How to reduce fake and returned cash on delivery orders

With cash on delivery, the customer risks nothing at the moment of ordering. You pay to pack the parcel and to carry it, and if it returns, you pay again. That imbalance is the root of the problem.

• Fake or prank orders: someone orders with a wrong number or an invented name, and the parcel is wasted.
• Impulse orders: the customer orders at night and changes their mind by morning.
• Wrong or incomplete address: the courier cannot find the place, and the parcel returns.
• Nobody at the door, or phone off: the customer is not ready to pay when the rider arrives.
• Mismatch with the post: the product, colour or size was not what the customer understood.

The controls below run from least effort to most. Most sellers gain the most from the first two, so begin there.

Do not accept an order from a message such as "ok send". Ask for the full name, a phone number that works, and a full address with area, road or house and a landmark. Then send a short order summary with the product, quantity, total and delivery charge, and wait for the customer to say yes.

This costs nothing and removes many careless and prank orders, which rarely survive three questions. It also gives you a record of what the customer agreed to.

A small advance changes the customer's risk. The simplest form is the delivery charge in advance by bKash or Nagad, with the rest as cash on delivery. If the parcel returns, the delivery cost is already covered.

• Keep it small and clear: the customer should read it as a delivery confirmation, not a surprise.
• Ask for the transaction ID: a payment you cannot match to a number is a payment you cannot rely on.
• Say what happens to it: it is adjusted against the total on delivery. Write your own refund rule for refusals and state it plainly.
• Expect some drop-off: some customers will leave. They are often the ones who would have refused the parcel.

For an order that still carries doubt, send one confirmation message the day before dispatch, or make a short call. Ask the customer to confirm the address and that someone will be there to receive the parcel. If there is no answer, hold the parcel.

You can also check the customer before shipping, where your courier allows it. This is what the official pages state at the time of writing:

• Steadfast: its site describes a delivery risk check where you type a number and see how many parcels that buyer took and returned.
• Pathao: its merchant page describes a merchant panel where you create deliveries and enter the cash amount to collect. It does not describe a customer history view there.
• RedX: open your own merchant panel and look for any delivery history or success view for a customer number.

Keep a private list of phone numbers and addresses linked to a fake order or a refusal, with the date and a short note. Check every new order against it. The list stays inside your business. Do not post it or share it in groups.

Check every address against four questions:

• Is there a house, road or landmark, or only a district name?
• Does the area match the delivery areas you serve?
• Does the phone number look complete, and does it match the name on the chat?
• Is the same address or number appearing under different names?

The larger the order, the stronger the protection it needs. For an expensive item, ask for a partial advance, a share of the product price on top of the delivery charge, and keep the rest as cash on delivery. Write the rule down and apply it to everyone equally.

Read the conversation itself. These signals prove nothing, but each is a reason to slow down and ask for an advance or a call:

• The customer refuses to confirm the order summary or the address.
• The delivery area does not match the one they first mentioned.
• They press for immediate dispatch and skip questions.
• They withhold a phone number, or give one that does not reach them.
• They ask for a very large quantity without a single question about the product.

Adapt the wording and amounts to your business. They are in Bangla because most customers write that way.

What you do not count, you cannot improve. Each week, record the parcels sent, the parcels returned or refused, and the reason for each. Divide returns by parcels sent to get your return rate. Compare it week to week, and note which step you changed before it moved.

Stay fair while you do this. Never post a customer's name, number or photo to shame them. A parcel can fail for reasons outside the customer's control, such as a courier delay or a wrong delivery attempt. Keep notes private, use them only for your own business decisions, and let a returning customer explain.

LeadRevive is our product. Its AI team collects the customer's name, phone and address in chat, sends an order summary, and asks for the advance or delivery charge by bKash or Nagad before confirming the order. It replies in Bangla, English and Banglish, follows up inside the messaging window when a payment is pending, and negotiates only down to the floor price you set. You can take over any chat and switch Autopilot off for the whole team or per agent. It works with your own Steadfast, Pathao or RedX accounts. See features, pricing or get started.