What do I say when the customer asks for a refund I cannot approve?
Separate the two halves of the request: the refund you cannot approve, and the problem you can still work on. Say what you cannot do, why in one clause, what you can do instead, and when they will hear from you: I cannot authorise that amount today, but I can send it for approval now and you will
Separate the two halves of the request: the refund you cannot approve, and the problem you can still work on. Say what you cannot do, why in one clause, what you can do instead, and when they will hear from you: I cannot authorise that amount today, but I can send it for approval now and you will have an answer tomorrow. If the answer is a hard no, say it once in plain words and put the alternative beside it, because a refusal without an alternative is heard as a door closing.
When the decision sits above you, describe the step rather than a person: say the request is with the approvals team, say when you will confirm the outcome, and put the same words in an email with the reference, so the customer is not left holding a promise that only exists on the phone. If the customer asks for a supervisor, write three lines of context before you hand over, covering what happened, what has already been offered and what the customer is asking for, so the second agent does not restart the conversation and the customer does not have to explain everything twice.