What to do when a delivery is short, damaged or substituted

Even good distributors get deliveries wrong. A van is loaded in a hurry, a product is out of stock at the depot, a pallet shifts on a rough road. For a small shop, each problem is a direct hit on cash and on the shelf.

The basic check-in routine, counting against the invoice and checking condition, is covered in how to receive stock deliveries. This guide picks up where that one stops: what to do when the check finds a problem.

The best moment to deal with a problem is the minute you find it. Once the driver has gone, you are asking the distributor to take your word for it.

1. Count and inspect before signing

   Count cases and open any that look damaged. If the driver is in a hurry, ask them to wait while you check the boxes that matter most. Signing a clean invoice usually means you accept everything on it.

2. Write the problem on the paperwork

   Note it on the delivery note or invoice, in clear words: "2 cases short", "3 bottles broken in case of 12", "orange sent instead of cola". Ask the driver to sign or initial next to it, and keep a copy.

3. Take photos

   A phone photo of crushed cases, a label showing the wrong product, or the invoice with your note is cheap proof. Include the date visible if you can.

4. Decide: accept, refuse or hold

   For small damage, accept the rest and claim a credit. For a large share of the load, or a substitution you do not want, you can refuse that item and have the driver take it back. If you are unsure, accept it but mark it "held, not accepted" so it is clear you have not agreed.

5. Tell the rep the same day

   A call or message with the details and photos, while the driver and van are still on the route, makes it far easier to sort out.

Shortages

Compare what arrived with both the invoice and your own order record. If the invoice lists 10 cases and 8 came, ask for a credit for 2, or for the missing cases to arrive on the next run. Be clear which you want. A short on an essential product that you will run out of before the next visit is worth asking for a top-up delivery or collecting from the depot. Check also that the invoice charges only for what was delivered, which is often where mistakes hide.

Damage

Separate the damaged units immediately and keep them somewhere visible, not back on the shelf. Count exactly how many are unsellable and write down the product, number and what happened. Distributors often replace or credit breakages if you report them quickly, and some will collect the damaged goods on the next visit. Ask what proof they need. Do not throw anything away until the rep has agreed to the claim.

Substitutions

A substitution is the distributor's way of filling an order when something is out of stock, and it can be fine, but only if you agreed to it. Check the new product's size, flavour and cost. A larger pack at a higher price needs a new shelf price. If you do not want it, refuse it. If you accept it, make sure the invoice shows the right price, and tell the rep to put you down for the original product next time. A substituted product with no history in your shop should be ordered in small amounts, and watched for a few weeks.

Wrong prices

Check unit prices against your order record and any promotions the rep promised. A promotion that was agreed but missing from the invoice is common. Raise it straight away with the rep, with your notes in hand. If you caught it before paying, ask for the invoice to be corrected. If you have already paid, ask for the difference as a credit. This is where a record of the agreed price pays for itself: see ordering from route sales reps.

A shop orders 10 cases of cream soda at $18 a case, and 5 cases of cooking oil (12 x 1 L) at $36 a case. The invoice lists everything. At the door the owner finds:

• Only 9 cases of soda arrived, but the invoice charges for 10.
• One case of oil has 3 leaking bottles.
• The oil price on the invoice is $38, not the agreed $36.

She notes all three on the delivery note, the driver signs, and she photographs the damaged case. Now work out the credit.

She messages the rep that afternoon with the photos and the figure of $37. The credit should appear on the next invoice, and she writes that down. On a $360 delivery, $37 is more than 10 percent. Without notes, she would have paid it all and probably never noticed.

A credit note is the distributor's way of owing you money. It can come off your next invoice, or be paid back, depending on the company. Make it easy to say yes.

• Report it the same day, and put it in writing even if you phoned. A message is enough.
• State the product, quantity, price and what went wrong, with photos.
• Say what you want: credit, replacement or correction.
• Ask for a credit note or a written confirmation, and note the date and who agreed.
• Check that the credit appears on the next invoice. If it does not, raise it immediately.

Stay polite and factual. The driver and the rep did not pack the truck themselves. If a claim is turned down, ask what proof would change that, rather than arguing. Keep the same approach for each shortage. For tips on tone, see negotiating with suppliers, which includes a worked damage credit.

One bad delivery is bad luck. Five in a row from the same supplier is a problem you can raise. A simple log, in a notebook or spreadsheet, makes the difference between those two.

Once a month, add up by supplier. If one distributor accounts for most of your shortages or breakages, take the log to the rep and ask what will change. It also helps you decide where to send more of your orders. See distributor, wholesaler or direct.

• Signing a clean invoice and checking later. Once signed, a claim is harder.
• Putting damaged stock on the shelf "just in case", and then selling it or refunding it.
• Phoning a complaint but not writing it down.
• Accepting a substitution without checking the price.
• Not following up when the credit does not appear.
• Letting an unrecorded loss disappear into your stock numbers. See stock adjustments and write-offs.

With Shopkeepa, Stock In records what actually arrived and what it cost, not what the invoice said, so a short delivery never inflates your stock. Damaged goods are recorded as damaged stock removals, and you can record returns and corrections, so your records show where every unit went.

Because the numbers stay true, your restock list and suggested order quantities stay reliable, and you will not wait for stock that never arrived. Learn more about inventory tracking. Shopkeepa does not manage supplier accounts or credits, so keep your claims log alongside it. Shopkeepa is in development, and early access shops will help shape it.