Track product failure rates back to the supplier.
Generic return reasons tell you why a customer wanted to return — they don't tell you why the product failed. Fault tracking captures structured fault codes at receiving, rolls them into per-SKU failure rates, and gives your purchasing team the evidence they need to push back on suppliers.
Capture faults at the warehouse, not from the customer
Customers describe symptoms; warehouse staff diagnose causes. ReturnMate captures the diagnosis at receiving — when the parcel is opened, the product inspected, and the actual fault is visible. Each unit gets a structured fault code, severity, and a "Warranty Likely" flag that drives the rest of the workflow.
- Per-unit fault assignment on multi-line RMAs
- "Warranty Likely" tag drives supplier-credit reconciliation
- "Primary" flag identifies the dominant fault when multiple are present
- Star indicator marks the lead diagnostic for reporting roll-ups
Three-level fault taxonomy with severity
Faults are structured as Product Family → Fault Category → specific Fault Code, with a configurable severity scale (Critical, High, Medium, Low). Severities map to traffic-light thresholds in the analytics roll-up, so a single Critical Cell Failure is not buried alongside a Medium Damaged-In-Transit.
- Configurable per merchant — taxonomy mirrors how your category actually fails
- Pre-built libraries for batteries, electronics, appliances, and apparel
- Severity drives both customer SLA and the failure-rate threshold band
- Free-text notes attach to every fault for engineering follow-up
Failure rates per SKU with traffic-light thresholds
Every captured fault rolls up into a product-family and per-SKU dashboard. Failure rates are colour-coded against thresholds you set — green under 2%, amber 2–5%, red over 5% — so the SKUs that are bleeding margin are visible the moment a buyer opens the dashboard.
- Configurable thresholds per product category (apparel ≠ batteries)
- Units sold sourced from Shopify so the denominator is always accurate
- Drill from a red SKU into the underlying fault distribution
- Filter by analysis period (last 30/90/180 days, custom range)
Drill into fault categories, by month
For any flagged SKU, the breakdown shows which fault categories are driving the rate — with sub-code distributions and severity counts. Comparing two months side-by-side proves whether a supplier change actually moved the needle, or whether you're still shipping the same defect.
- Category-level percentages with sub-code distributions
- Side-by-side month comparison for before/after supplier changes
- Highlighted "No Fault Found" rate — the leading indicator of customer-misuse claims
- Severity-weighted view filters out low-severity noise
Close the loop with the supplier
A red SKU should produce an action, not a slide. Each fault group has a Suggested Solutions panel where staff log a fix, mark the issue with the supplier for credit reconciliation, or decline if the fault is on your side. Every step is timestamped and attributed.
- Log a fix — record what was changed and when
- Mark with supplier — flag for the next credit-note reconciliation
- Decline — close out faults that are not the supplier's responsibility
- Audit trail per fault group: who actioned, when, and the outcome
Built for warranty-heavy and regulated SKUs
Generic returns apps treat every return as an exchange-or-refund decision. For batteries, electronics, appliances, and dangerous goods, that's not enough — you need to know which batch failed, why, and which supplier owes you credits. Fault tracking is what turns post-sale into a quality-control feedback loop.
- Pairs with the warranty workflow — every warranty claim feeds fault data
- Lithium and DG SKUs get default Critical-severity thresholds
- Serial-verified faults link directly to the original supplier batch
- Exports to CSV for engineering, RCA, and supplier-meeting decks
Questions about fault tracking & quality.
How is fault tracking different from return reasons?
Return reasons are customer-facing and high-level ("not as described", "wrong item", "doesn't work"). Fault codes are warehouse-captured, structured, and diagnostic ("Charging Issue → Cell Failure → Critical → Warranty Likely"). One drives customer comms; the other drives supplier conversations.
How do staff actually capture fault codes at receiving?
On the receiving screen, each line item gets a fault assignment via a guided modal: pick the Product Family, then the Fault Category, then the specific Fault Code. Severity and "Warranty Likely" auto-fill from the code's defaults but can be overridden. Multiple faults per item are supported, with one marked Primary.
Can I configure my own fault taxonomy?
Yes. The taxonomy is fully configurable per shop. We ship pre-built libraries for batteries, electronics, appliances, and apparel that you can adopt as-is, extend, or replace. Severity bands and traffic-light thresholds are also configurable per product family.
How does this integrate with supplier credit reconciliation?
Every fault flagged "Warranty Likely" and marked-with-supplier appears on a supplier reconciliation report — by SKU, by batch, by date range — ready to attach to your next credit-note request. If the supplier disputes a claim, the audit trail (who diagnosed, when, with what notes) is one click away.
Does this require warehouse hardware?
No. Fault assignment works on the same browser-based receiving screen as label scanning. A USB or Bluetooth scanner speeds things up but isn't required — staff can pick from the dropdown taxonomy or type a code directly.
Related capabilities.
Diagnose, quote, and complete repairs — without admin overhead.
Fault codes tied to suppliers. Serial numbers verified against customer claims. Repair quotes paid via Shopify checkout. Labour and parts tracked per RMA.
Read more Analytics & reportingSee which products and suppliers are costing you money.
Return rates by SKU with failure thresholds. Carrier cost breakdowns. Fault severity trends. The data you need for supplier conversations and margin decisions.
Read moreGet operational control — before it costs you more.
14-day free trial. No credit card required. Billed through Shopify.