Most claims are lost on evidence, not on the facts
A buyer who receives a short or wrong delivery is usually right about the fact. The supplier sent four where the order said six, or an assembly that does not match the machine on the floor. Being right, though, is not the same as being able to prove it, and a claim that cannot be proved is settled at the buyer's expense.
The proof is built at the moment of receiving, not in the argument afterwards. A delivery note signed with no exceptions, a crate opened a week after arrival and a photograph taken after the parts are already on a shelf are all evidence that has lost most of its value. The buyers who recover on claims are the ones who treat the first hour after a truck arrives as part of the process.
Open, count and photograph before you sign
The receiving routine is short and it does not vary. Count the packages against the packing list before signing. Open the ones that could hide a mismatch — the carton that feels light, the pallet that was re-strapped. Photograph the closed package, the packing list beside it, and the contents once opened.
Photographs need a scale and a reference. A picture of a part sitting in a warehouse proves very little. A picture of the part on the open carton, with the shipping label and the packing list visible in the same frame and a tape measure across the item, ties that part to that shipment and that line on the order. This single habit is the foundation of every claim that gets paid.
Then mark the delivery note. If a package is short, if a carton is torn or if the count does not match, write it on the carrier's document before signing it. A clean signature followed by a complaint is a claim with no record of when the loss happened; a noted signature is proof that the problem existed at delivery.
The claim window is shorter than buyers expect
Every claim runs on a clock, and the clock starts at delivery rather than at the moment the problem is discovered. Carriers and insurers work to notification periods measured in days, and those periods are usually named in the shipping documents. A damage claim raised after the window has closed is refused on the date, however clear the photographs are.
So inspect against the packing list on arrival, raise anything visible within days rather than weeks, and keep the original packaging until the claim is closed. Where a fault could not be seen at delivery — a wrong internal part inside a correctly labeled box — raise it as soon as it is found and say plainly that the discovery was late. A supplier can often help; an insurer cannot be made to overlook its own deadline.
Short shipment, wrong part and damage are three different claims
The three problems follow different routes. A short shipment is a quantity dispute, settled against the packing list and the invoice. A wrong part is a specification dispute, settled against the order line and the markings on the item. Damage is a handling dispute, settled against the carrier's record and the condition of the packaging. Treating them as one complaint slows all three, because each one needs a different piece of evidence.
Closing the loop with the supplier
A claim is closed when the two sides agree on one of three outcomes: a replacement, a credit, or a return with the carriage decided in advance. Ask for the outcome in writing, and ask that the same reference number be used on the credit note or the replacement shipment as was used on the claim.
Keep the evidence until the outcome is on paper. Photographs, the marked delivery note and the packing list cost nothing to store and settle the argument if the same issue appears on the next order. A buyer who can show a supplier the exact frame where the count went wrong is not only closing one claim, they are correcting a packing process.
The most useful thing a buyer can do is also the cheapest: arrive at the claim with the evidence already assembled. Guangzhou Shenyue Machinery Technology Co., Ltd. has supplied excavator parts from Guangzhou since 2007 and applies the same standard to its own outbound loads — a packing list that matches the box, a load photographed before the doors close, and a grade stated on every line.
Where we sit in a claim
Guangzhou Shenyue Machinery Technology Co., Ltd. is an independent supplier. Four warehouses hold 3,000+ part types on the shelf, with 100,000+ part numbers available to order through original supply channels.
We hold formal authorization for five brands — Garrett, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, TONGMYUNG, NIKURA and Marusan. For Kobelco and the other machine brands we are not an authorized dealer; we supply those as genuine parts through original supply channels, or as OEM-quality and aftermarket equivalents, and every line on a quotation states which of the three it is. When a claim arises, that written grade on the quotation is usually the first document we reach for.
The evidence that settles each type of claim
| Type of problem | What settles it |
|---|---|
| Short shipment | Packing list, invoice and a counted delivery note signed with exceptions. |
| Wrong part | The order line, the marking on the item and a photograph of both together. |
| Damage in transit | Photos of the packaging, plus the carrier's record of exceptions. |
| Hidden fault found later | The date of discovery, the machine hours and the part's own markings. |
| Wrong grade supplied | The quoted line, which should state genuine, OEM or aftermarket. |
Frequently asked
How long do I have to raise a claim?
It depends on the terms and the carrier, and the periods are usually written in the shipping documents rather than left to habit. Visible damage and short counts should be noted on arrival and raised within days; hidden problems should be raised the moment they are found, with the date of discovery stated. Guangzhou Shenyue Machinery Technology Co., Ltd. asks buyers to raise anything inside the notification period on the contract rather than waiting for the next order.
What if the delivery note was already signed clean?
Then the claim is harder, but not always lost. For short counts, the packing list and the invoice still show what was shipped, and a re-count witnessed by a colleague carries weight. For damage, the condition photos taken before the pallet was unwrapped are what remain, which is exactly why the pictures should be taken even when the load looks fine.
Should a wrong part be returned before a replacement is sent?
Not necessarily. A wrong inexpensive part is often better credited and kept than shipped back at a cost close to its value, while a wrong assembly is usually returned with the carriage agreed in writing first. Ask which route the supplier prefers and get the answer in writing before the part is moved.
Send the machine model, serial number, the part numbers you have and the quantity. That is all we need to quote and confirm fitment before payment.
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