Using Returns

Returns has two sides: the customer raises and tracks a request from My Account, and you manage it in wp-admin. This page walks through the whole lifecycle.

The customer side

Opening a return

On any order in an eligible status and inside the return window, the customer sees a Request a return action. It appears in two places:

• the Orders list in My Account, and
• the single order view.

Only the logged-in owner of an order sees the action for that order. Ownership is checked on submit too, so a request can never be opened against someone else’s order.

The request form

Choosing Request a return opens a form that lists the order’s items. For each item the customer can:

• include or exclude it from the return,
• set the quantity being returned (capped at the quantity ordered),
• choose a reason from a dropdown, and
• add an optional note with any extra detail.

On submit, the request is validated, saved as a private Return Request record, and emailed to your notification recipient.

Tracking the status

Once a request exists, the customer sees it in a return-status list in My Account. The list always shows the current status — requested, approved, rejected or completed — so the shopper can follow progress without contacting you.

A single order can have one return request. After a request is opened, the Request a return action is hidden for that order and a notice explains that a return already exists.

The merchant side

Finding requests

Every submission lands in two places:

• an email to your notification recipient, and
• a private Return Request record under WooCommerce → Return Requests in wp-admin.

Each record captures the order, the chosen items and quantities, the reason and the note.

The status workflow

You move each request through a clear four-stage workflow:

1. Requested — the initial state when the customer submits.
2. Approved — you accept the return.
3. Rejected — you decline it.
4. Completed — the return is finished.

Whatever status you set is immediately reflected in the customer’s My Account list, so the two views never drift apart.

Handling the refund

Returns deliberately stops at the request-and-status level. When you are ready to refund, do it in the standard WooCommerce order screen for that order — the normal refund tools, partial or full, behave exactly as usual. Then set the return record to Completed so the customer sees the outcome. The return record and the WooCommerce order stay in sync because you control both.

Accessibility and presentation

The customer-facing forms and status list use accessible, mobile-friendly, dark-mode-aware markup, and every admin setting carries inline help. Templates follow WooCommerce conventions so they inherit your theme’s My Account styling.