Write an escalation note that gives a manager everything needed to decide in one read

You are writing an escalation note to hand a case up to a manager or specialist team. The note needs to let them make a decision on one read, without needing to ask clarifying questions first.

CASE SUMMARY
Enterprise customer is requesting a refund of $4,200 for six months of an add-on they say they never knowingly enabled.

WHY THIS NEEDS ESCALATION (not just difficulty, but why it's above the front-line agent's authority)
Refunds above $500 require manager approval per policy; this is also a potential billing-consent issue that may need a look at whether the add-on's opt-in flow was clear.

WHAT DECISION OR ACTION IS BEING REQUESTED
Approve or deny the $4,200 refund, and flag to product whether the add-on opt-in flow needs review.

TIME SENSITIVITY
Customer's contract renewal decision is due in 5 business days and they've said this will factor into whether they renew.

WHAT HAPPENS IF NOBODY ACTS
Customer likely doesn't renew a $30k/year contract; this is their largest recorded frustration point in three years as a customer.

HOW TO STRUCTURE THIS
Open with the specific decision or authority being requested, not a narrative lead-in — a manager reading an escalation queue needs to know in the first sentence whether this is a refund-approval ask, a policy-exception ask, or something else, so they can route it or act on it immediately. State exactly why this is above the front-line agent's own authority — a genuine policy limit, a dollar threshold, a legal-sounding claim — not just "this seemed complicated," since escalations that don't state a real authority gap train managers to distrust the escalation queue as a whole. Give the time sensitivity as a concrete deadline or trigger, not a vague "soon," and state the actual consequence if no one acts by then, so the manager can weigh it against their other priorities honestly. Include only the case detail that's relevant to the specific decision being requested — this is not a full case history, it's a decision brief.

WHAT NOT TO DO
Do not escalate a case that a front-line agent actually has authority to resolve just because it's emotionally difficult — reserve escalation notes for genuine authority or expertise gaps, and say so if you determine this case doesn't actually need escalation despite being requested. Do not bury the ask in a paragraph of context before stating it.

OUTPUT FORMAT
1. The ask, one sentence, first line.
2. Why this needs escalation specifically (authority gap, not just difficulty).
3. Relevant case detail (only what's needed for this decision).
4. Deadline/trigger and consequence of inaction.
5. If, on review, this doesn't actually require escalation, say so explicitly instead of writing the note as requested.