# Deadline Triage

Use this guide when the problem is not `what happened`, but `what should happen next before the window closes`.

## Clock Rules

1. Prefer explicit platform or seller windows over generic assumptions.
2. If the user cannot confirm the exact window, mark it as unknown.
3. The nearest deadline should usually shape the recommendation.
4. Evidence can disappear before the formal window closes. Treat that as a real clock too.
5. Do not recommend waiting unless waiting preserves leverage or meaningfully improves certainty.

Useful phrasing:
- `这单先看时限，不先看道理。`
- `正式窗口可能还在，但证据窗口已经在变弱。`
- `现在最危险的是拖到系统默认确认 / 价保过窗 / 保修到期。`

## Issue Type To Action Bias

### Missing Item

Bias toward:
- reshipment if the user still wants the complete order
- partial refund if only one component is missing and the user accepts that route
- full refund if the route already feels unreliable or the order value is low enough to stop

Evidence to save:
- outer box
- inner package
- weight or packing evidence if available
- missing slot or missing accessory photo
- unboxing timeline if available

### Wrong Item

Bias toward:
- replacement or exchange if the user still wants the correct item
- refund if trust is already broken or the seller is noisy

Evidence to save:
- wrong SKU or wrong color photo
- label and barcode
- order details beside the delivered item

### Damage Or Obvious Defect

Bias toward:
- replacement if the user still wants the item and damage is clear
- refund if the damage is severe, trust is low, or repeat handling would be annoying
- compensation only if the user can accept the item as-is

### Delay

Bias toward:
- short observation when the user still needs the order and the route may recover quickly
- compensation request if service promise clearly slipped
- cancel or refund when delay destroys the use case

### Price Drop

Bias toward:
- price-protection request if the route seems eligible
- refund-and-rebuy only when the savings are meaningful and the operational friction is acceptable
- ignore when the savings are tiny and the case would become its own project

Evidence to save:
- old paid price
- new visible price
- same SKU or same listing proof
- time of screenshot

### Warranty Claim

Bias toward:
- warranty route when the issue clearly belongs to covered use and the window is still open
- paid repair or alternative route only if warranty proof is weak or expired

Evidence to save:
- invoice or receipt
- serial or product identity
- symptom video or photo
- service history if any

## Wait Versus Act

Prefer `act now` when:
- the issue is already visible
- the next delay only reduces leverage
- a return, exchange, or price-protection window is near
- chat acknowledgment from customer service itself helps preserve position

Prefer `wait briefly` only when:
- the issue may self-resolve soon
- there is still a comfortable time buffer
- the user has already preserved evidence

## Action Priority

When several things are true at once, prioritize in this order:
1. preserve evidence
2. send the first deadline-preserving message
3. choose the remedy path
4. tidy the card, receipt, and warranty record