Refundly Is Taking The Guesswork Out Of Refunds For Retailers And Consumers

Necessity is the mother of so many inventions. That includes Refundly, a new app that’s transforming the online returns process with tech innovation. It was born when Lindsay Goffman, a Hollywood writer whose credits include executive producer of ABC’s “The Good Doctor” and the film “The Company You Keep,” and her husband Mark, executive producer and writer on the NBC drama “The Irrational” and the Netflix series “The Umbrella Academy,” experienced the headache of returns firsthand.

When Lindsay needed a nice dress for a big family event, she did what any busy working mom would do, she ordered multiple styles and colors online and waited for them to arrive. “I found my dress and I returned all the others,” she said. “I had ordered so many, I literally created a Google Doc spreadsheet to track the refunds. It turned out that we didn’t get the money back for one of the dresses. This was really stressful because they were expensive and we were in the middle of the writers and actors strike of 2023.”

The missing refund for the one dress set off a lightbulb in Lindsay and Mark Goffman’s heads. “We were like, ‘Oh wow, how often is this happening?’” Lindsay Goffman said. “We then ordered from the top 120 online retailers to find out, and we found that there is a 7 1/2% error rate. I knew this was happening to other people, too. It was really stressful having all those charges on my card.”

The more people the Goffmans talked to the more horror stories they heard about delayed, waylaid and simply non-existent refunds, and the hassle of arguing with retailers about reinstating funds while trying proving that they indeed returned the item. Lindsay Goffman called returns a “$362 billion pain point” for the retail industry.”

“Our story – built on passion, driven by purpose,” the Refundly web site says. “Our app brings clarity to the returns process by showing exactly where your refund stands, all in one clean, intuitive interface. We’re on a mission to make financial clarity and trust the standard—not the exception.”

Asked how retailers responded when the couple confronted them with the non-existent refunds, Mark Goffman said the idea of Refundly was well-received. “When we contacted the retailers, because we were able to show them all the documentation, they immediately refunded the money and said, ‘Oh sorry it was an error,’” he said, noting that the refund experience is erratic at best. “Sometimes you don’t get any money back. Sometimes, because the return logistics system is set up really ad hoc, you may never get a refund.

“The process was set up to send you merchandise when you buy it, not for you to send it back, so there’s a lot of chinks in the system,” Mark Goffman explained. “A returned item may go to warehouses where all the stuff gets consolidated or maybe it gets sent to a landfill in South America or maybe to a wholesaler, but that’s a completely different problem. When you return something there’s just countless ways for human error or machine error to cause this problem. That’s why we created Refundly, so you can actually track and find out if there’s any discrepancies and can check it on your dashboard.”

“The Goffmans have an impressive list of mentors and investors, from Mark Mucchetti, the third co-founder of Refundly, and a technology executive with over 20 years of experience, to Sam Ng, director of engineering for Amazon AI. “Retailers have been really happy that there’s a solution,” Mark Goffman said. “We’re turning refunds into a branable marketing opportunity, because the moment you get your money back from a retailer, and we’re letting you know, ‘Hey, you just got $138 back from Nordstrom,’ you’re really happy with Nordstrom.”

The Goffmans called Refundly a simple and transparent way to track refunds. “We’ve got your back – your money back,” is the company’s tag line. “We believe in bringing calm to the clutter,” the web site said. “Refundly exists to simplify, streamline, and give people back their time and money.”

“All of the data shows that if people have a positive experience with their returns they’re significantly more inclined to continue shopping with that retailer,” Mark Goffman said. “This is another opportunity to create that bond and help restore trust. Returns and return shopping online is a part of their business whether anybody likes it or not. It’s a behavior that’s more than doubled in the last five years.”

According to Lindsay Goffman, Refundly is built to last. “From user data to refund tracking, we take accuracy and privacy seriously. Our goal is to be the most trusted name in returns,” the Refundly web site said. “Whether you’re returning a dress or managing the wardrobe for a hit TV show, your time matters. Refundly is here to make sure your money gets back where it belongs.”

And what about the Goffmans’ writing careers? “We’re passionate about this and we’re excited about solving this problem,” Lindsay Goffman said, referring to Refundly, and adding that the venture is taking up all of their time. “That’s what you get when you’re married to your cofounder. Refundly is full-time, 24/7, date nights, etc. Our kids ask about it. Oh yeah, our son is like, ‘What’s going on with Refundly?’ We hear people talking about 996, we’re 24/7.”

Ben Kruger, a data analyst and marketer at Events Ticket Center (ETC), and graduate of Indiana University, said Refundly is an app whose time has come. “I’m stoked to try it,” he added.