Ticket 31451: explain import-fee reality first before escalating a refused-shipment refund request

Resolution signal

Human public reply materially improved an earlier automation handoff.
The improvement was reusable support process guidance, not a one-off refund approval.

The earlier automation moved straight to HUMAN TAKEOVER REQUIRED: because the customer asked to refuse the shipment and request a refund.
That handoff skipped the safer assist-first path of answering the customer's immediate confusion about why import fees applied and what purchase path avoids them.

Matt answered the direct order-support question first by explaining that EU import fees apply because the order ships from the UK, while Amazon orders ship from Germany and avoid those customs charges.
The reply kept the response customer-safe without promising a refund outcome or inventing a return decision.
This preserved Matt's ability to handle any later refund or refused-shipment decision separately.

When an order-support ticket mixes a refund/refusal request with confusion about import fees, first check whether a stable customer-facing explanation can move the conversation forward before escalating.
If the fees come from a known shipping-origin rule, draft that explanation directly and only hand off the actual refund/refused-shipment decision if a customer-safe progress reply still cannot be written.
Do not jump to takeover just because the customer mentions refund, refusal, or customs charges when the safer next step is a non-promissory explanation of the current shipping/import situation.

Upgrades this from a generic refund-review boundary to a stronger order-support drafting rule: explain the known customs/import cause first when it is stable and customer-safe, then escalate only the remaining business decision.

Keep as a reviewable Freshdesk learning proposal for future import-fee and refused-shipment tickets.