Overview
This guide provides context on guidelines and protocols we follow when solving the most frequent customer-related issues.
If a customer reaches out directly to you with an inquiry on their order, kindly redirect them or forward the email to [email protected] and our team will gladly assist the customer. If you have any customer order-related queries yourself, you can also contact us at the same email address.
If you are utilizing our hybrid model (managed fulfillment plus network fulfillment), the costs and policies of the order’s fulfiller will apply - see the below comparison for details.
Policy comparison
| Common protocols
Both warehouse- and retailer-fulfilled orders
| Managed Fulfillment Warehouse-fulfilled orders (formerly Speakeasy) | Network Fulfillment Retailer-fulfilled orders |
Item(s) in an order are out of stock | When a stock issue is discovered, we’ll update the customer and work on a solution:
| We check if our other warehouse has the items available and reassign the order there.
In rare cases, we will split the order in 2 parts between the warehouses.
If this is not possible, we will leave the order open until it can be fulfilled. This usually shouldn’t take more than 1-2 weeks.
| We check if the entire order can be assigned to another retailer or, in rare cases, split the order between 2 retailers
If no other retailer in our network can fulfill the oos item, we cut (remove) it from the order and refund the customer, the retailer fulfills the rest. |
Order modifications | Adding, switching or removing items We can always remove items from an order and refund them, even after the order is placed, as long as the warehouse hasn’t started the packing process yet.
We cannot add or swap items as this directly impacts reporting. Customers may opt to cancel an order if they wish to order something else or add to the order.
Adding gift notes to parcels If a customer forgets or if it’s not available, we cannot request the warehouse to add a gift note due to the high amounts of orders that get processed on a daily basis.
Changing the shipping address Due to how orders are processed outside of Shopify, only the CS team can modify orders. Making changes in Shopify without asking CS or your PSM may potentially cause issues with fulfillment.
We can change the shipping address as long as the order hasn’t started processing/hasn’t shipped and the new address is in the same state.
If the new address is in a different state, changing it is not possible due to our retailer strategy. In that case, we may cancel the order so the customer can reorder it with the new address.
| Common protocols apply | Common protocols apply |
Order issues upon delivery (damaged, missing or wrong items) | We will first request the customer to provide pictures of the issue/parcel as was received so we can verify the claim. All such issues must be reported within 10 days of delivery.
We prioritize reships for all such issues (apart from cosmetic damages), but can also refund the customer if they prefer.
Damage during transit Depending on the extent of the damage, we will offer either a partial refund or a full reship/refund for the affected item(s). Minor cosmetic damages are not eligible for compensation.
Missing items from the package
We check the order, tracking (weight of the package) and the pictures of the packing the order came in to confirm the item is indeed missing from the package and not en route in another parcel.
Wrong item received Customers are not required to return the wrong item despite the solution they choose (reshipment of the correct item or refund).
| Common protocols apply
For limited edition items, special guidelines apply. | Common protocols apply
For limited edition items, special guidelines apply. |
Pre-shipping delay | A new order is processing longer that standard times
If a customer reaches out to us asking about the status of their order, we first check internally to see what the status of the order is and when fulfilment can be expected.
On rare occasions, there may be delays in processing if the retailer/warehouse is experiencing stock-related issues with your distributor.
To prevent delays we proactively monitor the order statuses. | Orders are expected to ship out in under 3 business days. (Excluding high volume/holiday seasons, presale/pre-orders, out-of-stock items, etc.) | We aim to have all orders processed and shipped out within 2 business days.
|
Post-shipping delay | An order has shipped but there is a delay in transit
Delays in transit are unfortunately out of our immediate control. However, if a customer reaches out about a delay, we get in touch with the courier immediately to inquire about the delay.
Once the retailer ships the order and a tracking number is live, we anticipate that customers should receive their orders between 3-7 business days, depending on their location and the courier that was used.
| Common protocols apply | Common protocols apply |
Address change mid-transit | Once an order is in transit, we cannot arrange a shipping address change as this usually incurs additional costs and is not guaranteed.
To ensure successful delivery, customers are responsible to provide valid shipping addresses where an adult over 21 can be present during business hours to sign for the package.
Signature requirement cannot be waived due to the highly regulated contents.
We also cannot ship orders to PO Box addresses, PMB, APO/FPO, FedEx/UPS/Wallgreens addresses or mail forwarding services.
However, if the order shipped to the incorrect address due to a mistake done on our side, we will be more than happy to ask the retailer to reroute in hopes of correcting that or have the order reshipped to the correct address at our costs. | Common protocols apply | Common protocols apply |
Expedited shipping | Expedited shipping is not currently possible, all orders ship via ground shipping. A signature is required upon delivery by an adult over 21 due to the contents. | Common protocols apply | Common protocols apply |
Order is lost in transit | Long delays may also be caused by the order getting lost in transit. This is usually confirmed if the tracking updates have been pending for a long time (10 business days) or if the courier confirms it on the tracking.
We prioritize reships for lost orders, but can also refund the customer if they prefer. | Common protocols apply | Common protocols apply |
Order is misdelivered | When a customer reaches out to report they never received their order even if the tracking shows it was delivered, we first ask them to check the vicinity of the shipping address in case the courier left the parcel without a signature requirement. Simultaneously, we ask the courier to share the proof of delivery (signature scan) for verification. If the customer does not confirm receipt or is unable to find the parcel, we deem the order misdelivered.
We also consider an order misdelivered if there is a clear difference between the shipping address on the tracking and on the order (always double-checking the order hasn’t just returned back to the retailer).
We prioritize reships for all such issues, but can also refund the customer if they prefer. | Common protocols apply | Common protocols apply |
Order returned to the retailer | If the order returned due to the customer’s fault (e.g. customer missed all the delivery attempts, did not pick up the parcel at the FedEx/UPS store, rejected the order…), we will offer the customer to reship it or refund it with the following fees:
RESHIP fee: $25.00 After the customer’s payment of this fee is received, we reship the order.
Refund with RESTOCKING fee: original shipping fee + $20.00 OR $40.00 if the original order had free shipping Customer receives a partial refund, deducting the costs above.
We arrange free reships or full refunds for any order that was returned | Common protocols apply | Common protocols apply |
Order was disputed | If you notice a dispute or chargeback in Shopify, receive a notice about it or a customer notifies you they filed a dispute, you are not required to do anything.
Our internal team takes care of disputes on a daily basis and will take care of it for you. If you require any additional insight on a disputed order, please contact us and our agents will be happy to escalate to the appropriate team. | Common protocols apply | Common protocols apply |
Limited edition items | Limited edition item orders are treated a bit differently to other products due to their limited nature.
All sales are final.
We are unable to delay the release of limited edition items if customers request us to place their order on hold for a while and ship it later. There is simply no guarantee that the product won’t be completely sold out by then.
| Common protocols apply
For limited edition items, special guidelines apply.
| Common protocols apply
For limited edition items, special guidelines apply. |
Proactive communication
| All customers receive an order confirmation email as soon as they place their orders. Once their order is processed and the tracking number is uploaded in the system, they will also receive the shipping confirmation email.
The Operations team is diligently monitoring the order queue and proactively actioning when any delay is noticed to speed up the process.
| Common protocols apply | In the hopes of maintaining customers’ expectations, we introduced delay emails, which are triggered if their order has been in the same status for 3 days and not closed.
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Quality issues | We are always happy to listen to customers and arrange a solution if there are valid issues with the products. We cannot, however, offer a replacement or a refund solely because the customer did not like the taste of the product or changed their mind.
If a customer reports a quality issue, we will kindly request more information to understand what kind of issue they are experiencing (expiry or best by date issues, visible sediments that shouldn’t be there, visible difference in the appearance of the product or serious issues with taste).
If we determine that the quality concern is valid, we will always share it with you for further consideration and assist the customer as per your advice. | Common protocols apply | Common protocols apply |
Compensating customers
| When a refund is issued, the customer can expect to receive the refund to their original payment method within 5 business days. If original payment method is no longer in use, the credit card provider usually redirects the refund to the new card.
If additional compensation to the customer is required, we use or create discount codes in Shopify.
| If additional compensation is required, we can compensate the customers by sharing a discount code (previously approved by you). These discounts get billed as part of reconciliation.
We are also working on a technical solution which would allow us to create discount codes in your Shopify store with an exception, meaning, the amount of the discount would be covered by us.
| If additional compensation is required, this is possible with partial refunds where possible (amount depends on the issue) and discount codes:
- Brand supported: if brand wants to apply more than what our policy allows for in any given situation; billed back to brand
- On Flaviar: if it was our fault; not billed back to brand but later billed back so the discount amount is covered by us in its entirety.
If you notice a discount code that starts with FLVRCHKT_, this one is on us! |