A customer opens the box and the product is broken. How you respond in the next few hours decides whether they come back or leave a one-star review. This guide covers what to ask for, what to offer, and what to say.
Reply quickly, and apologize once
The customer does not care yet whose fault it was. They want to know you have seen the message and that it will be fixed. A short acknowledgment sent quickly is better than a complete answer sent two days later.
- ✅ Acknowledge the damage and apologize in the opening line
- ✅ Say what you will do and what you need from them
- ❌ Asking whether they are sure it was damaged in transit
- ❌ Explaining carrier claims processes to the customer
Ask only for what you need
You need enough evidence to decide and, if you plan to claim from the carrier, to support that claim. Ask for it in one message so the customer does not have to reply three times.
- Photo of the item: Showing the damage clearly
- Photo of the packaging: The outer box and the shipping label
- Order number: If it is not already in the thread
- Their preference: Replacement or refund
Choose the resolution
Offer the customer a choice where you can. Whether you ask for the item back depends on its value and whether a broken item is any use to you. For low-cost items, the return shipping often costs more than the product.
| Situation | Reasonable offer |
|---|---|
| Item in stock, customer still wants it | Send a replacement |
| Out of stock, or customer has lost confidence | Full refund |
| Minor cosmetic damage, item usable | Partial refund, if the customer agrees |
| High-value item | Replacement or refund after return, with a prepaid label |
In Shopify you can issue a full or partial refund from the order, to the original payment method, store credit, or both. Shopify states that a refund can't be cancelled or reversed once initiated, so agree the resolution with the customer before you issue it.
A reply you can adapt
Keep it short, specific and free of conditions the customer has to decode.
- Subject: Sorry about your order [order number]
- Body: Hi [name], I am sorry your [item] arrived damaged. That is not how we want an order to reach you. Could you reply with a photo of the item and one of the box with the label? As soon as we have those, we can send a replacement or refund you in full, whichever you prefer. You do not need to send the damaged item back.
Fix the cause
One damaged parcel is bad luck. Several for the same product is a packing problem. Keep a note of each case so you can see the pattern.
- Same product repeatedly: Change the packaging or add protection
- Same carrier or route: Raise it with the carrier, or switch service
- Mentioned in reviews: See how to reply to negative reviews
Doing this at scale
Reclaim triages each support ticket by intent, sentiment and urgency, and drafts a reply grounded in the real order, tracking and refund history. Refunds that fall outside your policy are escalated to a human. Today it builds its queue from recent orders and does not connect to a helpdesk or inbox. See Reclaim.