A trailer full of leftovers
At the end of a job, a builder brings back a trailer load: half a pallet of blocks, some bags of plaster, a few lengths of timber, a box of fittings and a radiator that he says was damaged on arrival. The counter takes it in, writes a note and promises a credit. The yard stacks it wherever there is space. The credit takes a week because the branch manager needs to decide on the plaster and the radiator.
The builder's statement arrives without the credit, and he rings to complain. The plaster has gone hard in the rain. The radiator is never sent back to the supplier.
Where returns go wrong
Returns are awkward because every item needs a small decision: is it resaleable, is it within policy, is it a supplier fault. Those decisions are made on the fly and not written down.
- Returns are accepted with a handwritten note and processed later.
- Policy on special orders, cut timber, bagged goods and restocking charges is applied inconsistently.
- Condition isn't recorded, so later disputes have no evidence.
- Goods sit in the yard without being put back on stock or written off.
- Faulty goods aren't claimed from suppliers because nobody starts the claim.
What the muddle costs
Customers wait for credits and hold payment on other invoices. Stock is wrong in both directions. Supplier credits for faulty goods are lost. Branches give credit generously to end arguments, or refuse it inconsistently and lose customers. The yard fills with returned goods nobody has decided about.
A returns process from counter to supplier
- Returns are logged at the counter or by the driver on site, line by line against the original invoice, with a photo of condition.
- Your returns policy is applied as rules: time since sale, product type, special order or cut item, restocking charge, so the counter knows the likely outcome on the spot.
- Anything outside the rules goes to the branch manager's phone with the photos, for a quick decision.
- Approved credits are raised in your merchant system against the original invoice, and the customer receives a copy straight away.
- Resaleable goods are put back on stock; damaged goods are written off with a reason; faulty goods are sent to a supplier claim.
- Supplier claims are tracked until the supplier credits you, with the evidence attached.
| Return type | Stock outcome | Credit outcome |
|---|---|---|
| Unused, in date | Back on stock | Credit under policy |
| Damaged by customer | Written off | Per policy or declined |
| Faulty from supplier | Supplier claim | Credit and claim tracked |
| Special order or cut item | Case by case | Manager decision |
After the change
Customers leave the counter knowing what credit to expect, and it arrives quickly. The yard knows what each returned item is for. Supplier claims are made, with photos, and tracked to settlement. And branches apply the same rules, so customers who use more than one branch are treated the same way.
The monthly report also shows patterns that were invisible before: a product that comes back damaged unusually often, a supplier whose faulty goods are never claimed, or a customer who returns most of what they buy. Each of those points to a different fix, from packaging to supplier conversations to account terms.
Signs your returns need sorting
- Credits for returns take days or weeks.
- Returned goods sit in the yard waiting for a decision.
- Each branch applies the returns policy differently.
- Supplier claims for faulty goods are rarely made.
- Customers dispute statements because credits are missing.