# Failed delivery attempts: what to do before a parcel comes back

> A failed delivery attempt is your last chance to save a COD order. Couriers allow a set number of attempts or days, so contact the shopper the same day, fix the address or phone, give the courier a new time, and cancel in Shopify only when the shopper says no or the parcel is back.

URL: https://khaleejicod.com/guides/failed-delivery-attempts/  
Updated: 2026-10-26  
Publisher: Trifid Media LLC

A failed delivery attempt means the courier tried to deliver and couldn't: nobody answered, the
address was wrong, the shopper was out, or there was no cash ready. Until the courier sends the
parcel back, you can still save the order. Couriers allow a fixed number of attempts or days before
they return it, so act the same day: reach the shopper, fix what went wrong, and give the courier a
new time or address. Cancel the order in Shopify only when the shopper says no or the parcel is back
with you.

## What counts as a failed delivery attempt?

A failed delivery attempt is a delivery the courier started but couldn't complete. Shopify uses the
status **Attempted delivery** for this on the order status page: the carrier tried the destination
address and was unsuccessful.

It is different from a refusal. In a refusal, the shopper is at the door and says no. In a failed
attempt, the hand-over never happened. Both end the same way if nobody acts: the parcel goes back to
you and you pay for the trip. The difference matters because you can often save a failed attempt
with a message or a call, which is rarely true of a refusal. For more on telling them apart, see
[fake, refused, failed: three COD problems that need different fixes](/guides/fake-refused-failed-cod-orders/).

## How many attempts do couriers make?

It depends on the courier and the service you booked. Two UAE couriers publish their rules
(checked 26 October 2026):

| | Quiqup (fee schedule) | Wakilni (rate proposal) |
|---|---|---|
| Attempts | 3 on Next Day and Three Days services; 1 on the 4-hour service | Up to 3 |
| Shopper contact | Customer care calls after 2 failed attempts to confirm a 3rd | Customer service calls after the 1st failed attempt, then sends an SMS |
| When it comes back | After 3 failed attempts, or 2 if the shopper doesn't confirm a 3rd. On the 4-hour service, straight away | Automatically after 4 days in pending status |
| Return charge | Full delivery fee | Free if a delivery was attempted |

So in these two examples you have somewhere between one attempt and about three attempts or four
days to save the order. That is your window. Your contract may be different, so ask your courier:

- How many attempts are included on each service you use?
- Does the courier contact the shopper itself, and when?
- How long does it hold a parcel before returning it?
- Can you rebook a date or change the address in its portal, and by what time of day?
- What does a new attempt or a return cost?
- How does it tell you about a failed attempt: portal, email, daily report, or tracking updates in Shopify?

## How do you find out about a failed attempt quickly?

Check your courier's portal or report every morning for parcels marked "attempted", "no answer",
"address not found" or similar. The earlier you see them, the more attempts you have left.

If your courier's tracking updates reach Shopify, you can also list these orders in your admin:

1. From your Shopify admin, go to **Orders**.
2. Add the **Delivery status** filter and choose **Attempted delivery**. The same filter also has
   **Failed delivery** and **Delayed**.
3. Save the filters as a view, for example "Delivery problems", so you can open it in one click.

> **Note:** Shopify only shows statuses it receives. The order status page updates in real time
> for supported carriers. If an order has no tracking number, Shopify gets no updates and the status
> stays **Confirmed**. If your courier isn't supported, its own portal is the place to look.

## What should you do after a failed attempt?

1. **Contact the shopper the same day.** Send a WhatsApp message and follow it with a call. Give
   the order number, the amount to pay, and ask for a time that suits them. A message from the shop
   they ordered from may get a reply when the courier's unknown number didn't. For ready-made
   wording, see [order confirmation message templates](/guides/cod-confirmation-message-templates/).
2. **Find out what went wrong.** The fix depends on the cause (see the table below).
3. **Correct the order in Shopify.** To change the address, open the order in **Orders**, click the
   menu in the **Customer** section and choose **Edit shipping address**. Shopify's help doesn't say
   this updates a courier booking, so send the new details to the courier as well.
4. **Rebook with the courier before the next attempt.** Give the new date or time window, the
   corrected address or phone number, and a short note for the driver ("Call on arrival, villa
   behind the mosque").
5. **Write down what happened.** Add a note to the order, or a tag such as `rto-no-answer` if the
   parcel comes back anyway. Tags let you count causes later.

| What went wrong | What to do |
|---|---|
| Phone not answered or switched off | Message on WhatsApp, call at a different time, ask for a second number |
| Address incomplete or wrong | Ask for the building or villa, area, a landmark and a map pin |
| Shopper out or at work | Agree a day and time, or a different address such as the office |
| No cash ready | Agree a time when they will have it, or ask your courier whether it takes card at the door |
| Shopper no longer wants it | Treat it as a refusal: ask the courier to return it and ask politely why |
| "I never ordered this" | Treat it as a fake order: return it and check other orders with the same details |

On the cash point, some couriers can take a card payment instead of cash. Quiqup's fee schedule,
for example, says it processes card payments through payment links.

## When should you cancel the order?

Cancel when there is nothing left to save:

- the shopper clearly refuses, or says they never placed the order;
- the courier has used every attempt and the parcel is on its way back.

Don't cancel while an attempt is still possible. Shopify says that canceling a fulfilled order that
hasn't been paid prevents you from collecting payment for it.

Watch the timing. If the cancel screen offers to restock the items, Shopify selects that option by
default, and it puts the items back into your available inventory. If you cancel while the parcel is
still with the courier, your store can then sell stock you don't have on the shelf. Either untick
the restock option or wait until the parcel is back and checked. The same screen notifies the
customer by default, so decide whether you want that email sent. Shopify also can't cancel a
partially fulfilled order until you cancel the fulfillment.

## How do failed attempts turn into RTO?

Every failed attempt you don't save becomes an RTO (return to origin): the parcel travels back, you
get no payment, and you may still pay for the trip. Quiqup's schedule, for example, charges RTO
orders the full delivery fee. The RTO guide covers the costs and how to work out your RTO rate:
[RTO (return to origin) explained for GCC stores](/guides/rto-explained/).

One extra number tells you whether your follow-up works:

**Save rate = parcels delivered after a failed attempt ÷ parcels with at least one failed attempt**

> **Example:** These figures are made up. Replace them with your own. In a month, 60 COD parcels
> have a failed first attempt. After your messages and calls, 39 of them are delivered and 21 come
> back. Save rate = 39 ÷ 60 = 65%. Those 21 parcels are part of your RTO count.

If the save rate is low, look at speed first: how many hours pass between the failed attempt and
your first message.

## How do you get fewer failed attempts next time?

Many failed attempts start at checkout: a phone number with a missing digit, an address without a
building name, or a shopper who didn't know the parcel was coming that day. Required phone numbers,
clearer address fields and a delivery-day message all help. The full checklist is in
[ways to cut COD refusals before the order is placed](/guides/reduce-cod-refusals/).

If one customer's parcels keep coming back, tag them `cod-refused`. With the tag rule on, Khaleeji COD
hides COD for them when Shopify knows who is checking out, such as a signed-in customer (guests
carry no tags). They can still pay online.

## Sources

- [Quiqup: Services and Fees Schedule (self-service, UAE courier), checked 26 October 2026](https://www.quiqup.com/terms-of-service/quiqup-services-and-fees-schedule---self-service-26-07-15)
- [Wakilni: E-commerce Logistics Across UAE (published rate proposal), checked 26 October 2026](https://wiki.wakilni.com/quotations/uae-wakilni-yellow-stores)
- [Shopify Help Center: Filtering orders](https://help.shopify.com/en/manual/fulfillment/managing-orders/viewing-orders/filtering-orders)
- [Shopify Help Center: Understanding the order status page](https://help.shopify.com/en/manual/fulfillment/setup/order-status-page/understanding-order-status-pages)
- [Shopify Help Center: Editing customer details on an order](https://help.shopify.com/en/manual/fulfillment/managing-orders/editing-orders/customer-details)
- [Shopify Help Center: Canceling orders](https://help.shopify.com/en/manual/fulfillment/managing-orders/canceling-orders)