Managing faulty or defective items is important for customer satisfaction and operational efficiency. This article explains how the Faulty Flow works, its key features, and how it benefits you and your customers.
What is the Faulty Flow?
The Faulty Flow is a dedicated process within Returns that enables you to handle defective item claims with clarity and efficiency. It provides tools to:
Identify and categorise faulty items.
Assess claims with supporting evidence.
Manage return decisions and automate outcomes using Advanced Rules.
Route faulty items to a different warehouse using Split Shipments.
By integrating these steps into the return process, the Faulty Flow helps improve customer satisfaction while reducing operational overhead.
Core Functionalities
The Faulty Flow offers essential features that simplify handling defective item claims.
Basic Faulty Flow - Customer
Faulty Item Selection: Customers select a faulty item reason when initiating a return in the portal.
Upload Photos & Comments: Customers upload images and provide comments to explain the issue.
Await Merchant Decision: The return label is not generated until the merchant decides whether the item should be returned or kept.
Email Notification: Customers receive an email with a decision—return or keep—along with relevant instructions and a return label if required.
Basic Faulty Flow - Merchant
RMA Dashboard Review:
Faulty items appear tagged and categorised as requiring review.
Uploaded images and comments from customers are visible for assessment.
Decision Process:
Decide whether items should be returned or kept.
Multiple faulty items can be addressed individually.
Finalise the decision to send a confirmation email to the customer.
Post-Decision Actions:
For items marked “Return”: Generate and send the return label.
For items marked “Keep”: No return label is generated; the RMA progresses as completed.
Return Processing:
Once decisions are made, faulty items merge into the regular return flow for refunds, credits, or replacements.
Advanced Rules: Faulty Flow Conditions and Actions
Advanced Rules can be used to automate faulty flow decisions, removing the need for manual processing.
Conditions
Condition | Level | Description |
Return contains faulty items | Return / Order | Triggers when any item in the return has a faulty reason |
Item is marked with faulty return reason | Item | Triggers on the specific item flagged as faulty |
Actions
Action | Description |
Mark item for 'return not required' | Applies a green return: the item does not need to be sent back. The customer will by notified per email, but this does not precess the RMA. |
Mark item for 'return is required' | Forces faulty flow on the item and auto-selects the return decision in the RMA |
When one of these actions is applied:
The faulty flag is not shown to the customer in the portal.
The faulty decision is made automatically in the RMA and the confirmation email is sent without manual intervention.
If all faulty items in the return are covered by the action, the email is sent automatically. If some items are covered and others are not, the email must be sent manually.
Note: Instant Exchange is not available for returns where a faulty flow action is applied, regardless of which action is used. The customer sees the following message: "We're sorry, these items can't be exchanged instantly. Please choose a different return method or contact our support team for help."
Shipping Fee Logic for Automated Faulty Returns
When a split shipment contains a mix of items:
Shipment with only KEEP items: the shipping fee for that shipment is not charged.
Shipment with KEEP and RETURN items: the shipping fee for that shipment is charged.
Split Shipments: Routing Faulty Items to a Separate Address
You can route faulty items to a different warehouse or address by adding a faulty condition to your Split Shipments rules.
How It Works
A new condition is available in Split Shipments: Product marked as faulty.
When this condition is met, Swap routes the faulty item to the address specified in the split shipment rule, separately from any non-faulty items in the same return.
Key behaviours:
If a faulty split shipment rule conflicts with another rule, the faulty rule takes priority.
The faulty condition can be combined with other conditions using And or Or operators.
If an Advanced Rule also applies faulty flow to the item, the split shipment routing still applies.
Benefits of the Faulty Flow Feature
The Faulty Flow provides several key advantages.
Improved Customer Retention
Quick and transparent resolutions foster trust and loyalty. It also reduces the risk of negative reviews or public complaints.
Cost Efficiency
"Keep the product" options save on shipping and handling for low-value items. Exempting faulty-only returns from shipping fees lowers operational costs.
Streamlined Operations
Clear workflows and enhanced dashboard features simplify the decision-making process. Filters and tags improve visibility and organisation.
Confirmation Email
The confirmation email sent via the RMA when faulty items decision is to be made is the same confirmation email usually sent to the consumer directly after submitting a return via the returns portal.
In faulty items flow, the email is not sent before faulty items decision is made, since the items list described in the email for return/ keep might be changed.
After making the decisions, the button will be enabled, and by clicking on the the email will be sent directly to the consumer.
Email containing:
List of items to return (according to decision made)
For a returned item which is faulty- there will be a note next to it
List of items to keep (according to decision made)
List of purchased items (if relevant)
The label/ QR code
What can you edit in the Email?
Under the “faulty Items” tab in the returns settings, there are few options for adjusting the text presented in the email sent in Faulty items cases
This text only added in case a return has at-least 1 faulty item, no matter the keep/ return decision made. You will be able to adjust:
Additional text that will be resented under the “keep” header
Additional text to be added under the “return” items header. Note that return items list might include non-faulty items as well. So the text should be relevant to both cases
Email Example:
FAQs
Here are answers to common questions about the Faulty Flow.
What happens if the merchant decides a faulty item should be kept?
If the merchant chooses "Keep," the customer is notified via email, and no further action is required. If there are only items to keep, the RMA proceeds without generating a shipping label.
Can decisions be reversed?
No, it cannot be changed once a decision is finalised and communicated to the customer.
Can faulty items be exchanged instantly?
No. Instant Exchange is disabled for faulty item returns. Customers are prompted to choose a standard exchange or another return type.