Set your return policy

The return policy tells every terminal how to handle returns: how long customers have, who has to approve a return, what fees apply and whether you take returns without a receipt. You set it once and it applies to every terminal in your business.

Before you start

Go to Settings → Returns. The page has three tabs: Return Policy, Approval Rules and Restocking Fees.
The settings apply to the whole business and affect every terminal.
Omviq checks the approval rules when it takes and completes a return. A terminal cannot skip them.
What your staff do at the till is described in Refund or return items.

Return Policy tab

Setting	What it does	Default
Return Window	The number of days after purchase that returns are accepted.	30 days
Require Reason	Whether staff must record a return reason.	Yes
Require Condition	Whether staff must record the item’s condition.	Yes

Inside the window, a return follows the normal flow. If you set no window, returns are accepted at any time. A return with a receipt that falls outside the window needs a manager. The till cannot collect that approval, so the return is refused and left open (see the limits below).

Returns without a receipt

The Non-Receipted Returns card decides whether you take a return when the customer has no receipt, and on what terms. It has its own Save no-receipt settings button.

Setting	What it does	Default
Allow Non-Receipted Returns	Lets you take returns without a receipt at all. When it is off, every return must name the sale it came from.	Off
Require government-issued ID	The customer’s ID type and number must be recorded on the return.	On
How to refund non-receipted returns	Where the refund goes: store credit, gift card or cash. Never the original payment, because there is none.	Store credit

The refund for an item returned without a receipt is always its current catalog price times the quantity, with no tax. There is no sale to prove any tax was paid. The cashier picks the product from the catalog, and the price is never typed in. Only an item the catalog sells by count can be returned without a receipt. An item sold by weight, or one whose catalog entry does not say how it is sold, is refused with a message saying so.

Approval Rules tab

Every rule that decides whether a return needs a manager is on the Approval limits card. It has its own Save approval limits button.

Rule	A manager must approve a return when…	Default
Maximum refund without approval	the refund is above this amount.	100.00
No-Receipt Requires Approval	it has no receipt.	On
No-Receipt Hard Cap	A return without a receipt above this amount is refused outright, approval or not. 0 means no cap.	0
Alternate tender requires approval	a return with a receipt is refunded to a different payment type than the sale was paid with.	On
Per-operator daily refund cap	the cashier’s refunds today would pass this amount. 0 means no cap.	0
Item conditions that need a manager	any item comes back in one of the ticked conditions.	None
Return reasons that need a manager	any item is returned for one of the ticked reasons.	None

Below the rules, the Manager override switches say, rule by rule, whether a manager may approve past it. With a switch off, a return that meets that rule is refused rather than sent to a manager.

Know the limits. A manager can approve a return at the till when it needs approval because of its amount, or because it has no receipt. A return with a receipt that needs a manager for any other reason cannot be approved at the till. That covers the item’s condition, the return reason, a different payment type and the return window. Omviq refuses the return and leaves it open. Leave the Item conditions that need a manager and Return reasons that need a manager lists empty for this reason.

Products that cannot be refunded

A product the catalog marks as not refundable is refused at every return, with or without a receipt, and the refusal names the item. If the catalog cannot be reached, the return is refused as temporarily unavailable rather than taken unchecked.

Restocking Fees tab

Restocking fees come off the refund automatically, by item condition. You can change each percentage.

Condition	Description	Restockable	Default fee
New	Unopened, original packaging intact	Yes	0%
Opened	Opened but works, all parts present	Yes, after inspection	15%
Damaged	Physically damaged	No, needs manager review	25%
Defective	A manufacturing defect	No, a warranty claim	0%

The fee is a percentage of the item’s original price. It shows in the refund summary before the return is submitted, and the customer sees it on their return receipt. A manager can waive it on a single return.

Return reasons

Omviq starts with these reasons: Customer changed mind, Wrong item received, Defective product, Damaged in shipping and Not as described. You can delete any of them and add your own. Manage them under Settings → Returns → Return Policy tab → Return Reasons.

What happens to the item

Staff record a disposition for each item. Omviq suggests one from the condition, and staff can change it before they submit.

Disposition	What happens	Stock
Restock	The item goes back on the shelf for resale.	Stock goes up.
Damage Out	The item leaves sellable stock and is kept for records.	Sellable stock is unchanged.
Destroy	The item is written off.	Sellable stock is unchanged.

Suggested: New and Opened go to Restock, Damaged to Damage Out and Defective to Destroy.

What each return records

Recorded	Details
Who processed it	The staff member’s name
When	The time of each status change
Original order	A link to the original sale
Items returned	Which items, quantities and conditions
Dispositions	What happened to each item
Refund amount	The gross amount, restocking fees and the net refund
Approval chain	Who approved or rejected it, with the time

If something goes wrong

What you see	What to do
A cashier cannot complete a return with a receipt and it is left open	It may need an approval the till cannot collect: the item’s condition, the return reason, a different payment type or the return window. Check the lists above and your Manager override switches.
Staff are not offered returns without a receipt	Allow Non-Receipted Returns is off. Turn it on and choose Save no-receipt settings.
A refund is refused for a product	The catalog marks the product as not refundable. Change it in the catalog if that is wrong.
Staff say the refund amount looks wrong	A refund is based on the price actually paid, after discounts, minus any restocking fee, plus the tax refund.