How Do You Handle Warranty Claims with Gorgias Contact Forms? (2026)

To use Gorgias for warranty claims, create a Contact Form under Settings → Channels → Contact Form, tell customers to put their order number in the Message and attach photos and a receipt, then use ticket fields, Rules and macros to label, route and answer each claim. The native form has four fixed fields (Full name, Subject, Email and Message) and cannot take extra custom fields, so structured fields like an issue-type dropdown either go on a third-party form or get set inside Gorgias after the ticket arrives. This is about Gorgias the ecommerce help desk, not the Greek dialogue; new to the platform? Start with what is Gorgias. Every step below was checked against Gorgias's Helpdesk Documentation on 24 September 2026. Gorgias renames menus now and then, so confirm the exact wording in your own account.

Can you add custom fields to a Gorgias contact form?

No, not on the native customer-facing form. Here is the precise picture.

Gorgias ships a Contact Form, a customer-facing form that turns a submission into a ticket. To create a ticket, the native form requires exactly four fields: Full name, Subject, Email, and Message (Gorgias docs). It also accepts file attachments: images (including .heic from iPhones), video, documents such as PDFs and spreadsheets, and .zip or .rar archives. For warranty photos, that attachment support matters most.

What the native form does not do is let you add arbitrary extra fields, such as a dropdown for "issue type" or a text box for "order number". That is a long-standing request on Gorgias's public product roadmap ("integrate ticket fields with the contact form"), not a shipped feature, and the current docs still list only the four fields. So when people search for "Gorgias custom forms," they usually want one of two things:

1. A Gorgias-native Contact Form tuned for warranties (using the Subject, Message and attachments you do control), or
2. A custom-built form (a third-party form builder or your Shopify theme) that captures structured fields and pipes the submission into Gorgias as a ticket.

Most warranty workflows use a blend, so both are covered below.

How do you set up a native Gorgias Contact Form for warranties?

This is the fastest path and needs no extra tools.

1. Create the form. Go to Settings → Channels → Contact Form and click Create Contact Form. Give it a name (e.g. "Warranty Claim"), set a default language, and connect your Shopify store. The connected store can't be changed after setup; if you pick the wrong one you have to create a new form (Standalone Contact Form docs).

2. Use the description and Subject to guide the customer. Since you can't add bespoke fields, the instructions have to do the work. In the form description and the Subject prompt, tell customers exactly what to include in the Message:

• Order number (or the email used at checkout)
• Proof of purchase
• A clear description of the defect or issue type
• Photos or video of the problem

3. Lean on file attachments for proof. The Message box accepts up to 5,000 characters and the form takes image, video and document attachments, so "attach a photo of the damage and your receipt" turns into usable evidence on the ticket. That one instruction removes most of the back-and-forth that drags warranty cases out.

4. Publish it. You can share the form three ways: a direct link, a manual HTML embed, or an auto-embed on your storefront. Gorgias suggests putting the link in your site footer in place of a bare email address. A separate contact form also lives in your Help Center once you toggle the Contact form card on under Settings → Channels → Help Center → [your Help Center] → Contact; it is reachable by adding /contact to your Help Center URL. You can't restyle the standalone form yet.

When the standalone form is submitted, Gorgias opens a new ticket from the contact form channel, and creating the form also creates a View so your team can watch that queue.

When do you need a third-party form builder instead?

If you need a dropdown for "issue type" or a required "order number" field on the form itself, build the form outside Gorgias and route the submission in. The common pattern, documented by Gorgias partners and form tools alike, is:

1. Build the form in a form builder or your Shopify theme with the fields you want: at minimum an input named email and one named message, plus your warranty fields (order number, purchase date, issue type, serial number).
2. Connect it to Gorgias so each submission creates a ticket, mapping the customer's name, email, and your extra fields into the ticket body or onto ticket fields (connecting a form to Gorgias, Ringly).

The trade-off: you gain structured capture, but you maintain a form outside the help desk and own the mapping. For many stores the native form plus good instructions is enough. Reach for a separate builder only when warranty volume justifies the structure.

How do you store warranty data inside Gorgias with ticket fields?

Whichever intake you choose, warranty data becomes usable in ticket fields, and these you fully control.

Create them from the dropdown menu (top-left) → Workflows → Fields and tags → Ticket fields → Create field (Manage ticket fields). Each field is a Dropdown, Number, Text, or Yes/No type. For warranties, a practical set looks like:

• Issue type (Dropdown: Defective / Damaged in transit / Missing part / Wear-and-tear)
• Order number (Text or Number)
• Proof of purchase received? (Yes/No)
• Warranty status (Dropdown: Eligible / Out of warranty / Needs review)

A few specifics that save grief. You can create as many fields as you like, but only 25 ticket fields can be active at a time (archive unused ones to free space). Dropdowns support up to 5 nested levels using a double colon :: (e.g. Defective::Battery). Text fields hold up to 2,000 characters. You can't change a field's type after creation, so archive and recreate instead. Fields can also be conditionally visible, so the warranty fields only show on warranty tickets.

Gorgias also ships three managed ecommerce ticket fields: Contact Reason, Resolution, and Product (Managed ticket fields). Contact Reason and Resolution come pre-filled with suggested dropdown values; Product needs your own values. The docs don't list Warranty among the defaults, so check your list and add a Warranty value to Contact Reason if it's missing. Labelling claims that way keeps them reportable without inventing a new field.

How do you tag and route warranty tickets automatically?

Capturing the data is half the job; getting the ticket to the right person fast is the other half. Gorgias Rules can auto-tag, auto-assign and auto-reply to contact-form tickets (Contact Form Views and Rules), and they can also set ticket fields from a set of conditions.

Useful warranty rules:

• Identify the form. If you run more than one contact form, use the "Message integration IS" condition with the form's name to isolate warranty submissions from general inquiries.
• Tag on arrival. Auto-apply a warranty tag so it's reportable and filterable.
• Set the ticket field. A rule can set Contact Reason to "Warranty" when the subject or form matches. Only ticket fields created in Gorgias can be used in Rules (Use ticket fields in Rules).
• Route it. Auto-assign to your warranty or returns specialist so it doesn't sit in the general queue.
• Acknowledge instantly. An auto-reply that says "we've received your claim and will review it within X business days" sets expectations and cuts "did you get this?" follow-ups.

Which macros speed up warranty replies?

Once a warranty ticket lands, Gorgias macros make the reply fast and consistent. A macro is a saved response that can also carry tags and actions in one click. Build a small library for the predictable moments:

• "Missing info": asks for the order number, proof of purchase, or a clearer photo, and applies a needs-info tag.
• "Claim approved, replacement": confirms approval, sets next steps, and can change ticket status.
• "Out of warranty": explains the decision and offers any goodwill alternative.

Pair macros with variables that pull live Shopify order data and the agent sends a personalised reply without leaving the ticket.

Where do AI agents fit in warranty triage?

If warranty triage is eating your team's hours, AI agents can take the repetitive parts: collecting missing info, checking warranty windows, and drafting replies. Macha is an AI agent layer that works on Zendesk, Freshdesk, Gorgias, Front, HubSpot or Intercom. It's a layer on your help desk, not a replacement for one. So it isn't a substitute for Gorgias itself. If you run Zendesk, Gorgias or another supported help desk, Macha's agents can automate this kind of intake-and-triage work, and the trial includes $50 of free usage with no credit card. If you'd rather stay native, Gorgias's own AI Agent features cover some of this too.

What are the best practices for ecommerce warranty intake?

• Ask once, ask clearly. The biggest time sink is the second email asking for the order number. Put every requirement in the form description.
• Make photos non-negotiable. "Attach a photo of the issue" up front settles most damage and defect claims without a follow-up.
• Standardise the outcome. Use the Resolution managed field so you can later report on approved vs. denied vs. replaced.
• Review your tags quarterly. A spiking defect on one SKU is useful to your product team, but only if the tags are clean.

FAQ

Can I add custom fields to the Gorgias contact form? Not on the native customer-facing form. It requires Full name, Subject, Email and Message and supports file attachments, but adding bespoke fields (like an "issue type" dropdown) to the form itself is an open request on Gorgias's product roadmap. To collect structured fields on the form, use a third-party form builder or your Shopify theme and route submissions into Gorgias as tickets. Inside Gorgias, capture structure with ticket fields instead.

How do customers attach proof of purchase or photos? The native Gorgias Contact Form accepts file attachments: images (including .heic), video, PDFs and other documents, and .zip or .rar archives. Tell customers in the form description to attach their receipt and a photo of the issue.

How do I route warranty tickets to the right agent? Use Rules. Identify the form with the "Message integration IS" condition, auto-tag the ticket (e.g. warranty), set the Contact Reason ticket field, and auto-assign it to your warranty specialist or team.

Is the contact form the same as Gorgias email? No. Email is a separate channel; the Contact Form is an intake that creates tickets from the contact form channel and can be embedded on your store or shared as a link. Both land in the same shared inbox, and if you use a Google or Outlook email integration, your replies go out from that mailbox.

How many ticket fields can Gorgias have? As many as you like, but only 25 can be active at a time. Archive the ones you no longer use to make room for warranty fields.

Does Macha work with Gorgias? Yes. Macha's AI agents run on Gorgias as well as Zendesk, Freshdesk, Front, HubSpot and Intercom. Gorgias's own automation covers a lot of this too, and that's what this guide focuses on.

What is the simplest warranty setup that works?

You can't add arbitrary custom fields to the native Gorgias Contact Form yet, and most stores don't need to. Build the intake around what Gorgias does give you (a clear Subject, a guided Message, and file attachments for proof), then make warranty data usable inside the help desk with ticket fields, route and label it with Rules, and answer it fast with macros. If you truly need structured fields on the form itself, a third-party form builder mapped into Gorgias closes the gap.

Gorgias updates its interface and field options regularly. Verify exact menu labels in your own account, and re-check this guide against the latest Gorgias documentation before relying on a specific step.