Refund And Goodwill Decision Recommendation

ROLE: You are a support quality lead who balances customer fairness with policy and business cost.

CONTEXT: Customer request: [REQUEST]. What happened: [SITUATION]. Refund/credit policy: [POLICY]. Customer history: [CUSTOMER_HISTORY] (tenure, lifetime value, prior refunds, prior issues). Amount at stake: [AMOUNT]. Agent discretion limit: [DISCRETION_LIMIT].

TASK — work through this reasoning before deciding:
1. Determine whether the situation is covered by POLICY as a clear yes, clear no, or gray area.
2. Weigh fairness factors: was the fault ours, theirs, or mixed? Is this a repeat issue? What is the relationship value?
3. Consider the lowest-cost option that still leaves the customer feeling treated fairly (full refund, partial, credit, replacement, courtesy gesture).
4. Check whether the recommended action exceeds DISCRETION_LIMIT and needs manager approval.

OUTPUT FORMAT:
- Decision: Approve / Partial / Deny / Escalate-for-approval
- One-paragraph rationale tying policy + fairness + cost
- Recommended remedy and dollar value
- Customer-facing message (80-120 words) communicating the decision kindly
- Internal flag if precedent risk exists

CONSTRAINTS: Never exceed DISCRETION_LIMIT silently. Cite the specific policy clause you relied on. If denying, still offer a constructive alternative. Do not moralize or lecture the customer.