A half-full cask and a text
A landlord texts to say the cask of the golden ale was cloudy and they poured half away. They want credit. The drayman brings back a container that might be that cask or another one. Somebody in the office raises a credit note because it is easier than arguing. The next week another pub does the same, and one pub seems to have a problem with every third cask.
Genuine problems do happen, and you want to know about them. But the claims arrive in a way that makes it impossible to tell a batch problem from a cellar problem from a landlord who has learned that claims are always paid.
Why claims are hard to judge
The claim, the container and the credit are recorded in different places, if at all. The batch is not noted. What came back is not checked or measured. Your policy on ullage and quality claims may exist in principle but is applied case by case by whoever takes the call.
- Claims come by text, call or through the drayman.
- The batch and container number are rarely given.
- Returned containers are not checked for what is left in them.
- Credits are raised without a reason code.
- Nobody looks at claims across accounts or batches.
What loose claims cost
Credits paid on claims that would not stand up, and genuine batch problems missed because they looked like isolated grumbles. Arguments with landlords when one claim is refused and another accepted. Office time on each claim. And cellar problems at a pub, such as temperature or line cleaning, go unaddressed because you never see the pattern.
How generous to be with credits is your commercial choice. The aim here is that the choice is informed and applied the same way each time.
A claim process that is quick and fair
- Pubs make a claim through a short form or by replying to your order number: beer, container, reason, and a photo of the pour or the pump clip if they can.
- The claim is matched to the delivery, and so to the batch, automatically.
- The drayman collects the container and tags it as a claim return on the phone.
- At the yard, the returned container is checked: how much is left, a quick taste or sample if you want, recorded against the claim.
- Your policy rules suggest a decision: full credit, part credit, replace, or refer to the owner. A person confirms it.
- The credit note is raised in Xero, QuickBooks or your brewery system with a reason code.
- A monthly view shows claims by batch, by beer and by account, so batch issues and repeat claimants both stand out.
| Pattern | What it suggests | Next step |
|---|---|---|
| Several claims on one batch | Batch problem | Check the batch QC record |
| Many claims from one pub | Cellar or handling issue | Visit and offer cellar help |
| Claims on one beer across batches | Recipe or shelf life | Review with the brewer |
| Claims after long deliveries | Handling in transit | Check the route and storage |
Claims that teach you something
Landlords get a quick, consistent answer. The office stops making judgement calls on each text. A genuine batch problem shows up after two or three claims, not ten. A pub with a cellar problem gets a helpful visit rather than a string of credits. And your credit notes finally carry reasons, so the numbers in your accounts make sense.
Are claims handled like this at your brewery?
- Credit claims arrive by text or through the drayman.
- Credits are raised without knowing the batch.
- Returned containers are not checked.
- The same pubs claim again and again.
- Nobody reviews claims by batch or beer.