Why this answer
What actually matters
- A goodwill credit and a statutory refund are different things.
- Consumer Rights Act refund provisions generally require reimbursement using the same means of payment unless the consumer expressly agrees otherwise.
- First establish that a statutory refund is due; not every complaint automatically produces a full refund.
Important nuance
When the statement may have a point
- The consumer can voluntarily accept credit, and a trader can offer discretionary credit where no statutory cash refund is due.
What you could say
Keep the response tied to the actual rule.
Evidence
What to have beside you
- Order confirmation, item list, customisations and the restaurant/product description
- Delivery tracking, timestamps and any delivery photograph or contact attempts
- Clear photographs of the food, packaging, seals and all items received
- Screenshots of the refund request, refusal, account credit offer and support conversation
- Allergen information shown before ordering and any relevant packaging or labels
If they still refuse
Move the dispute forward.
- Report the problem promptly through the platform and/or restaurant and keep the evidence.
- Identify who supplied the food and, where relevant, who supplied the delivery service; those can be different contracts.
- If a statutory refund or price reduction is due, challenge an app-level refusal on that basis rather than treating the platform policy as the law.
- For genuine food-safety or allergen concerns, consider the local authority food-safety route as well as seeking consumer redress.
- Where a trader still refuses a valid monetary claim, consider a card dispute/chargeback or proportionate court action where appropriate.
Read the full rules