The industry-specific problem
A customer may open several tickets, receive an earlier partial refund and then ask again under another email address. Reading each ticket in isolation creates duplicate payouts and inconsistent treatment during peak order volume.
Step-by-step workflow
- Receive a verified Gorgias ticket event and resolve the customer to the actual Shopify order, not a model-guessed identity.
- Fetch refund history, fulfillment state and policy version. Read Klaviyo Flow Logs for previously sent tracking messages where your account exposes them.
- Use a supported Claude model to classify intent and summarize ticket history; migrate the named Claude 3.5 Sonnet dependency rather than using its retired API ID.
- Apply a merchant-approved minor-unit refund cap, fraud/dispute holds and an idempotency reservation in n8n.
- Execute an authorized Shopify refund only after re-reading the order. Write the provider refund ID into Gorgias and suppress contradictory follow-up flows where supported.
Visual workflow
Gorgias ticket → order identity → Shopify refund history + Klaviyo message context
→ Claude intent → deterministic refund gate
pass → reserved refund → Gorgias receipt
hold → merchant review
Specific configuration example
This n8n Code-node fragment consumes a normalized, authenticated event from preceding integration steps. It demonstrates the decision boundary, not a complete API client. Fields are workflow-local mappings, not claimed vendor field names. Upstream credentials, schema validation, permissions, durable reservations and provider operations must be implemented separately. Numeric policy examples are illustrative, not Imperio service terms.
// n8n Code node: example merchant policy, USD minor units
const ticket = $json;
const refundable = Math.max(0, ticket.paid_minor - ticket.refunded_minor);
const requested = ticket.requested_refund_minor;
const approved = ticket.currency === "USD" && Number.isInteger(requested) &&
requested > 0 && requested <= 5000 && requested <= refundable &&
ticket.policy_eligible && !ticket.open_dispute && !ticket.fraud_hold;
return [{ json: { orderId: ticket.order_id,
requested, decision: approved ? "reserve_then_refund" : "review",
operationKey: `${ticket.order_id}:${ticket.policy_version}:${ticket.claim_id}` } }];
Outcome to measure
Track refund handling time, duplicate payouts prevented and net retained margin. An illustrative 240 eligible requests handled three minutes faster frees 12 staff hours; monitor erroneous approvals alongside the speed gain.
Compared with manual work or other tools
A Gorgias macro answers quickly but does not necessarily reconcile refund state across duplicate tickets. A custom n8n workflow adds control; human review remains essential for suspected abuse and policy exceptions.
Work with Imperio Automation
Ask Imperio to audit your Shopify refund rules and build a capped, replay-safe Gorgias workflow.
Frequently asked questions
Can a highly negative customer get an automatic larger refund?
No. Sentiment never overrides the merchant policy cap.
What if a refund webhook arrives twice?
Use a durable operation key and verify existing provider refund state before any retry.
Do Klaviyo logs prove a customer read the tracking message?
No. Delivery or open signals are imperfect and should not determine refund entitlement.