Most of the money lost on deliveries is lost in the ten minutes before the vehicle leaves. A short delivery procedure is worth having written down, because nobody invents a good one under pressure with a driver waiting.
While the driver is still there
- Count it. Every line, against the purchase order, not against their delivery note.
- Look at it. Open one carton of anything that could be damaged inside.
- Record what is actually there on the goods received note, including the shortfall.
- Reject anything damaged and make sure it goes back on the vehicle.
- Annotate the driver’s copy too, with the same figures, before signing.
- Photograph anything damaged.
Step five is the one people skip. Your GRN is your record; their annotated note is what their office sees.
Do not sign clean
“Signed for in good condition” on a delivery you did not check is the sentence that ends most claims before they start.
If you genuinely cannot check, write what you did instead: “Received unchecked, 4 pallets, subject to inspection.” That is honest and preserves your position. Most carriers accept it.
Telling the supplier
Same day, in writing, with the GRN number and the specifics.
Delivery against PO-0184 arrived this morning short by 2 lengths of 38x63 studwork, and 2 lengths were split and rejected on the vehicle. Recorded on GRN-0091, copy attached. Please confirm replacement or credit.
Specific, dated, referenced, and it asks for a decision. Nobody has to reconstruct anything.
Getting it corrected
Two routes, and the supplier usually picks:
- Replacement. They send the missing goods. Raise a second GRN when it arrives, against the same PO.
- Credit. They issue a credit note against the invoice. Check the figure matches your shortfall before you accept it.
Either way, do not pay the full invoice while it is unresolved. Pay the undisputed part if you want to keep the relationship warm, and hold the rest.
Damage found later
Concealed damage happens. Report it as soon as you find it, and be honest that it was found on opening rather than on arrival.
Many carriers have a window, often short, for reporting concealed damage. Knowing yours before you need it is worth five minutes with the terms.
Over-delivery
Less common and still worth handling. You are generally not obliged to keep or pay for goods you did not order, but you may be obliged to look after them for a reasonable period.
Record the over-delivery on the GRN, tell the supplier, and ask them to collect. Do not quietly absorb it into stock, which turns their error into your unexplained inventory.
Repeat offenders
Keep the GRNs. Three shortfalls from the same supplier in a quarter is a conversation with evidence rather than an impression.
That conversation goes better with numbers: dates, PO numbers, quantities. All of which you have, if the GRNs were filled in properly at the time.
Next
For what the document should contain, see what is a goods received note. For a form built to encourage counting, see a goods received note template. For the payment check afterwards, see three way matching.