A customer refuses your package at the door, claiming they never placed the order. The courier charges you the return shipping fee. You try to dispute it — and discover that a WhatsApp screenshot and a Facebook order form are not considered valid evidence.
This is the situation thousands of Pakistani sellers face every month. This guide explains what TCS, Leopards Courier, and Trax actually require to resolve a dispute in your favour, and how to make sure you have that evidence before your shipment even leaves the warehouse.
The Most Common Courier Dispute Scenarios in Pakistan
"I never placed this order"
Customer denies placing the order entirely. Often used when an impulse order no longer seems appealing, or when the customer placed duplicate orders and wants to refuse one.
"The product is not what I ordered"
Customer claims the product differs from what they expected. Sometimes genuine (wrong colour, size, or item shipped) but often used to avoid payment when the customer simply changed their mind.
"The courier did not attempt delivery" / "I was not home"
Customer claims the courier never came, or came at an inconvenient time. The shipment returns as undelivered rather than refused — still a cost to the seller.
"I already paid / The courier stole my payment"
Customer claims they paid the COD amount but the seller never received it. A fraud dispute against the courier, not the customer. Requires proof of shipment and declared COD value.
What Each Courier Accepts as Evidence
TCS Express
- Signed waybill copy
- Customer order screenshot (basic)
- WhatsApp confirmation with timestamp
- SHA-256 evidence PDF (accepted for formal disputes)
- Sales receipt or invoice
Leopards Courier
- Waybill / CN number
- Proof of customer communication
- Timestamped confirmation record
- SHA-256 evidence PDF (accepted)
- Booking acknowledgment
Trax
- Order booking confirmation
- Customer communication record
- Timestamped digital confirmation
- Cryptographic evidence hash (accepted)
- Product photos if applicable
The key pattern across all three couriers: They accept timestamped, digitally verifiable proof of customer confirmation. A plain WhatsApp chat screenshot is insufficient because it can be edited. A document with a cryptographic hash that can be independently verified carries significantly more weight.
What a SHA-256 Evidence PDF Contains
A properly generated evidence PDF contains all the information a courier or marketplace needs to verify a dispute claim:
Evidence PDF — Order #12847
The SHA-256 hash at the bottom is generated from the combination of order ID, customer phone number, timestamp, and confirmation status. Any change to any of those fields would produce a completely different hash — making the document tamper-proof. A courier or dispute resolution officer can verify the hash independently.
Why WhatsApp Screenshots Are Not Enough
Many sellers use a WhatsApp screenshot as their primary dispute evidence. There are three serious problems with this:
- Screenshots can be edited. Any image editor can change the text in a WhatsApp screenshot. Couriers and dispute officers know this, and many explicitly state they do not accept unverified screenshots.
- They do not confirm the specific order. A screenshot of a customer saying "yes" does not prove they confirmed order #12847 for PKR 2,500. It proves they said "yes" to some message at some point.
- No chain of custody. There is no way to verify that the screenshot was not taken from a different conversation and applied to this dispute.
Real case: A seller submitted a WhatsApp screenshot to TCS as evidence of a customer's order confirmation. TCS rejected it because the screenshot showed only the customer's message "ok" with no order details visible, and the timestamp did not match the shipment date. The dispute was closed in the customer's favour. An evidence PDF with a SHA-256 hash tied to the specific order would have been accepted.
How to Build Your Evidence Trail — Step by Step
The evidence trail must be built before the shipment leaves your warehouse. Once a parcel is in transit, it is too late to generate retroactive confirmation records.
- Order placed → Record full order details (customer name, phone, address, items, value, date/time)
- Within 5 minutes → Send WhatsApp confirmation to customer via official Business API
- Customer responds → System records confirmation with timestamp and customer WhatsApp number
- Immediately after response → SHA-256 evidence PDF generated and stored
- Before dispatch → Attach evidence PDF reference number to your waybill
- On dispute → Download and submit evidence PDF directly to the courier dispute portal
If you use OrderWitness, steps 2–5 happen automatically.
Filing a Dispute with Pakistani Couriers — Practical Tips
TCS Express
- File within 7 days of the return arriving at your warehouse
- Include your CN number, the evidence PDF, and a brief written summary of the dispute
- Email to your dedicated account manager if you have one, or use the TCS complaint portal
- Follow up by phone after 3–5 business days if no acknowledgement
Leopards Courier
- Use the email disputes channel for formal disputes (not the customer service helpline)
- Attach the evidence PDF and the original booking confirmation in a single email
- Reference the tracking number and CN in the email subject line
- Leopards has a 14-day dispute window — do not delay
Trax
- File through the Trax business portal at portal.trax.pk
- Upload evidence PDF directly in the dispute form
- Trax disputes are typically resolved within 5–10 business days
- For high-value disputes (above PKR 10,000), request escalation to the regional operations manager
Evidence That Does NOT Work
| Evidence Type | Accepted? | Why |
|---|---|---|
| WhatsApp screenshot (edited image) | ✗ Rejected | Cannot verify authenticity |
| Order form on Facebook/Instagram | ✗ Insufficient | Does not confirm customer agreed to ship |
| Phone call record | ✗ Rarely accepted | No transcript, content cannot be verified |
| SMS confirmation | ✗ Insufficient | Not tied to specific order details |
| Google Forms order | ✗ Insufficient | Customer can deny submitting the form |
| SHA-256 Evidence PDF | ✓ Accepted | Tamper-proof, timestamped, independently verifiable |
| WhatsApp API confirmation + Evidence PDF | ✓ Accepted | Tied to customer's phone number + cryptographic hash |
Bottom line: The only evidence that consistently wins courier disputes in Pakistan is a digitally signed, tamper-proof document tied to the customer's phone number and the specific order details. The SHA-256 evidence PDF generated by OrderWitness meets this standard and is accepted by TCS, Leopards, and Trax.
Generate Evidence PDFs for Every Order — Automatically
OrderWitness generates a SHA-256 evidence PDF for every confirmed or rejected order. Start free with 50 orders per month — no credit card required.
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