Email customer with refund or void info?

I love the new built in refund and void feature with 1.3.9h, but I'm trying to figure out how to automatically send the customer an email when this is initiated. You would think this would be the default behavior.

Is there a setting to turn this on? I've been looking all through my config and I can't find anything. I have just issued 20 refunds and none of my customers have been notified!

Correct. There is no automated notification for that.

However, if you type a comment in the Order Status comment box lower down on the order page and change the order status to something else (maybe "Update?"), then click the submit button, it will email the customer about the status change along with whatever comments you type in there.

You could always make a status refunded, canceled, voided, type in a comment and make sure the box for notify customer of status change is checked. Its basically what was stated above but that way they can see that it has been one of the above.

I just don't know why the refunded status is private and the customer isn't notified. It would be very convenient to have it just send a mail automatically... there is a comments box in the new refund and void portion anyway. It includes the transaction ID, gross amount, date, and comments, what else do you need? I don't really feel like copying and pasting the same exact message so it sends a mail, it's redundant IMO.

Is there any easy way to enable this feature? Dr. Byte, any suggestions on how this might be able to happen?

You're welcome to write your own custom code to accommodate your wishes.