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Reviews that mention a return averaged around 1.5 stars lower than other reviews in an analysis of more than 20,000 Trustpilot reviews posted in 2025 for retail companies in Germany, Austria and Switzerland. Notebookcheck reported the figure from Trustpilot’s DACH Retail Insights 2026; it describes an association in that sample, not proof that returns caused lower ratings or a result that applies to every retailer or market. Notebookcheck’s report
Why does after-sales matter after checkout?
A purchase is not the end of a customer’s experience with a retailer. If an item is faulty, unsuitable or needs to be refunded, the return process becomes part of the service the customer judges. A confusing portal or a support exchange that goes nowhere can turn a routine request into a frustrating one—and that frustration may appear in a review.
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Notebookcheck reported several points of friction in the DACH analysis: faulty returns portals, broken links, missing documents and AI assistants that leave customers without a path forward. These are operational failures, not simply policy questions. Even a reasonable returns policy is difficult to use when instructions are incomplete or the process cannot be completed.
What does the reported 1.5-star gap show—and not show?
The figure is a signal for retailers to examine the return journey, not a causal estimate. The Notebookcheck article says Trustpilot used AI-powered analysis of more than 20,000 reviews posted on its platform in 2025 for retail companies in Germany, Austria and Switzerland. It reports that reviews mentioning a return averaged around 1.5 stars lower.
#1 Best Overall
- What it suggests: Returns are associated with lower-rated reviews in this reviewed sample, making post-purchase support a plausible area for service improvement.
- What it does not establish: It does not show that returns themselves caused the lower ratings. The article does not provide the comparison baseline, detailed methodology or confidence intervals, and the result should not be generalized to other countries, platforms or retailers.
The original Trustpilot press release is cited by Notebookcheck, but the detailed underlying methodology is not available in the reviewed account. Treat the number as a reported finding, not a benchmark every retailer should expect to reproduce.
Where can returns support go wrong?
Starting the return
A portal that fails, a broken link or unclear instructions can block customers before the return is even underway. Retailers should test the journey from the customer’s point of view, including links and forms on common devices.
Rank #2
Completing the paperwork
Missing documents or incomplete guidance can create avoidable follow-up. Return instructions should make clear what the customer needs to do next and provide the required documents in a usable form.
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Getting help with an exception
Automation can handle straightforward questions, but a customer with a complicated complaint or refund problem needs a way to reach a person. A chatbot that repeats generic advice or cannot escalate turns automation into a dead end.
How should retailers use AI in customer service?
Notebookcheck’s account of the report says AI was viewed more critically in DACH for complaints, returns and refunds than for product search and recommendations. This is a qualitative finding; the article supplies no quantified split in attitudes. It supports a cautious operating principle: automate routine help where it is useful, but make human escalation accessible when a case is complex or the automated route is not resolving it.
Retailers can make that principle practical by telling customers how to request a person, passing the conversation history to the human agent, and avoiding repeated loops that require the customer to start over. The evidence does not establish that any particular AI setup improves ratings; these are service-design measures responsive to the reported failure modes.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.How can retailers improve and measure the returns experience?
- Simplify return initiation. Review the steps required to start a return, remove avoidable complexity, and check that the portal and links work from the customer’s perspective.
- Make instructions complete. Confirm that customers can find the required documents and understand what to do at each stage.
- Send proactive updates. Tell customers when the request is received and when its status changes, rather than making them chase information.
- Provide a clear human escalation route. Let customers reach an agent for difficult complaints, returns or refunds, especially when self-service has failed.
- Track the journey after a complaint. Review return satisfaction, first response time, resolution time, escalation rate and post-complaint ratings. Read cases alongside the figures to identify which stage is creating friction.
These are practical recommendations, not outcomes demonstrated by the reported analysis. The point of tracking is to locate recurring breakdowns and assess whether changes help in a retailer’s own operation.
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