Process a product return, a refund or a credit note

Why it matters

When a customer brings an item back, three questions come up: does the item go back on the shelf, how much do you owe them, and in what form. Handled by hand, a return distorts stock, revenue and the register. In Genuka, the return starts from the original order: the returned quantity is removed from the sale, the goods go back into stock if they can be resold, and a credit note is issued for the customer.

Summary

A return is created from an order, goes through an approval, then Genuka applies its effects: order lines reduced, stock restored depending on the reason, credit note issued. By default, the credit note stays on the customer's account for their next purchases; it is only refunded automatically if the order has no customer and was paid.

Returns are in Settings › Sales › Product Returns (/returns), credit notes in Settings › Sales › Credit notes (/credits, "Credit notes" page).

Prerequisites

• returns.view to see returns, returns.create to create them, returns.update to edit or submit them, returns.approve to approve them, returns.delete to delete an unconfirmed return.
• credit_notes.view to view credit notes.
• An order (not a quote) that contains the returned items.

Steps: create the return

Two paths lead to the same form:

• from the order: actions menu, Create return;
• from Product Returns: Create return, then search for the order by its reference or the customer's name.

Then:

1. Tick the returned products and the Quantity to return for each. You cannot return more than what was sold, counting the other returns on the same order.
2. Reason for return, product by product or Apply to all products: Defective, Non-conforming, Delivery error or Dissatisfaction. A comment is possible.
3. Return date (required) and Return warehouse, where the goods are physically received.
4. Status: Draft (you complete it later) or Waiting Approval (ready to validate).
5. Create return.

Steps: approve the return

1. Open the return.
2. If it is a Draft: Submit for approval. It becomes Waiting Approval.
3. A member with the returns.approve right clicks Approve the return and confirms. The action is final.

The return becomes Confirmed. Until then, nothing moves: not stock, not the order, not the credit note. A draft or pending return can be edited (Edit return) or cancelled (Change status › Canceled).

What approval does

Use or refund a customer's credit note

• On a next purchase: customer page, Account tab, Use their credit block, Apply to an invoice. No cash movement: the money had already been collected.
• In cash: the dashboard has no button to refund a credit note that has already been issued (the Refund button on the Account tab only concerns advances). For a return to be refunded instead of credited, the company can change its default setting ("credit on the account" or "refund") by asking the Genuka assistant, before approving the return. This setting requires the right to manage the company or the treasury accounts.

Track returns and credit notes

• Product Returns: reference, order, customer, return date, status and amount; filter by status.
• On the order: a box "Returns made on this order" with View the return, and the Credit notes card.
• Credit notes: reference, linked order, customer, issue date, status and amount. The page details the items and, if there was a refund, the Refunded amount. Credit notes cannot be created from this page: they come from returns.

Edge cases and common mistakes

• "Only … of this product left to return on this order": the quantity exceeds what was sold minus what the other returns of the order already take back (drafts included, cancelled returns excluded).
• No Create a return button on a quote: first convert the quote into an order.
• A confirmed return is frozen: it can no longer be edited, change status or be deleted.
• Order not yet paid: approval already reduces the order amount, and a credit note of the same amount is still issued on the customer's account. Check before applying that credit note, so you do not grant the reduction twice.
• "Refunded" status never reached: a refunded credit note stays shown as Validated; the refund shows in Refunded amount on its page.
• Taxes and discounts: the credit note takes the price of the items as it appears on the order line; the order's taxes and global discount are not carried over from the dashboard.
• Cash refund and cash control: an automatic refund paid out of a cash register is counted in that register's open session and lowers its expected balance.

FAQ

The customer brings an item back. Do I have to refund them? By default, Genuka offers a credit note on their account, usable on their next purchases. An automatic refund only happens for a sale without a customer that has already been paid, or if the company has chosen refund as its default rule.

Does the returned item go back into stock? Yes for the reasons Delivery error and Dissatisfaction. No for Defective and Non-conforming: the damaged item stays out of stock. So choose the reason carefully: it decides whether the item goes back on the shelf.

What is the difference between a return and a credit note? The return describes the goods taken back and why. The credit note is the financial document that follows: what you owe the customer.

Can I do an exchange? There is no one-step exchange: record the return, then a new order, and apply the customer's credit note to their invoice.

See also

• Create an order (creer-commande)
• The customer account (tab) (compte-client-ardoise)
• Record a payment (enregistrer-paiement)
• Understand stock (comprendre-le-stock)
• Treasury accounts (comptes-tresorerie)