WCA-003 · n8n

Order Exception Desk

Name: Order Exception Desk
SKU: WCA-003

Bring pending, failed and long-running orders together for a human check.

Setup begins with a compatibility check. Scope and pricing are agreed before work starts.

Local integration tested. Purchases are not enabled; review the tested profile and operating limits below.

Read requirements Request setup help

Sample output

See the result using sample data.

Example output using sample data

Order Exception DeskOwner review

#1042 · PendingCreated 27 hours ago

#1034 · ProcessingPaid 4 days ago · physical items

#1051 · FailedCheck the payment gateway

No status changes. No customer messages.

Data and rules

How this scenario is designed to work.

Hourly schedule → active statuses and tracked orders → explicit age rules → reconciliation → owner queue

Pending uses creation age (proposed 24h), On hold creation age (48h), and physical Processing uses paid date (72h), falling back to creation with a label. Failed orders in a defined window prompt gateway review. Processing does not prove non-shipment; date_modified is not time-in-status.

Requirements and configuration.

Your own compatible n8n runtime, one standard WooCommerce store and read-only REST credentials. Email scenarios require an owner email transport; Sheets requires Google access and an agreed sheet.

Rule thresholds, failed-order window, optional reminders, timezone and recipient. Virtual-only orders are excluded from the physical Processing rule.

Included in the review package: workflow, sample fixtures/output, setup and configuration docs, acceptance checks, safe-disable and recovery guidance. See the local tested profile below; production/customer accounts remain unverified.

Operational limits

Repeats, errors and safe recovery.

State distinguishes unchanged, resolved and reopened issues. Old active orders need inclusion; tracked IDs require reconciliation. Incomplete selection must not resolve an issue or advance successful-notification state.

No data must be treated as a complete empty result only after the relevant API selection succeeds. Disable the schedule before investigating unexpected output or changing state.

Scope

What this does not include.

Auto-cancel, refunds, payment capture, status edits, anti-fraud and live shipment tracking.

Package licensing, installation and third-party runtime costs are separate. Final licence, update, support and refund terms require confirmation before purchasing is enabled.

For a compatible, single-store setup.

Standard statuses and simple/variable products are the initial test target. Custom inventory, subscriptions, marketplaces and custom statuses require a compatibility review. The local profile is verified; other environments require acceptance.

See installation scope

Technical profile

Schedule: hourly
Prerequisites: One self-hosted n8n process; N8N_CONCURRENCY_PRODUCTION_LIMIT=1; standard single-store Woo REST v3; read-only HTTPS key; explicit persistent Data Table. Owner SMTP or a selected Google Sheet.
Tested versions: n8n 2.41.6 / Node 24.21.0; WooCommerce 11.1.2 / WordPress 7.1.2 / PHP 8.2.12; HPOS. Local API/Data Tables + synthetic SMTP; Google mocked only.
Limits: Local fixtures: 309 orders, 250 stock entities. Default stop limits: maxEntities 5000 / maxRequests 200 (not a tested workload claim). Standard simple/variable products and statuses. Cloud, multiple workers and custom inventory are unverified.
Support scope: Import, configuration and reproducible package defects; final periods and commercial terms require seller approval.

Runtime and third-party costs are separate. Final licence, update, support and refund terms must be agreed before sales are enabled.