What is it?
The Complaints feature lets customers report faulty or defective items as part of the return flow. Instead of selecting only a return reason, the customer flags individual items as faulty, adds a description, and optionally uploads a photo. Merchants review each complaint in the Returns Back-office and approve or reject it per item.
This gives merchants a structured audit trail for warranty claims and quality issues, separate from standard return processing.
Key benefits
Structured fault reporting — customers flag defective items with a reason, description, and photo, instead of free-text return notes
Item-level review — each complaint is tied to one return item and approved or denied individually
Quality signal for merchants — complaint reasons feed product quality reporting and defect tracking
Separation of fault from preference — distinguishes warranty issues from change-of-mind returns
Back-office and API visibility — complaint status flows into the Public API and the Returns Back-office
How it works
Customer flow
The customer initiates a return through the Ingrid Returns Portal.
For any item, the customer can select a complaint reason in addition to (or instead of) a standard return reason.
The customer optionally adds a description and uploads a photo of the issue.
The complaint is submitted with the return and enters a pending state.
Merchant flow
The return appears in the Returns Back-office with complaint details attached at the item level.
The merchant or warehouse user reviews the complaint reason, description, and photo.
The merchant approves or denies the complaint.
The complaint status is reflected in the Returns Back-office and the Public API.
Complaint statuses
Status | Meaning |
Pending | Complaint submitted, awaiting review |
Approved | Merchant accepted the complaint |
Denied | Merchant rejected the complaint |
Return denied | The associated return was denied |
Use cases
Warranty and defect handling — a customer receives a damaged jacket and initiates a return. Rather than selecting a generic return reason, they flag the item as defective, describe the damage, and attach a photo. The merchant approves the complaint and processes a full refund without restocking.
Quality control input — complaint data feeds into quality decisions at the warehouse. When an item arrives, the warehouse team can see the complaint reason and image before deciding whether to restock.
Distinguishing faults from preference returns — a return with a complaint reason signals a product issue, while a return with a standard reason signals a preference change. Merchants use this distinction to track defect rates by product.
Configuration
Complaint reasons
Complaint reasons are configured per shop in the Returns Back-office:
Returns Back-office → Settings → Return Reasons
Complaint reasons are separate from standard return reasons. They appear to customers who choose to flag an item as defective.
Setting | Description | Default |
Reason label | Text displayed to the customer in the Returns Portal | — |
Active / inactive | Whether the reason is available for selection | Active |
Enabling complaints
Whether the complaint option is shown to customers is controlled at the PriceList level. When complaints are disabled for a PriceList, the complaint option is hidden from customers shopping under that price list.
FAQ
Q: Can a customer submit both a return reason and a complaint reason for the same item?
A: Yes. Both are stored independently. The item carries its standard return reason and a separate complaint, with no conflict between them.
Q: Does approving a complaint automatically trigger a refund?
A: No. Complaint approval and refund processing are separate actions. Refund decisions are made independently in the return flow.
Q: How many complaints can an item have?
A: One complaint per item. A return with three items can have zero, one, two, or three complaints — one per item at most.
Q: How many photos can the customer attach?
A: One photo per complaint.
Q: Are complaint reasons shared across shops?
A: No. Complaint reasons are configured per shop.