In pictures

Explainer

Who you claim from

Explainer

The first 48 hours

In this article

Three kinds of problem, three routes
The first 48 hours
What to send the supplier
Who pays
Deadlines to know
Prevent the next one

Short answer: act in the first 48 hours. Photograph the cartons before opening, count and weigh a sample, keep all packaging, and report in writing with photos and carton numbers. Who pays depends on whether the problem is transit damage, a shortage or a quality fault.

Three kinds of problem, three routes

Who you claim from

Wet, crushed or damaged cartons

Cargo insurer or carrier

Whole cartons missing

Carrier

Cartons short-packed

Supplier

Wrong weight, size, shade or stitching

Supplier

Problem	Examples	Who you claim from
Transit damage	Wet cartons, crushed cartons, container damage	Cargo insurer or carrier
Shortage	Fewer cartons or pieces than the packing list	Carrier if cartons are missing, supplier if cartons are short-packed
Quality fault	Wrong weight, wrong size, shade off, stitching defects	Supplier

The first 48 hours

At the door

Note damage on the delivery receipt

"Received damaged, subject to inspection."

Before opening

Photograph cartons and marks

Hour 1

Count cartons against the packing list

Day 1

Open a sample: count, weigh ten, measure five

Day 1 to 2

Report in writing, with numbers and photos

Throughout

Keep every carton and bag as evidence

Before signing for delivery, note any visible damage on the delivery receipt. "Received damaged, subject to inspection" protects your claim.
Photograph the container seal and number if you unload it yourself.
Photograph cartons before opening: all four sides of damaged ones, plus the carton marks.
Count cartons against the packing list.
Open a sample of cartons from different pallets. Count pieces, weigh ten, measure five.
Keep everything. Damaged goods, cartons and polybags are evidence. Do not throw them away or put them into use.

What to send the supplier

One email, the same day if you can:

Order number and bill of lading number
What is wrong, in numbers: "14 of 120 cartons wet", "average piece weight 498 g against a spec of 540 g"
Photos, including carton numbers
What you want: replacement, credit or a sort and re-inspection

Vague reports ("quality is bad") slow everything down. Numbers get answers.

Who pays

Transit damage is an insurance matter. Under FOB, the goods are your risk once they are on the ship, so you or your forwarder should have cargo insurance. Under CIF, the seller buys the insurance and you claim on that policy.
Shortages and quality faults against the agreed spec are the supplier's to put right. This is where a written spec, tolerances and an inspection report matter. Without them, it is one opinion against another.

Deadlines to know

Carriers and insurers set short time limits for reporting damage, often a matter of days. Check your policy before the goods arrive, not after.

Prevent the next one

Agree a spec with tolerances: see three documents that stop disputes.
Use a receiving checklist. Ours is on the AQL inspection calculator page.
Read how to manage quality control on linen shipments.

Our orders are inspected to AQL 2.5 before dispatch and you receive the report. If you are moving supply after a bad delivery, tell us what went wrong and we'll write the spec around it.