If a Klarna order arrives broken, incomplete, or materially different from its listing, photograph it before discarding the packaging. Ask the retailer for a remedy in writing, then report the problem from the relevant order in Klarna. A damaged delivery doesn't automatically produce a refund: the retailer's response, the terms attached to your purchase, your market, and the payment method can all affect the result.

This article is for U.S. shoppers. Klarna's public UK Buyer Protection description and Canada Buyer Protection policy illustrate how some claims are assessed, but they don't establish the terms for a U.S. purchase. Use the instructions and terms shown with your own order.

What to do as soon as the order arrives

  1. Stop using the item if it could be unsafe. Keep the product, box, inserts, shipping label, and other packaging.
  2. Photograph the condition. Take close-up and full-item photos, along with pictures of the inside and outside of the parcel and its shipping label.
  3. Write down exactly what happened. Say, for example, that two of four glasses were shattered. Note what was ordered, what arrived, and what is missing.
  4. Contact the retailer in writing. Email or use the retailer's chat so the request and response are recorded.
  5. Report the issue from the Klarna order. Look for Report a problem, Dispute, or similar wording. The label and available options can vary.
  6. Check the payment screen. If Klarna offers a payment pause, select it in the app and confirm the new due date. A pause doesn't cancel the purchase or erase the balance.
  7. Keep the records. Save the retailer's response, Klarna case number, uploaded files, return instructions, tracking details, and any refund confirmation.

If no payment-pause option appears, don't simply ignore a scheduled payment. Contact Klarna before the due date and ask what applies to that order.

Which policy applies?

A damaged-order complaint has three distinct parts:

A Klarna dispute isn't a legal ruling, and it doesn't guarantee that the retailer will offer a particular remedy. Eligibility may depend on the country, purchase type, account, evidence, and reason selected in the app.

Klarna's published UK and Canada pages give a useful example: four glasses were purchased and two arrived broken. The item was unusable in the condition received, and the damage wasn't disclosed. Those pages distinguish that situation from a broken screen or other defect that the store clearly identified in the listing.

That distinction helps frame the facts:

Some market-specific policies also exclude services, event purchases, and goods equivalent to cash, such as gift cards or vouchers. Check the exclusions for the country and purchase attached to your order.

How to report the problem

1. Give the retailer a clear chance to fix it

Send a short message that includes:

Don't send the item back on your own if the retailer hasn't explained what to do. If a return is required, use a trackable service and keep the postage receipt.

For example:

Order 1234 was delivered on [date]. Two of four glasses were shattered, and the damage wasn't disclosed in the listing. Photos of the items, packaging, and shipping label are attached. Please confirm whether you'll issue a refund or send replacements, and provide return instructions if needed.

A verbal promise can be useful, but ask the retailer to confirm it in email or chat. The written record can show what remedy was offered and whether it was completed.

2. Use the Klarna order's problem option

Open the purchase and select the reason that best matches the facts. Klarna may ask when and how you contacted the store, what the store said, what happened to the item, and what remedy you requested.

Klarna's customer evidence guidance describes an initial proof-of-contact step followed by evidence specific to the dispute. Upload the retailer email or chat record, then provide the photos, listing information, and other files requested by the app.

Keep the description specific. “Two of four glasses were broken on arrival” gives Klarna something to assess; “the seller sent junk” does not. Don't exaggerate the damage, and don't report an authorized purchase as fraud.

3. Stay with the case until the remedy is complete

Check the order and your messages for follow-up requests. Upload relevant files, keep copies of everything submitted, and note any response deadline shown in the app.

If the retailer issues a direct refund, save the confirmation and check that the Klarna balance or payment schedule changes accordingly. If it sends a replacement, inspect the replacement before closing the dispute. A promise to refund or replace isn't the same as a completed refund or acceptable delivery.

An unboxing video may be useful when you have one, but if you don't, organize the evidence you do have: photos, packaging, the product listing, delivery information, and proof that you contacted the retailer. The cited Klarna guidance calls for proof of contact and information relevant to the selected dispute reason.

Evidence to gather

The strongest file is usually a simple timeline supported by documents. Include what you have from this list:

Proof of delivery shows that a parcel reached you; it doesn't by itself show that the contents arrived intact. Packaging photos help connect the condition of the item with the shipment.

Refunds, replacements, and partial damage

The retailer normally handles the practical remedy. Ask it to confirm whether it will:

Klarna doesn't necessarily calculate a pro-rated refund automatically. If two of four items are damaged, ask the retailer whether it will replace those two items or agree to a partial refund. Then report the agreed remedy accurately in Klarna.

Keep the case open until a replacement arrives in acceptable condition or a refund appears in the Klarna account. If the retailer says it has refunded you, verify the payment schedule or balance instead of relying only on the retailer's message.

What the 96-hour and 21-day timelines mean

The 96-hour rule in Klarna's merchant dispute documentation is not a universal consumer deadline for reporting damage. It concerns a merchant's performance of an agreed refund after the merchant responds to a dispute. If the merchant doesn't complete that refund within the stated period, Klarna's merchant process can automatically charge back the disputed amount.

The same documentation lists 21 calendar days for many dispute types other than unauthorized purchases, including returns, products not received, capture amount errors, and faulty products. It also describes follow-up requests with seven-day response periods, up to a stated maximum number of requests. These are operational deadlines in the merchant dispute process, not a promise that every customer claim will be resolved or refunded within 21 days.

Your order screen may show a different date or instruction. Follow the deadline displayed for your purchase, respond promptly, and ask Klarna support if the deadline isn't clear. Don't rely on claims that a dispute will automatically close or automatically award a refund after a fixed number of hours.

If the retailer or Klarna rejects the claim

Work through the written record before opening another process:

  1. Ask the retailer for its reason. If it says the damage was disclosed, compare that statement with the original listing and save a copy.
  2. Request reconsideration in Klarna. Explain what evidence was missing or misunderstood and attach only new, relevant material.
  3. Ask for the decision reason and next review step. Keep the case number and correspondence together.
  4. Use the support route connected to the order. The app gives Klarna the purchase details and dispute history.
  5. Ask your card issuer about a separate dispute if appropriate. If a debit or credit card funded a Klarna payment, ask what process covers the transaction and what deadline applies. Explain that you authorized the purchase but received damaged goods.

A bank or card dispute isn't the same as Klarna Buyer Protection. Don't describe a damaged delivery as an unauthorized transaction, and tell the issuer about any refund or Klarna case already in progress.

For another U.S. complaint route, you can check the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau complaint page. A complaint can seek a company response, but it doesn't guarantee a refund or replace the evidence process tied to the Klarna order.

Mistakes that can weaken a claim

Frequently asked questions

Do I need to report damage within 96 hours?

Not because of the merchant-side 96-hour rule in Klarna's dispute documentation. That period concerns a merchant's handling of an agreed refund after responding. Report the damage as soon as possible and follow the deadline shown in your own order or app.

Can I get a partial refund for damaged items?

Possibly, if the retailer agrees or the applicable Klarna process permits that remedy. Identify the damaged units and request a specific amount or replacement. Klarna doesn't promise an automatic percentage-based refund just because part of an order is broken.

Will Klarna replace the damaged item?

Replacement arrangements are usually made with the retailer. Klarna can record the dispute and may pause the payment when that option is available, but don't assume Klarna itself will ship a replacement.

What if the defect was mentioned in the listing?

Say so in the report and include the original listing. Klarna's published UK and Canada examples distinguish disclosed defects from damage or problems that weren't disclosed. The terms for a U.S. order depend on the purchase itself.

What if I don't have an unboxing video?

Submit the evidence you do have: photos of the item and packaging, the listing, delivery information, and proof that you contacted the retailer. Start by preserving those files and the retailer conversation, then use the problem option attached to the Klarna order.