--- owner: Mia last_reviewed: 2026-11-03 review_cadence_days: 90 next_review: 2027-02-01 version: 1.0 --- # SOP: HarborMug unused-return triage _Profile: `support` | Regulatory overlay: none_ --- ## 5W2H operating procedure All seven sections below are complete for the supplied merchant scope. ### Who Mia owns every page in this knowledge base and the return-triage process. The supplied ownership record is SYN-OWNER-01. Alex is the merchant approver and the escalation contact; the role is never assigned to an unspecified team. | Work | Responsible | Accountable | Consulted / informed | |---|---|---|---| | Maintain care, policy, SOP, runbook, index and glossary | Mia | Mia | Alex for merchant-policy decisions | | Verify the order; prepare eligibility, label request and reply drafts | Mia | Mia | Alex receives exception handoffs | | Supply approved label/address; decide fees, exceptions and refund amount | Alex | Alex | Mia records the outcome | | Check the pending queue and resume only when gates clear | Mia | Mia | Alex resolves blocked decisions | A new teammate follows this procedure under Mia's ownership. This document does not create a new approval authority. ### What **Scope:** HarborMug domestic unused-return triage and consistent care answers for HM-BLUE-001. This process ends with a recorded triage outcome, a label-request draft and an approval handoff/reply draft. Returned-goods inspection and payment execution happen outside this procedure; record their evidence if later supplied by Alex. **Inputs:** Order ID; verified delivery record and date; request date; domestic-return confirmation; reported item condition; current merchant policy; Alex's label, warehouse address and fee decision before sending return instructions; inspection disposition, approved amount and approval reference before any final refund confirmation. **Outputs:** An eligibility ledger, named owner and pending reason, label request, approval handoff, customer reply draft, and snapshot/correction references. For A100 these are prepared, not sent or approved. **Care rule:** Hand-wash only. Not microwave safe. No health or environmental guarantees may be added. Use [Care](care.md) for approved wording and [Returns policy](returns.md) for the return decision. ### When Start when a customer requests a domestic unused return. Work on demand during Monday–Friday, 09:00–17:00 America/Los_Angeles, the supplied operating hours. The annual planning estimate is 52 cases; it is not measured volume. Review the pending queue at the start of each staffed business session as the operating convention for this SOP. Missing order or delivery evidence blocks eligibility. Missing approved label, warehouse address or fee decision blocks return instructions. Missing inspection disposition, approval reference or approved amount blocks final refund confirmation. Keep the case pending instead of treating a blocked stage as completion. Mia reviews the documents every 90 days and whenever Alex changes merchant policy. The supplied review date is 2026-11-03; next review is 2027-02-01. No merchant response-time commitment was supplied, so do not promise one to customers. ### Where The single canonical library is `outputs/kb_after`, starting at the [Home index](index.md). This [SOP](sop.md), [runbook](runbook.md), [policy](returns.md), [care guide](care.md) and [glossary](glossary.md) are connected by relative links. The main report is a review copy of this package. Use the [case ledger](case-ledger.csv) as the case record and [case evidence](case-a100.md) for source references and prepared drafts. Before each edit, retain a numbered prior-state snapshot; append a correction note rather than erase the reason for the change. Keep attachments and approval references linked to the appropriate order. The workflow uses a ledger and manual handoffs; no carrier or payment connection is configured. ### Why Customers need the same care instructions and return criteria regardless of who answers. This procedure makes the decision visible, separates eligibility from approval, and prevents a draft or missing evidence from turning into a refund promise. **Regulatory overlay:** None for the supplied scope. The classified data are order ID, dates, item condition and approval references; the scope excludes payment controls, card details, health information, regulated devices and EU customer data. This is a scope assumption, not a compliance certification. Mia must confirm actual data classes with the merchant before using the procedure with real records. ### How Read the [runbook](runbook.md) before starting. Follow the three steps below; they include the observable checks and recovery actions. If a gate is blocked, keep the corresponding pending state, record the reason and owner, and resume only after the named evidence arrives. ### Step 1: Verify the order and dates Open the case ledger and save its current state as a numbered snapshot before editing. Match the request to the order ID and product. Record the delivery date, request date, their evidence references, and the reported product condition. Confirm this is a domestic return; if the location is unknown, hold for Alex. Subtract the delivery calendar date from the request calendar date; do not count dispatch days or add an extra day. For A100, the supplied order record gives 2026-10-20 and 2026-11-03, so elapsed_days = 14. The source record supports the example; a live case needs a verified delivery record. - Owner: Mia - Duration: 3 minutes - Success: Ledger shows order_match=true, domestic=true, delivery_evidence=merchant order record, delivered=2026-10-20, requested=2026-11-03 and elapsed_days=14 for A100. - Failure: Ledger shows order_match=false, domestic=unknown/false, delivery_evidence=missing, delivered_date=missing, invalid_date=true or elapsed_days<0. - Rollback: Restore the numbered snapshot of the prior ledger values, record the correction reason in the case history, and keep the case on hold. Order verification itself is read-only. - Escalation: Alex; Mia records the missing or conflicting facts and stops eligibility decisions until Alex resolves them. **Recovery:** If the delivery date or evidence is missing, set eligibility=hold_evidence and list exactly what is missing; do not substitute the dispatch date or today's date. If the order does not match or the dates are impossible, set eligibility=hold_evidence, retain the original source values, and ask Alex to verify the correct order/date record. Resume this step only after the corrected source is recorded. ### Step 2: Record eligibility and prepare the label request Apply the unused-return rule only after Step 1 is complete. A verified unused domestic item requested 0–30 calendar days after delivery may be marked eligible_pending_inspection. Day 30 is included because the supplied escalation rule is elapsed_days>30. Treat unopened as the supplied evidence of unused condition for A100, with inspection still pending. Set label_request=draft and ask Alex for an approved label, the warehouse return address, and a decision on the return-shipping fee. Record these as separate fields so a blocked label never becomes an automatic refund rejection. - Owner: Mia - Duration: 4 minutes - Success: Ledger shows eligibility=eligible_pending_inspection, unopened=true, elapsed_days=14, inspection=pending and label_request=draft for A100; label_dispatch=blocked while label/address/fee decision are missing. - Failure: Ledger shows used=true, condition=unknown, elapsed_days>30, approved_label=missing, warehouse_address=missing or return_shipping_fee=unconfirmed; the relevant gate remains held. - Rollback: Restore the prior eligibility and label fields from the numbered snapshot, keep the correction note, and discard any unsent instructions. Reopen the hold with Alex. - Escalation: Alex; Mia records a draft label request or policy-exception handoff in the case ledger. **Recovery:** For a used item, an unknown condition, or a request after 30 days, set eligibility=hold_merchant_review and record the observed reason; do not automatically approve or reject an exception. Resume only on Alex's documented decision. For a missing label, warehouse address, or fee decision, preserve eligible_pending_inspection when supported, set label_dispatch=blocked, and keep instructions as an unsent draft. Resume the label gate only when Alex supplies all three approved details. There is no carrier integration in this process. ### Step 3: Prepare the approval handoff and retain the reply draft Mia prepares the ledger and draft handoff for Alex. Alex owns the review and records any subsequent decision. Check the order evidence, elapsed days, unused-condition statement, inspection status, approved label/address, fee decision and proposed refund basis. A completed triage package can remain pending; an approval is not implied by preparing it. A100 has no inspection result, approval reference or confirmed refund amount, so preserve refund_status=pending_merchant_approval, reply=draft and refund_executed=false. The supplied $24 product price is not a confirmed refund amount. - Owner: Alex - Duration: 3 minutes - Success: Ledger shows refund_status=pending_merchant_approval, approval_reference=missing, refund_amount=unconfirmed, reply=draft and refund_executed=false for A100; handoff recipient field set to Alex. - Failure: Ledger shows approval_reference=missing, refund_amount=unconfirmed or inspection=pending when anyone attempts a final approval or refund-confirmation reply; final_confirmation=blocked. - Rollback: Withdraw the unsent draft, restore incorrect ledger fields from the numbered snapshot and retain the correction history. An actual refund cannot be rolled back here; escalate to Alex if one was executed elsewhere. - Escalation: Alex; if Alex is unavailable, Mia retains the pending state and reviews the queue during the next staffed business session. No substitute approver is authorized by this SOP. **Recovery:** If approval evidence or the amount is missing, keep final_confirmation=blocked and give Alex the exact missing fields. If inspection has not happened, do not label the return accepted; keep inspection=pending. Resume a final decision only after Alex records the decision reference, approved amount and inspection disposition. No payment execution occurs in this process. If an instruction was already sent in error, the draft cannot retract it: record what was sent and ask Alex to approve corrective communication; do not falsely mark the message unsent. ### How-much The active handling estimate is 3 + 4 + 3 = **10 minutes per case**. At the supplied labor rate of $30/hour, estimated labor is 10 ÷ 60 × $30 = **$5 per case**. At 52 cases per year, the planning estimate is **520 minutes (8 hours 40 minutes) and $260 in labor annually**. These are planning estimates, not measured performance. Waiting for delivery evidence, label details, inspection or Alex's approval is additional elapsed time. Return postage, label fees and actual refunds are unconfirmed and excluded. The product's $4 internal shipping cost and $5 outbound customer shipping charge are not authority for a return-fee deduction. ## Customer impact and escalation This procedure handles an individual return request. Customer replies remain drafts in this case package. No broadcast or engineering escalation is required by the supplied merchant facts. | Trigger | Immediate action | Owner / resume condition | |---|---|---| | Missing evidence, wrong order or impossible dates | Hold eligibility; retain source values | Alex resolves source evidence; Mia repeats Step 1 | | Used, unknown condition, late or non-domestic request | Hold for merchant review; no automatic exception | Alex documents a decision; Mia records it | | Label, warehouse address or fee decision missing | Block return instructions; retain draft | Alex supplies all approved details | | Inspection, approval reference or refund amount missing | Block final confirmation; keep approval pending | Alex supplies the decision and supporting evidence | | Alex unavailable | Keep pending; review next staffed business session | Mia tracks the case; Alex remains the approver | | Incorrect ledger edit or unsent reply | Restore snapshot; withdraw draft; record correction | Mia corrects, Alex reviews any policy issue | | Message sent or refund executed elsewhere in error | Record what happened; no pretend rollback | Alex determines the corrective action | No escalation response SLA has been approved. Record queue owner and pending reason; do not invent one. ## Document control Version 1.0 replaces the incomplete return instructions and ambiguous role references. Mia maintains the pages; Alex owns merchant-policy decisions. The supplied review cycle is 90 days. The prior pages remain source evidence, not current operator instructions. Related: [Home](index.md) · [Runbook](runbook.md) · [Glossary](glossary.md) · [A100 case](case-a100.md).