Stories from my journey

Refunds — The Silent Killer of Subscription Engineering

This blog uncovers why refunds, often treated as a minor support feature in subscription products, are actually one of the most complex engineering challenges at scale. It walks through a real-world scenario where a fast-growing digital startup stumbles into chaos due to underestimated refund mechanics — from financial ledger mismatches, multi-system rollback issues, coupon and affiliate payout reversals, abuse loops, cross-financial-year tax complications, to analytics corruption and unexpected international chargebacks.