Foundation · 3 min
What you need to know
Why are my customers’ payments failing?
Start with a real failed attempt: its order reference, time, amount, currency, method and provider response. Identify whether it failed before submission, at authentication, at authorisation or while updating the order. Then follow the relevant diagnostic guide rather than changing every payment setting.
Why was the customer charged but no order was created?
Check the provider’s exact status and reference, then inspect order creation and event processing. Recover one correct order for a verified collected payment, or handle the required refund if fulfilment cannot proceed. Keep the customer informed while avoiding a second payment request.
Why does an order exist but payment failed?
The store may create an order draft before payment completes. Keep fulfilment blocked for an unpaid order and check its reservation expiry. Offer a supported retry only when the previous payment’s outcome is known.
Why was a customer charged twice?
Compare distinct collected transactions, not only repeated messages or pending bank entries. If two payments funded one intended order, investigate submission and retry handling and refund the verified extra payment through the provider.
Why is payment still showing pending?
Pending may mean the method is still processing, authentication is incomplete or a confirmation is delayed. Check the provider’s current status and method-specific timing. Escalate an unusually old pending case; do not automatically call it failed and request payment again.
Why did payment succeed but inventory wasn’t reduced?
Payment collection and inventory updates are separate actions. Locate the order’s reservation or stock event and check whether it completed once. Correct the stock record against actual quantities; never blindly deduct again if an earlier update might have succeeded.
Why did payment succeed but the confirmation email wasn’t sent?
Verify the paid order, then inspect notification generation and email delivery separately. Resend the correct confirmation if needed without creating another order or charge. An email failure is not a payment failure.
Why are international payments failing more often?
Compare supported currencies, authentication results, provider rules and issuer responses for the affected markets. Check whether the traffic mix changed. An increase in cross-border declines needs transaction evidence before switching gateways or changing risk controls.
Foundation · 2 min
Frequently asked questions
Why did payment success rate suddenly drop?
Compare the change time with releases, account restrictions, provider incidents and new risk settings. Separate devices, methods and issuing countries, and confirm the metric itself is still collected correctly. Reconcile actual paid orders before declaring a sales loss.
How do I perform an ecommerce payment audit?
Trace a supported test purchase through payment, order, stock, confirmation, refund and payout records. Also test decline, interrupted authentication, duplicate delivery and an unknown response using provider-approved test tools. Record each defect, its owner and recovery evidence before closing the audit.