Major changes for online shops from 19 June: returns under new rules

What changes on 19 June?

The key change concerns the withdrawal path itself. The customer must be able to complete it easily, without artificial obstacles. In practice an online shop has to provide a returns process that is clear, accessible and quick.

• The customer must be able to find and start the returns process easily.
• The company should promptly confirm receipt on a durable medium (email, for instance).
• The process should be transparent: statuses, deadlines and next steps.

What it means for online shop operations

The change reaches far beyond the legal team. Operations feel it hardest: customer service, the warehouse, logistics, finance and the complaints team. The higher the order volume, the greater the risk of chaos without a single system to handle cases.

• More returns raised on the spot, because the path is simpler for the customer.
• The need to confirm quickly and to keep track of deadlines.
• More pressure on information flowing correctly between departments.
• Higher customer expectations around response time and case status.

The risk of running returns out of an inbox

If returns and complaints are handled by hand — an inbox, a spreadsheet and whoever happens to pick up the phone — errors and delays arrive fast. That costs time, reputation and margin.

• No single case history, and duplicated replies.
• Missed deadlines, because nobody is watching the SLA or the reminders.
• Difficulty proving what was communicated to the customer, and when.
• No data: nobody knows which products drive the most returns and complaints.

How the Debesis ticketing system brings order to returns and complaints

System ticketowy Debesis pulls requests from web forms, email and the phone into a single case queue. Every return and every complaint gets a number, an owner, a status and deadlines, which makes the process predictable and auditable.

• Automatic acknowledgement of receipt, with a case number assigned.
• A status workflow: new, verification, awaiting the product, decision, refund, closed.
• SLA rules, with escalation to the team lead when a delay looms.
• Response templates and checklists for agents.
• A complete contact history: who sent what, when, and what was agreed.

Want to see it in practice? Take a look at the Debesis ticketing system, the complaints module lub book a short demo.

The process model: from request to refund

• Step 1: the customer requests a withdrawal or return (web form, email, customer portal).
• Step 2: the system creates a ticket, sends the confirmation and starts the SLA clock.
• Step 3: the team checks the conditions and whether the details are complete.
• Step 4: the warehouse updates the status once the parcel arrives.
• Step 5: the decision — refund, exchange, or further handling as a complaint.
• Step 6: the ticket is closed and reported on.

KPIs and compliance: what to measure after rollout

• Average first response time (FRT) for returns and complaints.
• Average time to resolution (TTR) and the share of cases within SLA.
• The number of escalated cases, and why they escalated.
• Reasons for returns and complaints: quality, product description, logistics, picking errors.
• How well the message templates perform, and satisfaction once the case is closed.

Rollout checklist (for the coming weeks)

• Settle on one place where returns and complaints arrive: the ticketing system.
• Roll out templates for acknowledgements and status updates.
• Configure SLAs for the different case types.
• Define the roles: customer service, warehouse, complaints, finance.
• Switch on the KPI dashboard and review the numbers weekly.

In summary

From 19 June, returns under the new rules are a real process change for e-commerce. The companies that move this onto tickets will win on speed, on the quality of their communication, and on lower operational risk. Debesis lets you put that in place without the chaos — from intake through to reporting for the board.

Sources: DlaHandlu.pl oraz Dyrektywa (UE) 2023/2673. This article is for information only and does not constitute legal advice.