Courier company · Orders

Failed delivery and returns

Shipments that could not be delivered; recording the reason, retrying, returning to the sender, completing and undoing a return, the return fee and notifications.

Sometimes the courier cannot deliver to the recipient: nobody is there, the address is wrong or the recipient refuses the parcel. The order then becomes Delivery failed. After that there are two ways forward: retry the delivery or return it to the sender.

Statuses in order

• Picked up › Delivery failed: The courier could not deliver and recorded the reason. The job is still with the courier.
• Delivery failed › Picked up: Retry sends the shipment out for delivery again.
• Delivery failed › Returning to sender: The courier is taking the parcel back to the sender.
• Returning to sender › Returned to sender: The parcel was handed to the sender. The job is complete.

Failed and returning jobs count as active: they appear in the courier's job list, on the operations screen and under In progress orders. In the order list, pick Delivery failed, Returning to sender or Returned to sender in the Status filter to find them. They are counted separately on the dashboard; click a badge to open the list.

Step by step: recording a failed delivery

The courier usually does this in the app. If the courier called you, you can record it in the panel.

1. Open the order from Orders. The order must be Picked up.
2. Click Delivery failed among the buttons at the top.
3. Choose a Reason: Recipient not at address, Wrong address / not found, Recipient refused, Recipient unreachable, Business closed or Other.
4. Write a Note if you like. For Other the note is required.
5. If you have a photo (e.g. a closed door), pick it under Proof photo. It is optional.
6. Click Save. The order becomes Delivery failed and a red explanation box appears.

On a round trip, a failed delivery cannot be recorded after the first leg is delivered (Returning).

Step by step: retrying

1. Open the order in Delivery failed status.
2. Click Retry. The order is Picked up again and the courier goes back out to deliver.
3. If the new attempt also fails, record Delivery failed again. Each attempt is kept as a separate row.

Step by step: returning to the sender

1. Open the order. It must be Delivery failed or Picked up.
2. Click Return to sender.
3. Write the Return reason (required). The courier sees this note.
4. Click Save. The order becomes Returning to sender.

You can also return a Picked up order directly (e.g. the sender changed their mind). The courier can only turn a failed job into a return.

Step by step: return completed

When the courier hands the parcel to the sender, they tap Return handed over in the app. You can do it too:

1. Open the order in Returning to sender status.
2. Click Return completed.
3. Type the name of the Person who received it at the sender (required).
4. Click Save. The order becomes Returned to sender. The details show Return received by.

The courier is paid the normal earning for a returned job. Mandatory parcel scanning does not apply to the return hand-over.

Step by step: undoing a return

If you clicked Return completed by mistake:

1. Open the order in Returned to sender status.
2. Click Undo return. The order goes back to Returning to sender and the receiver name is cleared.
3. A return fee, if one was added, is removed as well.

If the order has been invoiced or the return fee has been paid, it cannot be undone; an error is shown.

Delivery attempts

The red-bordered Delivery attempts card on the order details shows each attempt:

• Which attempt it was (Attempt 1, Attempt 2…), the reason and the time.
• The note written by the courier or by you.
• Which courier it was and where it was recorded (From the courier app, Recorded in the panel or Recorded by: you).
• A Courier location link if the courier's position is known (opens on a map).
• Failed delivery photos: proof photos added by the courier or by you appear here. Click a photo to enlarge it.

The Status history at the bottom of the page also lists every step (failed delivery, retry, return) with its time.

Return fee

You may want to charge the customer extra for a returned shipment.

1. Open Settings › Pricing.
2. In the General card, enter the percentage in Return fee (%) (e.g. 50). 0 means no fee; this is the default.
3. Click Save.

How it is calculated:

• When the return is completed, this percentage of the order's net amount (service + waiting, weight, volume, bridge and manual adjustment) is taken and VAT is added.
• On the order details, the Price card shows Return fee (excl. VAT) as a separate line; with no fee the line is hidden. It is included in the total.
• It is not added to the courier's earnings.
• If the order has already been paid, invoiced, or has an open online payment, no fee is added. A "return fee not added" note appears in the status history.

Notifications

Settings › Notifications › Event templates has four new events: Delivery failed, Return started, Returned to sender and Return undone.

1. Find the event and the channel (SMS, e-mail, Slack, Teams) in the table and click the button.
2. Tick or untick Send on this event.
3. You can add {fail_reason} to the text: it writes the reason and the courier's note. Click it under Available variables to insert it.
4. Click Save.

Defaults: SMS and e-mail to the customer are off; the failed delivery notification to Slack and Teams is on. Customers using the app get a phone notification on failed delivery and return. The courier is notified when a return is undone.

What does the customer see?

• In the customer portal the order shows as Delivery failed, Returning to sender or Returned to sender, with the reason and what happens next.
• The tracking link shows the same. While returning, the courier's location is shown; no estimated delivery time is given.

Having trouble?

• The Delivery failed button is missing: The order is not Picked up. It must be Picked up first; on a round trip it cannot be recorded after the first leg.
• The Save button does nothing: You did not choose a reason, or you chose Other without a note.
• Error on Return to sender: The Return reason is empty. Write a sentence.
• No return fee was added: The setting may be 0, or the order is paid, invoiced or has an open online payment. Check the note in the status history.
• Undo return fails: It cannot be undone on an invoiced order or when the return fee has been paid.
• "Photo could not be uploaded" warning: The record was saved; add the photo again from the Photos card at the bottom of the page with the Delivery failed type.