Resolve shortages, rejected goods and replacements

Use a purchase-order dispute to agree what should happen after a receiving problem: a credit, a replacement, a discussion or an internal resolution. Check the disputed quantity and evidence before sending anything, then keep the dispute open until the agreed work is finished.

This guide covers goods and receiving disputes. For a problem with an invoice's price, quantity or currency, use invoice review.

Start with an accurate receiving record

Record accepted and rejected quantities separately when receiving the delivery. Completing a receipt with rejected goods creates a Draft dispute for each affected line and offers a prompt to handle resolution now or later.

A draft is internal work. The supplier does not see it until you send the request. Receipt notes and evidence captured during receiving are also internal initially.

Distinguish an expected later delivery from a confirmed shortage. If you ordered 72 each of MAILER-KR6 and 48 each arrived as the first of two agreed batches, receive those 48 each and leave the other 24 each outstanding. Ask for a shipment update if necessary. Do not record the missing 24 each as accepted just to make the PO appear complete.

For a confirmed receiving discrepancy, preserve the physical counts, packing information and reason. The receiving form includes Short shipment among its reasons. Use that reason only when it accurately describes the discrepancy you are recording.

Open the dispute

1. Continue from the receiving resolution prompt, or open the PO's Reconciliation tab and choose Open dispute for the affected line.
2. Check the product and Receiving context, including the disputed quantity and receipt reference.
3. If several disputes exist, select the correct product and status at the top of the resolution page.
4. Review Evidence. Select only the internal files you intend to share with the supplier. Check filenames and their visibility labels; do not rely on a thumbnail alone.

If Resolve opens a page saying Nothing to resolve, the PO has no open dispute to work on through that screen. Review the receipt and use a supplier-visible timeline comment to explain the outstanding discrepancy. If you need a formal resolution that the available controls cannot record, contact Support with the PO and receipt references. Do not create a false receipt or rejection solely to manufacture a dispute.

Choose the intended result

Select Resolution type according to what you need:

For a credit, check Credit amount and the currency shown. Its initial value is based on disputed quantity and unit cost; confirm that it is the amount you want to request. For a replacement, check Replacement quantity rather than assuming the default is correct.

For example, if six of 48 delivered mailers were rejected as damaged, the accepted receipt quantity is 42 each. A request for six replacement each should refer to that rejected quantity. If you instead agree to a USD 6 credit at USD 1 per each, check that amount on the supplier's invoice rather than assuming the dispute has transferred money.

Send or resolve internally

For a supplier-facing request:

1. Enter Message to supplier. Explain the discrepancy, requested result and any useful shipment or packing reference.
2. Review the evidence selected for sharing.
3. Select Send to supplier, or Re-send to supplier when responding to a revised discussion.
4. Check for Sent to supplier, the sent time and the requested resolution. The dispute should now show that it is awaiting the supplier's response.

For an internal resolution, enter Internal note, then select Write off or Accept as-is, matching your chosen resolution type. It resolves the dispute without asking the supplier to act. This decision is not a receipt for additional stock and does not make previously rejected goods accepted inventory.

Record a response received elsewhere

If the supplier replies by phone or email instead of through the portal, choose Record supplier response. Select Response, choose Channel, enter What did they say?, and select Record response.

Record the response that actually occurred. This records the communication; it should not be used to infer that replacements arrived or a credit was issued. If the supplier countered, review the response and use Edit & re-send to put your next request in the record.

Receive replacement goods, then close the dispute

An accepted Request replacement gives the supplier Ship replacement in their portal. Keep the dispute open until the replacement arrives. Selecting Mark resolved closes that replacement-shipping opportunity.

When the replacement physically arrives:

1. Open Receive items on the original PO.
2. Check the replacement-dispute attribution shown for the line. If more than one candidate exists, choose the correct Attribute to dispute entry; do not assume the newest dispute is the right one.
3. Record only the actual accepted and rejected quantities, then complete the receipt.
4. Read Replacement received — resolve the dispute?. Resolve it if the replacement obligation is complete, or leave it open if more goods or another decision remain outstanding.
5. Check both the receipt and dispute status afterward.

Attribution connects the receipt to the dispute. It does not close the dispute by itself. Likewise, accepting a discussion-only dispute does not provide replacement shipping; use Edit & re-send and change the type to Request replacement if that becomes the agreement.

Recover an uncertain action

After a timeout or error, refresh the original dispute and inspect its sent time, response and status before sending again or marking it resolved. Check shared evidence and the PO timeline too. If a receipt has already completed, do not repeat it to obtain the resolution prompt again.

Related guides

• Receive full or partial deliveries
• Review invoices, credits and payment status
• Send, track and close purchase orders