Every product added to or modified within a return goes through an automatic approval process. With the appropriate level of security, manual approval can be issued, but for a typical return, automatic approval automates the research required to make an authorization decision. Automatic approval consists of a series of tests on the specified product and the product in relation to the rest of the return, other returns, and the originating order. For each unsuccessful test, a denial reason is logged against the return item. The reasons can be presented to a Customer Service Representative who can override the system evaluation and issue a manual approval.
The tests are broken down into a set of standard checks, which typically every store will use. The default implementation of these standard checks are as follows:
- Is the item refundable? In some cases, a store may not accept returns on all products. For example, for hygienic reasons, a clothing store may designate intimate apparel as nonrefundable. The CREDITABLE column of the STOREITEM table allows you to specify whether a product is refundable by default; that is, if CREDITABLE=N, then this flags the product as one that should not be refunded. You can edit the value of the CREDITABLE column using the Product notebook. During the standard checks portion of the auto-approval process, if a product is marked non-creditable, then a corresponding deny reason will be applied the Return item.
- Is the merchandise going to be returned? During the checking process, the system validates whether or not the customer plans to return the return item. Typically a deny reason will be applied to a return item, if the customer does not intend to return all the components of the product. Depending on your business, a return does not always require the customer to physically return the unwanted product. For example, if a customer wants a refund for fresh produce from a grocery store, the store would likely not request the produce to be returned to the store. This is controlled by the RETURNNOTDESIRED column of the STOREITEM table. You can edit the value of the RETURNNOTDESIRED column using the Product notebook. During the standard checks portion of the auto-approval process, if a product is marked as return not desired, then no deny reason will be applied even if the customer does not intend to return the merchandise. The components which the merchants does not wish to have returned, will be flagged as such.
- Would approving this return item mean that the customer is approved for more than was shipped? If WebSphere Commerce's fulfillment functionality was in use when the order was fulfilled, then this check will confirm whether the return item will put the total quantity approved over the quantity shipped. This could be true if products have been misattributed to order items during the returns process, either by accident or fraud. If fulfillment functionality was not in use at the time the order was fulfilled, then the default implementation will always log a deny reason on this check.
- Would approving this return item mean that the customer is approved for a total refund greater than the amount paid for originating order? If WebSphere Commerce's payment capture functionality was in use when the order was fulfilled, then this check will confirm whether this return item will put the total refund approved for refund over the amount paid. This could be true if products have been misattributed to order items during the returns process, either by accident or fraud. If payment capture functionality was not in use at the time the originating order was fulfilled, then the default implementation will always log a deny reason on this check.
- Policy extensions for standard checks. Automatic approval is checked using the AutoApproveReturnItemPolicyCmd task command. The default implementation of this command enforces a period from the ship date in which returns will be accepted. If there is no ReturnApproval policy referenced in the trading agreement then a NOPOLICY deny reason will be applied to the return items covered by that trading agreement.