Returns are coming in, and the factory wants proof
A product from your last container is coming back from customers with the same fault. Your customer service team logs the returns. The warehouse has a pile of them. Your buyer emails the factory to complain. The factory asks for photos, quantities, batch numbers and evidence the goods did not meet the approved specification.
Assembling that takes days. Some returns have no batch recorded. The photos were taken on different phones. The approved sample is in a box somewhere. By the time the claim goes, the factory's reply is that the evidence is incomplete and they can offer a small discount on the next order.
Why factory claims are weak
The evidence for a quality claim is spread across customer service, the warehouse, the buyer and the inspection company. Returns are recorded by customer, not by shipment or batch. There is no single file that brings together the approved specification, the inspection result and what actually went wrong. So claims are argued in email, and the factory has the easier position.
- Returns not linked to shipment or batch.
- Photos not organised by fault type.
- Approved specification hard to find.
- Inspection report not reviewed in light of the fault.
- Affected quantity not calculated, only estimated.
What weak claims cost
You absorb the cost of defects the factory should share: refunds, replacements, carriage and handling. Stock from the same shipment may need checking or can only be sold at a discount. The factory has little reason to fix the root cause. And the next order may carry the same fault.
What you are entitled to claim depends on your agreement with the factory. Your own advisers should guide anything contractual; the build is about having the evidence ready.
The claims file we build
- When a fault pattern is spotted, a claims file is opened for the product and linked to the relevant shipments and batches.
- Returns and complaints are linked to the file from your customer service tool or returns process, with fault type, batch and photos captured at the point of return.
- The approved specification and sample record, the inspection report and any factory correspondence are attached automatically from the product and shipment records.
- Stock from the same shipments still in your warehouse is listed, with an option to check a sample and record results.
- The tool calculates affected quantities and costs (refunds, replacements, carriage, handling) using your figures.
- A claim document is prepared with the evidence summary and attachments, for your buyer to review and send. Responses and settlement are tracked in the file.
| Evidence | Before | With the claims file |
|---|---|---|
| Returns | Logged by customer | Linked to shipment and batch |
| Photos | On phones | Organised by fault |
| Approved spec | Box in the office | Attached from the sample record |
| Quantities and costs | Estimated | Calculated from records |
What the next claim looks like
The claim goes to the factory with batch numbers, quantities, organised photos, the approved specification and the inspection result, all in one document. The discussion moves from whether there is a problem to how to settle it and fix it. And the file becomes part of the factory's quality history.
Do you recognise this?
- Factories ask for evidence you struggle to gather.
- Returns are not recorded against a shipment or batch.
- Claims end in a small discount on the next order.
- The same faults come back on later shipments.
- Nobody can say what defects have cost you per factory.