Refund of AppleCare through Creation

The Support Article does say it can take up to 30 days depending on the payment method, so the information you were given by Apple is accurate. Each financial institution may differ on when refunds are posted to your account.

If your refund is approved, the funds are applied to the same payment method that you used to buy the item. Here's how long it takes for a refund to appear on your account or statement:

• Store credit—It might take up to 48 hours to see the refund in your Apple Account balance.
• Mobile phone billing—It might take up to 60 days for the statement to show the refund. Processing time might be affected by your carrier. You can contact your carrier for an update.
• Credit and debit cards, Apple Pay, Apple Cash, and all other payment methods—It might take up to 30 days for the statement to show the refund. If you don't see the refund after 30 days, contact your financial institution.

Check the status of a refund for apps or content that you bought from Apple - Apple Support

When was the refund approved?

Typically a refund takes about 5 business days to traverse the financial networks after initiated before they are seen on a bank/credit account. Nothing happens on weekends or holidays and is the same for any refund by a merchant.

I completely agree — how can something as straightforward as a refund be this difficult?

I also have the credit memo from Apple confirming that the invoice amount has been paid by Creation, so there really shouldn’t be any ambiguity over where the refund is supposed to go.

I raised a formal complaint directly with Creation by emailing complaints@creation.co.uk. I explained that Apple had confirmed the refund was issued, but Creation couldn’t confirm where it was or when it would be credited. I also raised the lack of ownership, as I was essentially being passed between Apple and Creation.

pap01 wrote:

What makes this particularly frustrating is that I’m effectively being passed between Apple and Creation, with Apple saying the refund has been processed and Creation saying they have not received/allocated it.

I think it sounds like the issue is with Creation, not with Apple, based on my experience with refunds from Apple.

This is anecdotal, but I just received several refunds from Apple for AppleCare+ because I switched to AppleOne and Apple refunded the overlapping coverage between the new AppleOne agreement and the multiple previous AppleCare+ agreements.

In my case, I received an email from Apple the day after I made the switch informing me about the refunds coming soon. As soon as I read that email, I checked and the refunds had already been received and credited by JP Morgan Chase Bank U.S.

Creation is one of the larger UK financial institutions but in the UK it is FCA Regulated. Creation is a trading name for Creation Financial Services Limited and Creation Consumer Finance Limited. Both are authorized and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA). I saw the following online: "because they are FCA-regulated, eligible customers have access to the Financial Ombudsman Service and the Financial Services Compensation Scheme if a dispute or insolvency occurs."

https://www.financial-ombudsman.org.uk/consumers/log-ombudsman-connect/how-to-complain

I think a 5+ week delay is unsatisfactory for a financial institution.

I’m having the same issue with a refund of AppleCare being returned to my Creation Finance account.

In my case, Apple confirmed that the refund had been processed and I have written confirmation/evidence of this. However, the refund has still not appeared on my Creation account.

I’ve contacted both Apple and Creation regarding this. Apple has confirmed that the refund was issued back to the original payment method/finance account, while Creation have so far been unable to provide a clear explanation as to where the money is or when it will be credited to my account.

What makes this particularly frustrating is that I’m effectively being passed between Apple and Creation, with Apple saying the refund has been processed and Creation saying they have not received/allocated it.

I’m now pursuing this formally with Creation and have asked them to investigate the missing refund and provide a clear resolution.

So, unfortunately, I can confirm that this doesn’t appear to be an isolated issue with AppleCare refunds through Creation.

pap01 wrote:

I’m having the same issue with a refund of AppleCare being returned to my Creation Finance account.

• What is the date the refund was approved by Apple?
• Has it been beyond the 30 days seen in the Support Article for the expected time frame?

Hi Snootyooty,

Just to add some context, my AppleCare refund was issued by Apple on 6 August, so I’m now over five weeks on from the refund being processed and it still hasn’t appeared on my Creation Finance account.

Apple has confirmed to me that the refund was processed back to the original payment method, but Creation have still not credited it to my account.

I’ve now raised a formal complaint with Creation because of the lack of ownership and the fact that I’m being passed between Apple and Creation, despite Apple confirming that the refund has been issued. I’ve asked Creation to properly investigate where the refund is and provide a clear resolution.

Hopefully yours is processed within the 30-day timeframe, but I thought it was worth mentioning as I’m experiencing the same issue.

I’ll update this thread if I get a response from Creation.

I agree, it certainly seems to point towards Creation rather than Apple.

A 5+ week delay for a straightforward refund is unacceptable, especially when Apple has confirmed it was processed. Hopefully the formal complaint with Creation will finally get some ownership and a resolution.

Thanks for the additional information and please update when you get a resolution.