---
title: "Two Refunds, Two Mistakes, Zero Fixes"
author: "Lax Mariappan"
date: "2026-01-22"
categories: ["Blogging"]
tags: ["Stories"]
excerpt: "Getting refunded twice doesn't build trust when the same mistake happens again. How operational friction loses happy customers."
canonical_url: "http://laxmariappan.com/two-refunds-two-mistakes-zero-fixes/"
---

# Two Refunds, Two Mistakes, Zero Fixes

I ordered baby wipes from Amazon India.

Got the wrong variety.

Non-returnable. They refunded me. Told me to keep it.

Fair enough.

I ordered again. Same product, same seller.

Same mistake.

Another refund. Another “keep it.”

Now I have two wrong items and two refunds. And I’m ordering from Flipkart next time.

Here’s what’s strange.

The seller was generous. The customer service was smooth. I got my money back without friction.

But I lost trust.

“Generosity doesn’t fix broken processes.”

I don’t know if it’s a shipping issue or a SKU problem. I don’t need to know. That’s their job.

What I do know is this: a happy customer became a hesitant one, then a lost one.

Not because of bad service. Because the same problem happened twice.

For digital products, this wouldn’t happen. You can’t ship the wrong file. You can’t accidentally send version A when someone ordered version B.

But for physical products, operational excellence isn’t optional. It’s the whole game.

I still like the brand. I still like their wipes.

But I don’t trust the seller to send me the right one.

“And that’s the part refunds can’t fix.”