Does a refund remove access to the report?
Yes. A recorded full refund marks the order refunded and revokes the report, so it can no longer be opened or downloaded from any link or device.
Check the review date and linked sources for context. Live availability, prices and record coverage can vary by VIN, source, jurisdiction and time.
Yes. When a full refund is recorded, VIN Lookup marks the order refunded and sets the entitlement and every report on it to revoked, so the PDF can no longer be opened or downloaded - not from the order page, not from My Reports, and not from an older emailed link. The order itself stays listed in My Reports with a line saying access was removed when the payment was refunded.
- A full refund revokes the entitlement and the report in the same database transaction.
- Old links stop working too, because every report query excludes a revoked report.
- The order stays visible in My Reports, labelled as refunded rather than deleted.
What the refund actually changes
The refund is processed from the payment provider's event, not by hand. In one transaction the order status becomes 'refunded', the entitlement becomes 'revoked', any report job still waiting in the queue is cancelled, and every report row on the order is marked 'revoked'. The order page then reads 'Payment refunded - Report access for this order has been removed following the refund.'
Because the account and guest report queries both exclude revoked reports and require an active entitlement, there is no link left that still opens the file. On a pack, the credits area says the same thing: 'These credits are no longer available because the payment was refunded.'
What a refund does not reach
Nothing in the product deletes a PDF you already saved to your own computer or phone. The terms still apply to that copy: a purchased report is licensed for your own internal use in evaluating that vehicle, and may not be resold, published or redistributed.
A partial refund behaves differently. The system records the refunded amount as accounting only and deliberately does not change the order status or the entitlement, so a partial refund on its own does not remove access.
Steps
- Decide whether you still need the report before asking for a refund review.
- Save the order ID and the last six characters of the VIN for your request.
- Expect the order to remain listed, marked refunded, once access is removed.
What this does not cover
- The refund policy describes a review of eligible requests; it does not promise an approved refund.
- A partial refund is recorded as accounting and does not by itself remove report access.
- Neither the code nor the policy can retrieve a copy you already downloaded to your own device.
Sources reviewed
Open the underlying public source and verify that its scope matches the question you are asking.
Frequently asked questions
Do unused pack credits survive a refund?
No. The refund revokes the entitlement that holds the credits, and the pack area states that the credits are no longer available because the payment was refunded. Unassigned credits go with the refunded order.
Does the refunded order disappear from My Reports?
No. The dashboard still loads orders in a refunded state and shows 'This order was refunded - Report access was removed when the payment was refunded.' Only the report link is gone.
If the refund was a mistake, does access come back automatically?
No. A refunded order is a terminal state in the order flow, and a later payment event on the same order is ignored rather than reopening it. Contact support with the order ID instead of waiting.