Referral tracking has limitations that are technical rather than disputed.
COMMON CAUSES
The person cleared cookies between clicking and ordering They clicked on a phone and ordered on a laptop They used private browsing, which discards cookies The tracking period expired before they ordered They typed our address directly rather than using your link They already held an account, so were not a new customer The order was cancelled or refunded The link was truncated or mistyped when shared
WHAT YOU CAN DO
Test your link periodically Encourage the click and the order in the same session Ask the person to use the link directly rather than searching for us afterwards
WHAT WE CANNOT DO
Attribute a referral retrospectively on the basis that someone says they used your link. Without a tracking record there is nothing to verify, and we cannot discuss another customer's order with you.
THE REALISTIC VIEW
Some leakage is inherent to referral tracking everywhere. Judge results in aggregate over time rather than case by case.