# A Reasonable Refund Policy

Page: https://stenobird.com/podcast/a-podcast-for-coaches-5728616/a-reasonable-refund-policy
Text version: https://stenobird.com/podcast/a-podcast-for-coaches-5728616/a-reasonable-refund-policy.md
Podcast: [A Podcast for Coaches](https://stenobird.com/podcast/a-podcast-for-coaches-5728616)
Published: 2026-07-06T18:00:00+00:00
Episode link: https://share.transistor.fm/s/7c32d662
Audio file: https://media.transistor.fm/7c32d662/4ba1797d.mp3
Processing state: not_requested
JSON: https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/a-podcast-for-coaches-5728616/episodes/a-reasonable-refund-policy
Duration seconds: 2003

## Resource

A sensible refund policy benefits sellers as much as it benefits buyers. A new view of refunds in the coaching industry would solve some of our biggest image problems, protect the brands of coaches doing good work, and allow more people to engage more enthusiastically with the training and support they need. Timestamps [00:00:00] Introduction and thesis A no-refund policy is widely accepted in high-ticket coaching, often framed as a benefit to both seller and buyer Today's argument: a sensible refund policy benefits sellers as much as buyers Background: inside dozens of coaching businesses since 2014, including several that exceeded a million dollars in annual revenue—this is an insider perspective, not opinion from the outside [00:03:16] The asymmetry of information problem The seller knows what the program is actually like; the buyer has only the sales page, the testimonials, and the price Sellers often filter applicants by income or client count—well-intentioned, but imperfect; how much someone has made is a good but incomplete signal of fit Even with filters in place, some people who cross the threshold are not a great fit—the seller knows this; a refund policy is the honest acknowledgment of that fact A no-refund policy leaves no room for either party to have made a mistake: "A refund policy becomes the insurance against the imperfection of the sales experience and the imperfection of the fit between buyer and seller" [00:07:03] Six psychological principles stacking the deck against the buyer [00:07:10] 1. Parasocial relationship — Buyers often spend months or years in a seller's content orbit, forming a one-sided relationship in which the seller becomes associated with their own aspirations; the shorthand is "I want to be her"—and that lean makes it harder to eva…

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## Transcript

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