"We'll check and get back to you" can feel like a non-answer, especially when you're trying to plan your operations. This guide explains what actually happens behind each type of request, why some get a firm answer in minutes while others can't be promised a timeline at all, and how a few small changes on your side lead to faster, more definite replies.
The honest summary: the speed of our reply depends on who has to answer it. When the answer is ours to give, it's fast. When we depend on a third party, a carrier in particular, we are at the mercy of their response times, and we won't promise an outcome we don't control.
The three sources of an answer
Almost every request you send us is answered by one of three parties. Knowing which one applies tells you what to expect.
1. Us (OGOship support): usually fast
If the answer lives in our systems, such as order status in the platform, what stage an order is at, or how a setting works, we can answer directly and quickly. These are the requests where you should expect a clear, substantive reply.
One caveat: invoicing questions aren't always purely in our hands. We can answer most of them directly, but some require us to verify a charge with a carrier first. When that happens, the same waiting applies as with any carrier question (see point 3).
2. The warehouse: usually fast
When a request needs someone on the warehouse floor to check, such as stock condition, a specific pick, or a physical inspection, we ask the warehouse. Warehouse teams reply quickly, and response times vary only slightly between locations, so for most requests you can expect a prompt answer.
3. The carrier: genuinely unpredictable
This is the big one. Anything that depends on a courier ("where is this shipment," "don't leave it at the door," "ask the driver to call on delivery," or intercepting a parcel mid-transit) means we have to ask the carrier and wait for their answer. Carrier response times vary enormously. Some reply same-day; some take many days. We cannot give you a timeline on a carrier reply, because we don't have one ourselves. Sometimes we get no reply at all.
When you see "we'll check and get back to you" on this kind of request, it is literally true: we have asked, and we are waiting. It isn't a brush-off.
Why some requests can't be promised, only attempted
A few common requests sit outside what the chosen delivery service can actually do. We will always try, but we can't guarantee the outcome, and we'd rather be honest about that up front than promise something the carrier won't deliver.
- "Don't leave the parcel at the door." Whether this is possible depends entirely on the carrier and the service level chosen for that shipment. For many services it simply can't be enforced. We pass the request on, but we can't promise the driver follows it.
- "Have the courier call before delivery." This is only available on certain services. If the chosen service doesn't include it, the carrier can't fulfil it no matter how we phrase the request.
- Stopping or redirecting a parcel already in transit. Once a shipment is moving, intercepting it is the carrier's call, not ours.
For these, the most accurate answer we can give is "we've requested it," and that's exactly what we'll tell you.
The one that's most fixable: cancellations
Cancellation requests are time-critical. Once an order has been picked and packed, it can't be unwound; it's a physical parcel ready to ship. A large share of the cancellation requests we receive arrive after the order has already been processed, at which point there's nothing we can cancel.
There's a second limit once a parcel has shipped: most carriers won't cancel or recall a shipment in transit. We can ask, and occasionally it works, but it's the carrier's decision, not ours, and it isn't something we can promise.
When it's too late to cancel on our end, there are still two things your customer can try, depending on the carrier and country:
- Refuse to receive the shipment. If the delivery requires a signature (rather than being left in a mailbox), the customer can decline it at the door, and it returns to us automatically.
- Don't collect it from the pick-up point. If the parcel goes to a pick-up point, the customer can simply leave it there. Once the collection window ends, it's returned to us automatically.
Both depend on the carrier and the delivery method, so they aren't guaranteed, but they're often the fastest practical route once a parcel is already on its way.
This isn't slowness on our side; it's timing. The earlier a cancellation reaches us, the more likely we can act on it. Once it's processed, the better route is usually to handle it as a return.
How to get faster, more definite answers
A few things on your side make a real difference to how quickly, and how definitively, we can respond:
Send cancellations as early as possible. The window between order placed and order packed is short. The sooner we see it, the more we can do.
One order, one ticket. It helps to check internally before raising a ticket about an order a colleague may already have open with us. When several tickets about the same order come in from different people, it slows things down: we end up with multiple open threads on one order, and information gets fragmented on both sides. One clear ticket per issue is faster for everyone.
Know which bucket your request falls into. If it's something only the carrier can answer, expect that we're now waiting on them and can't set the clock. If it's order status, invoicing, or a platform question, expect a quick, firm reply.
Tell us the priority. If a request is urgent or operationally critical, say so. It helps us decide what to chase hardest, especially when we're waiting on a third party.
What you can hold us to
To be clear about our side of the deal:
- For anything we control, such as order status, invoicing, and platform and account questions, you should get a clear, substantive answer, fast.
- For anything that depends on a carrier, we'll tell you honestly that we've asked and are waiting, rather than inventing a timeline we can't keep.
- For requests a service can't fulfil, we'll tell you that up front instead of letting you wait on something that was never going to happen.
One more thing worth knowing: many of our Merchant Care team come from a courier and logistics background. That means when a request touches carrier rules, service levels, or what's realistically possible with a given delivery method, you're getting genuine expertise, not a generic support script. We often know in advance what a carrier will and won't do, and we'll tell you straight rather than make you wait to find out.
We'd rather give you an accurate "we don't control this" than a comfortable promise that doesn't materialise. That's the basis we want to plan with you on.