Urgent production problems
Emergency WooCommerce fix
When checkout is down, payments fail or the store throws critical errors, a senior engineer works on the root cause — not a temporary workaround. Urgent technical issues are assessed based on severity, availability and scope.
When it is an emergency
Problems that cannot wait
The common factor is direct, ongoing loss: orders, payments or data. Read the guide to WooCommerce emergencies for how to judge severity.
No customer can complete an order
Place Order fails, the checkout spins forever or returns an error for everyone.
Charged, but no order
Customers are charged while orders fail or stay pending.
Critical error after an update
“There has been a critical error on this website” on the shop, checkout or admin.
Orders not created or processed
Orders missing, emails and stock updates not happening, scheduled actions piling up.
Database errors
“Error establishing a database connection”, crashed tables, deadlocks under load.
Down after a hosting or PHP change
502/504 errors, timeouts or blank pages after a server, PHP version or CDN change.
How an emergency engagement runs
- Triage — confirm what is failing, for whom, and since when
- Stabilise — the least risky way to stop the damage, such as rolling back one change, without destroying evidence
- Root cause — find why it failed, so it does not return with the next update
- Fix and verify — implement and test the real fix, on staging first where possible
- Document — what happened, what was changed and what to watch
What you receive
- A working checkout, payment flow or admin — or a clear statement of what is blocking it
- An incident summary with a timeline
- A list of every change made, so nothing is a mystery later
- Follow-up recommendations to prevent a repeat
While you wait: what to do, and what not to do
Do:
- Write down when the problem started and what changed shortly before: plugin, theme or WooCommerce updates, PHP version, hosting, DNS or CDN changes.
- Copy any error message as text. Check WooCommerce → Status → Logs for
fatal-errorsentries around that time. - Note whether it affects everyone or only some customers: guests, one payment method, one country, mobile only.
- Take a backup before anyone changes anything.
Don't:
- Update every plugin at once hoping one of them fixes it. It multiplies the number of changes and hides the cause.
- Delete, duplicate or manually edit orders, or edit database tables directly.
- Restore an old full backup without checking which orders it would lose.
- Purge every cache and disable security rules on production without knowing what they protect.
Why "just roll back" is not always enough
Rolling back the last update often stops the immediate damage, and it is sometimes the right first move. But if the update exposed a deeper problem — custom code that is not compatible with a new WooCommerce version, HPOS, or PHP 8 — the problem returns with the next update. The emergency work does not end until the root cause is understood and the fix is documented.
Technical resources
Related technical guides
- WooCommerce / Emergencies WooCommerce emergencies: when a problem needs urgent intervention How to judge whether a WooCommerce problem is an emergency, and the first safe steps.
- WooCommerce / Checkout WooCommerce checkout problems Checkout that keeps loading, Place Order that does nothing, errors on submit, guest checkout broken.
- WooCommerce / Payments WooCommerce payment problems Charged without an order, orders stuck in pending, failed payments, webhooks and 3D Secure.
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
Do you offer 24/7 support?
No. WooRescue HQ is not a 24/7 helpdesk. Urgent technical issues are assessed based on severity, availability and scope. Describe the business impact in your request so it can be prioritised correctly.
Can you guarantee the store will be fixed?
No honest engineer can guarantee a fix before understanding the problem. What you get is senior engineering on the root cause, clear communication about what is happening, and a documented outcome.
Should I restore a backup?
Not as a reflex. Restoring a full backup can lose every order placed since it was taken. Rolling back the one change that caused the problem is usually safer — once that change has been identified.
What do you need to start?
The diagnosis form: what is failing, since when, what changed, and the business impact. Access is agreed securely afterwards. Never send passwords through the form.
$ describe the problem
Have a WooCommerce problem?Request a diagnosis.
Tell us what is failing, what changed recently and the business impact. We review every request and recommend the appropriate next step.
Never send passwords, API keys or card data through the form.