A paid order with three items and one out of stock feels like a shipping problem — pack the two that are ready, sort the third out later. Under Thailand’s Civil and Commercial Code, it’s a consent problem first: a customer can refuse a part-shipment they never agreed to, and if the missing item never arrives, a refund alone may not cover what you owe them.
Why “ship what’s ready” needs a yes first
Section 320 of the Civil and Commercial Code says a creditor — here, your customer — cannot be compelled to accept partial performance, or any performance other than what is actually owed to them (Section 320, Civil and Commercial Code). A bill for three items at one total is one obligation, not three separate ones, unless priced and agreed to separately. Shipping two of three and calling it settled isn’t a shipping shortcut — it’s offering something other than what the customer bought, which the law lets them simply refuse.
That refusal right doesn’t go away just because the two shipped items were correct — it sits with the customer until they say otherwise, which is why the fix is asking before you pack, not apologizing after a parcel bounces back.
If the rest never shows up, a refund may not be enough
Section 215 covers what happens if the missing item doesn’t follow: when a debtor fails to perform in line with the true purpose of the obligation, the creditor may claim compensation for the damage that failure caused (Section 215, Civil and Commercial Code). Refunding the missing item’s price settles what the customer paid — not necessarily a loss the delay caused them, like buying the same item elsewhere at a higher price. Written agreement up front, covering what happens if the backorder falls through, is what keeps a stock shortfall from becoming that kind of claim.
Set up in 1CS
1CS only reads เผยแพร่ (published) knowledge articles — one left as โครงร่าง (draft) stays invisible to the AI agent. Write a short article in the Knowledge Base (เมนู AI > คลังความรู้, or “เพิ่มความรู้” (Add knowledge) on the AI Agent page) stating today’s rule in plain language — the agent should never promise to ship an item it can’t confirm is in stock — and keep it separate from your general FAQ so it’s fast to edit when stock changes. Then add a line to กฎการส่งต่อ (Escalation rules), the single text field under “ส่งต่อทีม” (Hand off to team) on the AI Agent page, naming the real phrases a stock conflict produces — “สินค้าหมด”, “ของไม่พอ”, “ส่งไม่ครบ” — so the AI hands the conversation to a person instead of deciding alone whether to substitute, delay, or ship what’s left. Pick whichever of the three handoff strategies — unassigned, a specific agent, or round robin — matches how your team covers stock questions. The RAG-powered knowledge base is what makes the first part possible; the Thai help center covers both screens.
The message to send before you pack anything
Name every item, not just “the rest of your order,” and give the customer an actual choice rather than a notice:
Hi [customer name], quick heads-up before we pack order [order number] — [item A] and [item B] are ready to go, but [item C] is currently out of stock. You can: (1) we ship [item A] and [item B] now and send [item C] separately once it’s back in stock (expected around [date], not guaranteed), (2) we hold the whole order and ship together once [item C] is back, or (3) refund [item C]‘s amount of [amount] THB and ship the rest today. Which works for you?
Before you print a shipping label:
- List the ready items and the missing one by name — a vague “most of it” isn’t something a customer can agree to.
- Give a restock window only if the warehouse confirmed one; say “not guaranteed” rather than a firm date you might miss.
- Offer the three real options above, not just a heads-up that part of the order is late.
- Wait for a reply before shipping — the message only works as consent if it was sent, and answered, first.
Teams already running a payment slip check before shipping can add this as the same pause for stock conflicts instead of payment ones, and the confirmation habit from cash-on-delivery orders carries over directly — ask in writing, then pack.
