chat AI can run the checks. A stronger model does the date and refund sums with fewer slips.
• Your order system, such as Shopify or WooCommerce: The AI cannot read it. Copy the order lines in yourself, then do the refund there.

Functions and deliverables

• Retail returns response writer: Check a return against your policy, work out the refund and get a kind reply to the customer. Paste the request, the order and your return rules.
  • A return check that shows the window, the condition, the category rules and the result, each with the reason
  • The refund amount worked out, with any deduction and the method
  • A reply to the customer that leads with what you can do
  • A list of what needs a manager, and an internal note if anything looks wrong
  • A suggested next step for the item, such as restock, open box, vendor return or hold
  Source: Michael Sitarzewski and Agency Agents contributors.
• Refund request reply writer: Share a refund request, policy and order facts. Get a policy-based decision draft, reply and missing facts to check.
  • Each policy rule checked against the order facts
  • A clear decision: yes, partial or no
  • A reply that leads with the decision, then the timing
  • A note for you when a person should step in
• Customer reply and order checker: Forward a customer email. Get a reply based on checked order facts. Refunds wait for your approval.
  • Order and payment status
  • A draft reply in your voice
  • A staged refund waiting for your approval
  • A list of orders needing attention (with Shopify)
  Source: Anthropic.
• Gorgias refund review brief writer: Share a refund ticket and policy. Get known facts, eligibility gaps, a proposed decision and a customer reply draft for review.
  • A summary of the request and the customer's history.
  • A table that checks the request against your refund rules.
  • A recommendation with the reasoning and the risk of losing the customer.
  • A draft reply to the customer for you to review.
  • A flag when the refund is large enough to need manager approval.
  Source: Composio.
• Brand profile builder: Share your website. Get a reusable profile covering your products, customers, voice and approved claims, with sources.
  • A folder of eight plain files, from a start file for your AI to a claims list and a change log
  • A tag on every fact, and every claim marked approved, pending or banned
  • A two-sentence diagnosis of your biggest gap, and a list of what's missing and who can answer it
  • A short slice for your next step, if you name one

Tasks you can use it for

• A customer asks to return an online order after the window, and you need to know if you can say yes.
• A shopper wants a refund for a damaged or wrong item, and you want a reply that keeps them.
• A return has no receipt, or is a gift, and you are not sure of the refund method.
• You want to turn your return reason notes into a list of what to fix, such as sizing or damage in transit.

Limits to check before starting

• The customer says they will take legal action or go to a regulator. Pass it to the person who handles disputes. Do not send an AI draft.
• A card payment is already disputed, and you must send proof of the order and delivery. Use the Chargeback evidence gatherer.
• You only need a quick refund reply for an online store. The Refund request reply writer is simpler.
• You want an angry customer calmed, with no return at issue. Use the Angry customer reply writer.
• You need a legal answer on the refund rights where you sell. Ask a local adviser. It cannot confirm consumer law.

Best way to use this role

Give it one clear outcome, the actual files and a definition of done. Keep the work in one AI project so it can reuse checked context and earlier files.

• Download the pack from this page and add it to your AI as a skill. Or paste SKILL.md into a new chat, then paste references/source-agent.md after it.
• Paste the customer's message, then the order details, then your full return policy. Use your own policy wording, not a summary.
• Say how the customer paid and what the customer asked for, such as a refund, an exchange or store credit.
• Check the sums and dates yourself. Make sure the days since purchase and the refund amount are right.
• If it lists a manager approval or an internal flag, send that to the manager. Never show the internal note to the customer.
• Check the reply against the consumer rules where you sell. A person sends it and does the refund in your system.

Read it as data

Read the complete role setup as JSON. Connect your AI to the AI Blocks MCP library and read aiblocks://roles/retail-customer-returns for its role instructions and pinned sources.

This is a prepared AI role. No task has run. Your AI carries out authorized work using its available tools and reports the actual deliverables and checks.