GuideApril 2026 · 5 min read

Rush Orders, Custom Requests, and the Odd Refund: A Handling Guide

Every home-based seller hits these in week one. Here's a simple set of rules and chat shortcuts to handle them without the stress.

Saying yes to custom orders — without losing sleep

Custom orders are great revenue but bad if you handle them casually. Three simple rules protect you:

Confirm everything in writing on WhatsApp before starting work — size, flavour, date, address.
Take 50% payment up front via UPI. If they won't pay a deposit, politely decline.
Give yourself one day of buffer on the delivery date.

A good reply template:

“Confirming: 1 kg eggless chocolate truffle, ‘Happy Birthday Aryan’ on top, for pickup on Saturday by 4pm. Total ₹950. 50% (₹475) advance by tonight, balance on pickup. Shall I block the slot?”

Rush fees — what's fair, how to say it

If someone asks for same-day or next-day, charge a rush fee. Don't apologise for it. A fair baseline:

Next-day: +15% on the order total
Same-day: +25%, only if you genuinely have bandwidth
Within 3 hours: politely decline unless you're sure

How to communicate it:

“I can do same-day delivery — there's a 25% rush fee for short-notice orders since I shuffle other work. Total comes to ₹1,200. Still good?”

Updating stock in one chat message

Don't let a customer order something you're out of. The moment you run out, type one line:

“Mark Mango Pickle as out of stock for today”

“Set Red Velvet Cake stock to 0”

“Pause Chocolate Fudge — batch ready Friday”

“Is this still available?” — reply templates

The most common customer message. A warm, specific reply closes way more orders than “Yes”.

“Yes, Mango Mousse is available! I have 3 left today. Want me to block one for you? Delivery by 7pm possible.”

If you're out:

“Not today — next batch is Friday. Shall I message you when it's ready?”

Refunds: three cases, three rules

Refunds are going to happen. A clear policy saves arguments.

Wrong item delivered (your fault): full refund or replacement. No questions. Apologise.
Damaged in transit: ask for a photo, then refund or replace. Factor delivery risk into pricing.
Customer changed their mind after delivery: no refund for perishables. Be firm but warm — “I totally understand, but I can't take back food items once delivered. Next order is on me with a small treat.”

Letting the agent do the boring parts

Once you've decided what to do, the AI chat handles the update and customer notification in one step:

“Mark order #42 as delivered and message Priya a thank-you”

“Refund order #38 and notify the customer”

“Reschedule Aryan's order to Sunday, 4pm”

The agent asks for confirmation before anything irreversible — so you can type fast without worrying.

A starter Store Policies block

Paste this (and edit it) into your Store Policies so customers know what to expect:

Orders: Confirmed on WhatsApp, 50% advance for custom work.

Delivery: Within 8 km, same-day before 3pm. Outside, next-day.

Rush: Same-day orders carry a 25% surcharge.

Refunds: Full refund for our errors or transit damage. Perishables can't be returned after delivery.

Questions: WhatsApp the store number — we reply within 2 hours (9am–9pm).

Run your store, not your inbox.

Pidiga's AI handles order updates, refunds, and customer messages for you.

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