Process for proving your shipped order is/was correct?

[Dottonedan]

I’m checking to see if there are any new processes for proving your shipped order is/was correct?


We have had no issues whatsoever on shorting an order yet, but have ran across this one customer for running events. He’s done a couple smaller staff orders and then a couple 400-800 orders. In the last order for 850 shirts, he claims we shorted him approx. 100 shirts.  100

So yea, ok bud. Here we go!    So, after coming to an agreement on the last order (meeting him half way) on the cost of replacing his missing quantity as a courtecy. Now, WE KNOW, the quantity Wass ordered correctly, then came in correctly and we counted, and then we counted again at the end of the run.  There is NO WAY that we were even missing 10 let alone 100. So, Going forward,  how can we help our shop to assure we can prove it.

* Camera right over top of ONE packing station?  He suggested we pack only ONE size in each box. That adds more boxes but that’s nothing tedious to ask for.

* add on the box, the number of items in the box and number of boxes  1 of 8,   2 of 8,  etc.

* Count by weight?


Thoughts?

[Frog]

I think that weight along with detailed contents of each box could go a long way

[mk162]

He's either a moron or a liar.

In which case it might not be worth it to continue the relationship.  You can go the camera route, or you can tell him that the order was ordered correctly, checked in and counted out at the time of boxing/packing.  With that many missing it would be about 1.5 boxes.  Which is easy to track/trace.

It sounds like he's trying to get free stuff, in which case he will switch over to a different tactic.  I had a customer that wasn't happy with where we put the neck label. We put it next to the size tag since they didn't want to remove that tag.  Her email complaining about it ended with "how are you going to compensate us?"

I fired her. It has to be done sometimes.

[balloonguy]

I had a customer that used to do this all the time. I video taped the count and sealing of boxes without ever telling her. When she called to discuss the missing pieces I sent the video and let her know the problem was on her end not ours. I never heard back from. Sometimes it is easier to let a PITA customer go.

[Dottonedan]

He’s been a pretty nice guy and is an easy customer to work with (his words). He hasn’t been a problem except for being a bit on the eccentric and anal side.


The biggest problem here with this guy, is that he really doesn’t think the disconnect was on his end. He’s very confident in their process of handling waves of people at a time lining up to sign in for the race, and get their shirt size (and they hold the shirt up to show them and give them their size). He reminded us of how proficient he is with numbers being his thing.


He was nice about it, and did have a point that (he’s in a bind where people need to be Maile their sizes now...and he has no shirts and neither of us believe we are at fault and he suggested we meet in the middle and split the cost. We are going to do that...when he come back with his exact numbers of what he’s missing.  At this time, I politely Let him know ur position, and that we cannot afford to have anything like this happen again and if so, we would have to part ways. He supposedly understood and agreed. For now, it’s business as usual.

[rusty]

I have had it happen where we were at fault and where the customer is at fault.

We know label each box  with size breakdown and (  ) of 9 boxes they are receiving and then have them count how many boxes. Takes a little extra time but worth it.

[Homer]

we do like Rusty and we also note that number of boxes on the invoice they sign upon pick up. Had a restaurant owner a few years ago leave my shop with the correct number of boxes, drop them off to his restaurant, about an hour later an employee calls saying we screwed up and shorted them all the larges..Turns out the guy left a box in his truck and took off home.. We were saved by those labels on the boxes with a head count, cleared that up real fast....What really helped eliminate some of the "you shorted me one" is 2 part carbonless forms for packing lists. We have an exact copy of what the customer is looking at and a count on packages they should be receiving. This guys sounds fishy.

[ebscreen]

When we scan the barcode on our jobsheets to check in garments it takes a picture of the jobsheet with garments checkmarked.
When we scan the barcode on a jobsheet to finish a job it takes a picture of the jobsheet with any changes noted.

Not the end all be all but as the person who videotaped their packing found out sometimes you just gotta call 'em on their bologna.
People like that need to fall off the planet.

[tonypep]

As Andy mentions, weight of freight. Also proof of delivery. Slippery slope here no matter what, it can be a contentious back and forth.
Pick your battles.

[Dottonedan]

OH!, so.   Get this.  Customer comes back now with his exact count....and he’s missing 23.   Thats a far cry from 100....and 23 can be an easy mess up of handing out some wrong sizes at the event.  Bastids.