> ## Documentation Index > Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.vortexiq.ai/llms.txt > Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further. # Open Claims, ShipTheory > Open Claims for ShipTheory stores. Tracked live in Vortex IQ Nerve Centre. How to read it, why it matters, and how to act on it. **Metrics type:** [Key Metrics](/nerve-centre/overview#metrics-types-explained) • **Category:** [Shipping & Courier](/nerve-centre/connectors#connectors-by-type) ## At a glance > Real-time count of carrier claims open against shipments routed via ShipTheory. Because ShipTheory is an aggregator (it does not pay claims itself), every claim sits with the **underlying sub-carrier** (Royal Mail, DPD, Evri, Parcelforce, Yodel) under that carrier's process and SLA. Resolution timelines vary materially by carrier; the card pools them. | | | | ----------------------------------- | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | **What it counts** | `COUNT(claims WHERE status IN ('open', 'pending_carrier', 'awaiting_evidence'))` against the merchant's account, pooled across every connected sub-carrier. | | **API endpoint** | `GET /claims` (ShipTheory v1 REST API). The card reads `claim_id`, `parcel_id`, `sub_carrier`, `status`, `claim_amount`, `currency`, `created_at`, `last_carrier_update_at`. | | **Delivery success criterion** | Not applicable, claims arise *because* delivery did not succeed (lost) or did not succeed in good condition (damaged). | | **Sub-carrier resolution variance** | Royal Mail typically resolves within 30 calendar days (statutory). DPD averages 5 to 14 days. Evri's process can take 14 to 30 days. Parcelforce 10 to 21 days. Yodel highly variable. The card does not segment; the per-carrier audit table in [Sub-Carrier OTD Comparison](/nerve-centre/kpi-cards/ship-theory/sub-carrier-otd-comparison) gives diagnostic context. | | **Returns / RTO** | RTS does not generate a claim; the parcel reverses without dispute. RTO with damage at return scan can become a claim. | | **Currency** | Open count is dimensionless. Monetary exposure denominated in GBP for the UK-focused account; multi-region merchants see workspace base currency with FX at claim creation. | | **Time window** | `RT` (real-time, refreshed every poll cycle). | | **Alert trigger** | `>0 unresolved >7d`. The 7-day threshold is generous for fast carriers (DPD) and tight for slow ones (Evri); calibrate per workspace. | | **Roles** | owner, operations, finance | ## Calculation Calculated automatically from your ShipTheory data. See the At a glance summary above for what the metric tracks and the worked example below for a typical reading. ## Worked example The UK home & garden merchant. Reading taken at 09:00 GMT on 12 Mar 26. | Sub-carrier | Open claims | Avg age (days) | Aged >7d (alert) | Status mix | | -------------------------------- | ----------- | -------------- | ---------------- | ------------------ | | Royal Mail | 18 | 14.2 | 16 | 12 lost, 6 damaged | | DPD | 4 | 3.5 | 0 | 3 damaged, 1 lost | | Evri | 12 | 11.8 | 11 | 9 lost, 3 damaged | | Parcelforce | 3 | 6.7 | 1 | 2 damaged, 1 lost | | Yodel | 5 | 9.2 | 4 | 4 lost, 1 damaged | | **All sub-carriers (this card)** | **42** | **11.4** | **32** | | The card reads **42**; **32** are aged past 7 days. Five things to notice: 1. **Royal Mail dominates the aged queue (16 of 32) but their 30-day statutory window means most are within process.** Operationally "aged Royal Mail claim" is normal until day 30; only escalate beyond that. Set per-carrier thresholds in workspace settings to suppress noise. 2. **DPD is the benchmark.** 4 claims, all under 4 days, none aged. DPD's claims process is the cleanest in the UK mass-market mix; if their claim count is climbing relative to volume, something specific is happening on that lane. 3. **Evri at 11 aged claims is the actionable middle.** Big enough to chase, slow enough to age. Evri's claim process accepts merchant-side photo evidence and bulk submissions; consolidate aged claims into a weekly batch escalation. 4. **Lost (28 of 42) vs Damaged (14 of 42). UK pattern.** Lost claims dominate at Royal Mail and Evri (smaller-parcel networks with more handover hops). Damaged claims dominate at DPD and Parcelforce (larger parcels, more visible damage). Read [Failed Deliveries](/nerve-centre/kpi-cards/ship-theory/failed-deliveries) alongside. 5. **42 claims at average GBP 32 = GBP 1,344 outstanding.** Material for a small mid-market merchant; the financial exposure is the operative number for finance. ## Sibling cards merchants should reference together Open claims is a queue depth; pair with these to size the impact and find the cause. | Card | Why pair it with Open Claims | What the combination tells you | | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------- | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | [Claim Value (open)](/nerve-centre/kpi-cards/ship-theory/claim-value) | The monetary exposure. | 42 claims at GBP 15 each is operations noise; 42 at GBP 200 each is finance escalation. | | [Sub-Carrier OTD Comparison](/nerve-centre/kpi-cards/ship-theory/sub-carrier-otd-comparison) | Identifies which sub-carrier is generating most claims. | Carrier with high claim share + low OTD = candidate for rate-shop rule change. | | [Exception Rate](/nerve-centre/kpi-cards/ship-theory/exception-rate) | Upstream cause. | Climbing exception rate predicts a 7 to 14 day rise in open-claim count. | | [Failed Deliveries](/nerve-centre/kpi-cards/ship-theory/failed-deliveries) | Failed deliveries that never recover convert to lost-parcel claims. | Both rising = network is dropping parcels. | | [Returned to Sender](/nerve-centre/kpi-cards/ship-theory/returned-to-sender) | Alternative outcome. | RTO and claims are mutually-exclusive paths for non-delivered parcels. | | Cross-connector: [`shopify.refund_rate`](/nerve-centre/kpi-cards/shopify/refund-rate) | Most lost-parcel claims trace back to a refund issued to customer. | Open-claim spike typically follows refund-rate spike by 0 to 2 days. | | Cross-connector: customer-support tickets | Predicts claim filings 1 to 3 days ahead. | Use as the leading-edge signal. | ## Reconciling against the vendor's own dashboard **Where to look in ShipTheory's own dashboard:** [ShipTheory Dashboard](https://app.shiptheory.com/) → **Claims**. The page lists open claims with sub-carrier, status, age, claim amount, and last-carrier-update timestamp. Closest like-for-like view: *Status: Open + Pending, All Carriers*. The portal also surfaces the carrier's claim-status webhook events for diagnosing why a claim has not moved. **Why our number may legitimately differ from ShipTheory's portal:** | Reason | Direction | Why | | ------------------------------- | ---------------------------- | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | **Status mapping** | Either | ShipTheory's portal exposes `awaiting_evidence` separately; the card pools it under "open". | | **Real-time freshness** | Ours can lag 5 to 15 minutes | Card polls API at workspace cadence; portal reads live. | | **Carrier-resolution webhooks** | Ours can lag | Royal Mail and Evri webhook resolutions sometimes lag the portal by hours. The card reflects the next poll. | | **Statute-aged claims** | Ours sticky | Claims aged past statutory window (Royal Mail 90 days, Evri 60) are usually written off; sometimes still appear "open" in the API. Finance writes off externally. | **Cross-connector reconciliation:** | Card | Expected relationship | What causes legitimate divergence | | -------------------------------------------------------------------- | -------------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------ | | [`shopify.refund_rate`](/nerve-centre/kpi-cards/shopify/refund-rate) | Most claims tie back to a refund. | Replacements instead of refunds; chargebacks routed via processor. | | Stripe / payment-processor disputes | Some carrier issues escalate to chargebacks. | Different timelines. | | Customer support tools | Tickets predict claim filings. | Tickets resolved via re-delivery never become claims. | ***
Documentation cross-reference (for agencies running multi-platform stacks) UK aggregator claims surface across multi-carrier platforms with conceptually similar definitions. The sub-carrier mix differs (UK vs EU vs AU markets). * [ShippyPro Open Claims](/nerve-centre/kpi-cards/shippy-pro/open-claims) (multi-carrier EU focus) * [Sendle Open Claims](/nerve-centre/kpi-cards/sendle/open-claims) (single-courier flat rate, in-house claims)
## Known limitations / merchant FAQs **Why does Royal Mail take so long?** 30 calendar days is statutory before they investigate a "lost" claim. Lost-mail processing in the UK postal service goes through a defined investigation cycle that respects national service obligations. The card alert at >7 days is generic; for Royal Mail, raise to >30 days to suppress noise. **Why does Evri's process take longer than DPD?** Evri's distributed courier model means investigation requires contacting individual self-employed drivers (or their depot lead), which adds days. DPD operates a centralised in-house network with faster claim adjudication. Expect 2 to 3x longer cycle on Evri vs DPD. **A claim was rejected. Why?** Common rejection reasons. (1) Photo evidence not provided within carrier's window for damage (Royal Mail 5 days, DPD 7 days, Evri 14 days, varies). (2) Lost claim filed before statutory minimum days of "no scan". (3) Excluded item (perishables, hazardous, no-cover items per carrier list). (4) Cover exceeded (parcel value above carrier's standard cover, no extended purchased). Read the rejection note in the portal. **My customer says delivered but parcel never arrived. Lost or fraud?** UK pattern. File a "delivered but missing" claim through the carrier; carrier checks GPS scan vs delivery point. If GPS does not match, carrier pays out. If GPS matches but customer disputes, you choose: refund customer goodwill and absorb cost, or wait for carrier investigation (often 14 to 30 days, often inconclusive). The card flags status; resolution depends on carrier evidence. **Can I file claims via API in bulk?** Yes. ShipTheory's Claims API supports POST. Most operators integrate with their support tool to auto-file claims when a "lost parcel" tag is set; high-volume merchants run nightly batch jobs. **Why is my open-claim count rising during peak?** UK Christmas peak (mid-Nov to 23 Dec) plus January remnants. Carriers run hot, courier capacity at limit, more parcels lost or damaged. Open-claim count typically rises 50 to 100% during peak and unwinds through January and February as the queue resolves. Plan budgets accordingly. **Industrial action, what happens to claims?** Royal Mail strikes specifically pause claim filings (Royal Mail does not investigate during strike weeks); claim count climbs without status changes. Once strikes end, the queue clears in 4 to 8 weeks. Set workspace alerts to suppress during known strike windows. **3PL operations, does my 3PL file claims for me?** Some do, most do not. Ask. ShipTheory accounts attached to a 3PL warehouse may have the warehouse staff filing on the merchant's behalf via shared dashboard access; the card reflects all filings on the connected account regardless of who filed. *** ### Tracked live in Vortex IQ Nerve Centre *Open Claims* is one of hundreds of KPI pulses Vortex IQ tracks across ShipTheory and 70+ other ecommerce connectors. Nerve Centre runs the detection layer; Vortex Mind investigates the cause when something moves; Ask Viq lets you interrogate any number in plain English. [Start for free](https://app.vortexiq.ai/login) or [book a demo](https://www.vortexiq.ai/contact-us) to see this metric running on your own data.