Quick answer
Recount the missing line before changing the paperwork. Compare the order, delivery note and actual goods, then report the difference through your supplier’s agreed claims route promptly. Keep the original documents, record who checked and ask whether the missing goods will be replaced or credited. A shortage report and a resolved claim are different things.
Check whether it is a shortage or a counting problem
Start with the product code and buying unit. Three cases of six cartons is different from three cartons. Check whether someone has already moved goods into another fridge, storeroom or display, and whether the driver left a second delivery note. Ask the receiver what they saw; avoid reconstructing a precise count from an uncertain memory.
If the order said 18 cartons, the delivery note says 18 and you can account for only 16, record those three numbers separately. If the delivery note says 16, the immediate issue may be an incomplete order rather than an overcharge. You still need to establish what will arrive next and what will be billed.
Preserve a small, usable evidence pack
Photograph the affected goods and their labels, retain the delivery paperwork and write a brief factual account while it is fresh. An empty space on a shelf does not prove a missing item. The useful evidence is the combination of order reference, line identification, contemporaneous count and the person who received it.
Do not rewrite the original delivery quantity to make it look as though the shipment was complete. Add a correction or exception with the time and reason. Report through the supplier’s specified channel and check its notification terms; this guide does not create a universal deadline or determine your legal rights.
- Supplier, delivery date and order or invoice number.
- Product code, description and unit size.
- Ordered, documented and physically received quantities.
- Who checked, where they checked and any relevant photographs.
- Requested outcome and the supplier’s claim reference.
Send a claim the supplier can answer
Use one message for the incident, with each affected line listed. State whether you need the missing goods for service or would prefer a credit. If a replacement is essential, ask for a confirmed arrival time before changing tomorrow’s order. Do not assume a promised replacement has entered the supplier’s system.
Subject: Short delivery — order [reference], received [date] We received 16 of the 18 cartons of [product/code, pack size] shown on delivery note [number]. [Name] recounted the delivery and checked the storage areas at [time]. The delivery note and supporting photographs are attached. Please confirm whether the two missing cartons will be replaced or credited, the reference for this claim, and the expected resolution date.
Close the loop with the person paying the invoice
Give the claim to whoever handles supplier payments. A verbal promise does not tell that person how the supplier has adjusted the account. HMRC describes a credit note as a correction to an invoice; it is not the same as a bank refund. Match any credit to the original line and check the agreed outcome has actually occurred.
For example, two missing cartons at an illustrative £2.40 each create a £4.80 goods-value difference before any applicable VAT adjustment. If the supplier replaces the two cartons instead, record the replacement so another manager does not claim again. Follow your agreed payment terms and seek advice on a material dispute rather than unilaterally deducting arbitrary amounts.
Further reading: HMRC: purpose of a credit note
Unpickle lets your team record missing quantities and item notes so the person chasing the supplier can see what the receiver found. Your team still agrees the remedy with the supplier. Keep delivery problems with the delivery.