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Customer supportLesson 2 of 3

Part 1 of 3, 0 done

13 min

Keeping customers: refunds and escalations

A refund costs money. Losing the customer usually costs more. Here's how a support team decides who can say yes, when a case goes up the ladder, and what happens when a customer goes over the company's head.

Ticket 01 · The guess

How long does a bank have to answer?

In the US, when someone has a complaint about a bank, a lender, a card company or their credit report, they can send it to a federal office, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB). It passes the complaint to the company. Within how many days does the company usually respond?

45 days
0 days90 days

Spot something wrong?

Tell us what looks off. No name or email needed.

What kind of problem?

0 / 1000

We'll also send this page, the lesson, ticket 1, so we can find it. Nothing else. Privacy

·
Sources and every number (2)

Sources

  • Learn how the complaint process works (how fast companies respond, final responses, publishing complaints without identifying details) · Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, 2026
  • The CFPB is correcting flaws to restore integrity and utility to the consumer complaint system (press release, June 24, 2026: credit and consumer reporting complaints in 2019 and 2025) · Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, 2025

Every number

  • 15 daysconsumerfinance.gov ·2026 · Companies generally respond to a complaint the CFPB sends them within this many days.
  • 60 daysconsumerfinance.gov ·2026 · When a company says its response is in progress, it gives a final response within this many days.
  • 150,000 complaintsconsumerfinance.gov ·2025 · Credit or consumer reporting complaints the CFPB received in 2019: "more than" this many.
  • 5 million complaintsconsumerfinance.gov ·2025 · Credit or consumer reporting complaints the CFPB received in 2025: "more than five million".
  1. Lessons›
  2. Inside a business›
  3. Customer support
  • ·Before this: What customer support does
  • ·Next: Measuring support: how fast, how happy, how much
Skip to the lesson

Customer supportLesson 2 of 3

Part 1 of 3, 0 done

13 min

Keeping customers: refunds and escalations

A refund costs money. Losing the customer usually costs more. Here's how a support team decides who can say yes, when a case goes up the ladder, and what happens when a customer goes over the company's head.

Ticket 01 · The guess

How long does a bank have to answer?

In the US, when someone has a complaint about a bank, a lender, a card company or their credit report, they can send it to a federal office, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB). It passes the complaint to the company. Within how many days does the company usually respond?

45 days
0 days90 days

Spot something wrong?

Tell us what looks off. No name or email needed.

What kind of problem?

0 / 1000

We'll also send this page, the lesson, ticket 1, so we can find it. Nothing else. Privacy

·
Sources and every number (2)

Sources

  • Learn how the complaint process works (how fast companies respond, final responses, publishing complaints without identifying details) · Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, 2026
  • The CFPB is correcting flaws to restore integrity and utility to the consumer complaint system (press release, June 24, 2026: credit and consumer reporting complaints in 2019 and 2025) · Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, 2025

Every number

  • 15 daysconsumerfinance.gov ·2026 · Companies generally respond to a complaint the CFPB sends them within this many days.
  • 60 daysconsumerfinance.gov ·2026 · When a company says its response is in progress, it gives a final response within this many days.
  • 150,000 complaintsconsumerfinance.gov ·2025 · Credit or consumer reporting complaints the CFPB received in 2019: "more than" this many.
  • 5 million complaintsconsumerfinance.gov ·2025 · Credit or consumer reporting complaints the CFPB received in 2025: "more than five million".
  1. Lessons›
  2. Inside a business›
  3. Customer support
  • ·Before this: What customer support does
  • ·Next: Measuring support: how fast, how happy, how much