Sound familiar?
- Customers get stuck on the checkout page or see "There was an error processing your order"
- Payments taken in Stripe or PayPal but orders stay as Pending payment
- Order confirmation emails are not reaching you or your customers
- "Your theme contains outdated copies of some WooCommerce template files" in System Status
- Shipping rates or VAT are calculated wrongly at checkout
- Stock levels out of sync with an EPOS, marketplace or warehouse system
Key facts
- Checkout and payment gateway troubleshooting for Stripe, PayPal, Square and others
- WooCommerce updates tested against your extensions and theme template overrides
- Experience with High-Performance Order Storage (HPOS) and the block-based Cart and Checkout
- Order email deliverability fixed with SMTP, SPF, DKIM and DMARC
- Backups taken before every update so orders and customer data are protected
- Plans from £25 a month + VAT; ad-hoc fixes £45 an hour + VAT
Why WooCommerce needs more care than a brochure site
WooCommerce is a plugin that turns WordPress into a shop, so it inherits every WordPress risk and adds payments, customer data and stock on top. A typical shop runs WooCommerce plus a payment gateway, shipping and tax extensions, a few marketing plugins and a theme that overrides WooCommerce templates. Each of those updates on its own schedule.
When one of them falls out of step, the result is rarely a dramatic crash. More often the checkout quietly fails for some customers, or order emails stop, and you only notice when sales dip. That is why we check the checkout itself after updates, not just the home page.
Common WooCommerce faults we fix
- Checkout errors: JavaScript conflicts from optimisation or caching plugins, a caching layer serving the cart or checkout pages, or a gateway plugin that is not compatible with the block-based Checkout. We exclude cart, checkout and my-account from caching and test both classic and block checkouts.
- Orders stuck on Pending payment: usually failed webhooks. If Stripe or PayPal cannot reach your site to confirm payment (a firewall rule, a changed URL, an expired webhook secret), WooCommerce never hears the payment succeeded. We check the webhook logs in the gateway dashboard and fix the endpoint.
- Outdated template files: WooCommerce > Status lists theme template overrides that are older than the core version. Old overrides can break product pages or emails, so we update or remove them.
- HPOS compatibility: High-Performance Order Storage moves orders out of the WordPress posts table into dedicated tables. Some older extensions are not compatible. We check compatibility before enabling it and keep sync on during the switch.
- Missing order emails: fixed by sending through authenticated SMTP and correcting SPF, DKIM and DMARC. See email deliverability.
- Slow product search and admin: bloated wp_options autoload data, expired sessions and huge order tables, cleaned safely with a backup in place.
Updating WooCommerce safely
WooCommerce releases frequent updates, and paid extensions from WooCommerce.com and third parties need active licences to receive them. Our update routine for shops:
- Full backup, including the order tables.
- Update during quieter trading hours where possible.
- Run any database update WooCommerce asks for.
- Place a test order using the gateway's test mode or a low-value real product, and check the order email arrives.
- Check System Status for template and extension warnings.
For larger shops with heavy custom code, we recommend testing on a staging site first; that work is quoted. See also plugin update support and WordPress support.
Payments, security and PCI
Most WooCommerce shops use hosted or embedded payment fields from Stripe or PayPal, so card details never touch your server. That keeps your PCI scope small, but a hacked site can still inject a fake payment form or skimming script into the checkout. We monitor for file changes, keep the site patched and check checkout pages for unexpected scripts. If you suspect a skimmer, treat it as an emergency: see hacked website repair.
We also help with gateway setup, Strong Customer Authentication (3D Secure) issues, Apple Pay domain verification and refunds that fail to sync. More on our online payments support page.
WooCommerce support prices
For most shops, the Business plan at £50 a month + VAT is the right fit: updates applied and checked, daily backups, uptime and security monitoring, plus an hour of fixes or changes each month and priority support. Smaller shops can start on Essential at £25 a month + VAT. Busy shops that also need help with staff IT and Microsoft 365 suit Complete at £99 a month + VAT.
One-off fixes are £45 an hour + VAT, 30-minute minimum. Rebuilds, platform migrations and custom integrations are quoted. See our ecommerce support overview or get in touch.
What it costs
Support plans from £25 a month + VAT, or £45 an hour + VAT for one-off fixes. Pick a plan if you want it looked after every month, or pay by the hour for a one-off job.
Essential
Keep it updated, backed up and watched.
- Website software updates (core, plugins, themes) applied and checked
- Daily backups
- Uptime monitoring
- Security monitoring
Business
Updates plus an hour of fixes every month.
- Everything in Essential
- 1 hour of fixes or changes every month
- Priority support
Complete
Website and your team's IT, covered.
- Everything in Business
- 3 hours of fixes or changes every month
- IT and Microsoft 365 helpdesk for your team
No plan? The first 30 minutes are the minimum charge, then we bill in 15-minute blocks.
Frequently asked questions
Why are my WooCommerce orders stuck on Pending payment?
Usually the payment gateway's webhook cannot reach your site, so WooCommerce never receives confirmation. Causes include firewall or security plugin rules, a changed site URL or an outdated webhook secret. dijitul checks the gateway logs and fixes the endpoint, at £45 an hour + VAT or on a plan.
Is it safe to enable WooCommerce HPOS?
High-Performance Order Storage is the default for new stores and faster for large order volumes, but older extensions may not support it. dijitul checks every extension's compatibility, keeps compatibility sync enabled during the switch and tests orders before relying on it.
How often should WooCommerce be updated?
Check for updates at least weekly and apply security releases promptly. Always back up first and test checkout afterwards. dijitul's plans from £25 a month + VAT handle this for you, with daily backups included.
Why are WooCommerce order emails going to spam?
WordPress sends email through PHP mail by default, which many providers distrust. Sending through an authenticated SMTP service with correct SPF, DKIM and DMARC records usually fixes it. dijitul sets this up as part of a one-off fix or plan.
Can you move my WooCommerce shop to Shopify or the other way?
Yes, platform migrations are possible, including products, customers and order history, but they are projects rather than fixes, so dijitul quotes them after looking at your catalogue, extensions and integrations.
Do you support WooCommerce Subscriptions and Bookings?
Yes. dijitul supports common WooCommerce extensions including Subscriptions, Bookings, Product Add-Ons and Table Rate Shipping. After updates we check that renewal payments still process and that scheduled actions in WooCommerce > Status are running rather than piling up as pending or failed.
Related
Hand it over and stop worrying
Updates, backups, monitoring and fixes from £25 a month + VAT. Real UK people on the phone.