How orders and Delivery PINs work
The full life of an order — from "Pending payment" all the way to "Completed" — and what each status means.
Following an order from start to finish
Every order on KampalaSnap goes through the same set of stages. This guide explains each one in plain words, what you can do at each stage, and what the Delivery PIN is actually for.
Where to find your orders
Open the app and tap your avatar (top-right or bottom-right depending on your phone). Then tap My Orders. Every order you've made shows up here, newest first.
If you have a lot of orders, you can filter by:
- Active — orders not yet completed.
- Completed — orders you've already accepted.
- Disputed — orders where you opened a complaint.
- Cancelled — orders that were stopped before delivery.
Tap any order to see its full timeline.
The order stages
An order moves through these stages, in order:
1. Pending payment
You added the item to your cart and started checkout, but the payment hasn't gone through yet. Money has not left your account at this point.
What you can do: finish the payment, or wait — Pending payment orders are automatically cancelled after 72 hours if you don't finish.
2. Paid
Pesapal confirmed your payment. The money is now held safely in escrow. The seller can see that you paid and start preparing your item.
What you can do: chat with the seller on WhatsApp, cancel the order for a full refund (until they ship).
3. Escrow locked
The seller has started preparing or shipping your item. Your money is still in escrow and they cannot touch it yet.
What you can do: see updates from the seller, watch the order timeline.
4. Delivered
The seller (or their rider) has dropped the item with you. The order is waiting for you to confirm by entering the Delivery PIN.
What you can do:
- If the item is correct: enter your Delivery PIN, or give it to the rider. The order then moves to "Completed."
- If anything is wrong: open a dispute. Do not enter the PIN.
5. Completed
You entered the PIN. The deal is done. The seller is paid (after a short dispute window — see below). You can leave a review now.
What you can do: leave a review, save the item for re-ordering.
6. Disputed
You opened a dispute. Funds stay frozen in escrow while we investigate.
What you can do: add evidence to the dispute (photos, chat screenshots), message the seller, wait for the admin team to review.
7. Refunded
The dispute was resolved in your favour. Your money is being returned to the same MoMo or card you paid with. This usually takes 1-3 days to land back.
8. Cancelled
The order was stopped — either by you (before shipping), by the seller (if they ran out of stock), or by the system (if payment timed out). Any money you paid is refunded.
What is the Delivery PIN?
When you pay, we send you a 4-digit code by WhatsApp or SMS. This is your Delivery PIN. It's the key that releases your money to the seller.
Why we use a PIN
If we paid the seller as soon as you tapped Pay, you'd have no way to get your money back if the item never arrived, arrived broken, or arrived as a fake. The PIN flips this around: the seller can't be paid until you say "I got what I paid for."
Where to find it
- Look on WhatsApp for a message from "KampalaSnap."
- Or SMS if your number isn't on WhatsApp.
- Or open the order in the app — your PIN is shown at the top of the order screen (only you can see it; the seller cannot).
When to give it
Give the PIN only when ALL of these are true:
- The item is the one you ordered.
- It's in the condition you expected (not broken, not fake).
- It's the right size, colour, quantity.
- You're happy to consider the deal done.
If any of those is not true, do not give the PIN. Open a dispute.
How to give it
Two ways:
- Tell the rider the 4-digit code. They will type it into their own app or pass it to the seller.
- Open the order in your app and tap Enter PIN. Type your code and tap confirm.
Either way works.
What if I lose the PIN?
Open the order in the app. Your PIN is shown at the top. You can also resend the PIN to your phone by tapping Resend PIN.
What if I type the wrong PIN?
You have 5 attempts. After 5 wrong attempts the PIN locks for a few minutes. After it unlocks, you can try again. If you keep getting it wrong, just open the order in the app — your real PIN is shown there.
The 72-hour dispute window
After you enter your PIN, the order shows "Completed." But the seller doesn't actually get paid right away. There's a hidden waiting period — usually 48-72 hours — where the money sits and can still be reversed if you spot a problem.
This means: even if you entered the PIN too quickly and then noticed something wrong, you still have time to open a dispute and get a refund. The window depends on the seller:
- Trusted sellers with a clean track record: 48 hours.
- New or recently-warned sellers: up to 168 hours (one week).
You can see the exact window on the order page.
Common questions
I haven't received my item but the timer ran out.
If the seller marked the order as "Delivered" but the item never arrived, do not give the PIN. Open a dispute and choose "Item not received." The admin team will look at it. The 72-hour window starts from when you mark "Delivered," not from when the seller does.
The rider is at my door but the item is wrong. What do I do?
- Take photos of what they brought, with the rider in the frame if possible.
- Refuse the package if you can.
- Do not give the PIN.
- Open the app, find the order, tap Open a dispute, and upload the photos.
If the rider insists they need the PIN to leave, gently explain that the rules of the app say the PIN is only for items you accept. You can show them this guide if it helps. If they keep pressing, message the seller directly and ask them to confirm.
I gave the PIN by mistake. Can I still complain?
Yes — within the 72-hour dispute window. Open the order, tap Open a dispute, and explain what happened. After the window closes, complaints are much harder to resolve.
The seller asked me for the PIN by message before they delivered.
Don't give it. The seller doesn't need the PIN until you have the item in your hands. A seller asking early is a strong warning sign.
If they keep pushing, report them. The dispute system was designed exactly to stop this.
How long does a refund take?
After a dispute is resolved in your favour, the money is sent back to the same way you paid (MoMo or card). MoMo refunds usually land within 24 hours; card refunds can take 3-5 days depending on the bank.
If 5 days pass and you don't see it, email support@kampalasnap.com with your order number and we'll trace it with Pesapal.
Can I delete an order?
You can't delete it from your account — orders are kept as records. But you can hide completed orders from the main list by tapping the three-dot menu on an order → Archive.