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It's no use crying over broken glass: How to receive and inspect your freight shipment

It's no use crying over broken glass: How to receive and inspect your freight shipment

18 Sep 2020
4 min
Beginner

Tatiana IvanovaAuthor

This is your delivery day. Your long-awaited solar panels are just about to arrive, and you can clearly hear the delivery truck screeching to a halt by the door. Here they are. Making all haste you can, you sign the delivery receipt and wave goodbye to the driver so that you can install the panels and make them work asap.

Ouch! One of the panels is beyond repair. With your delivery receipt signed, you have nothing but to cry over broken glass. Here is our Ultimate Guideline to Receiving and Inspecting Freight.

1. Be prepared

Trite as it may sound, the less you leave to chance, the less probable it is that something goes wrong. So, before your freight arrives, make sure you have your invoice available and are going to be home at the designated time to receive your freight.

It is always a good idea to decide where you will unload your freight (a clean, dry, well-lit space is preferable). Also verify that a truck can access that location easily.

2. Unload and examine your freight

This is the most important part, so let's take it point by point.

If possible, unload panels one by one from the truck
Make sure pallets are not stacked on top of each other when there is Do Not Stack labeling present
Verify the number and description of pieces you receive by comparing to your delivery receipt
Check all angles of your freight
Inspect the top and bottom of module pallets looking for footprints, broken glass, damaged corners, etc.
Check the product packaging for dents or punctures.

1 IN 5

freight shipments contain broken panels

3. Document any damages and inconsistencies

If you noticed any damages or inconsistencies, please, don't wait until it's too late! Document the damages with your camera and note all damages and missing items as specifically as possible on the delivery receipt before signing (e.g. "damaged" or "short 1 piece", etc.).

Inform your driver about the problem and notify us of the missing/damaged items by emailing pictures to solar@a1solarstore.com. We will file a claim on your behalf and promptly send a replacement order.