Damaged Product & What To Do About It

No matter whether you’re a business that ships products, or a customer that orders them, a damaged product is never something you want to deal with. As a customer, arranging to have a replacement one sent can be quite a hassle, and very time consuming depending on the policy of the business that it came from. On the other hand, it never looks good on the business that had it sent, and could damage your reputation if you don’t act appropriately.

If you’re a customer

If you’re a customer who has recently received a damaged package, it’s understandable that you would be frustrated. After all, you paid for it, and you shouldn’t have to worry about the package arriving already damaged before you’ve had the chance to touch it.

First things first, you should be careful when handling the product itself. You don’t want to damage it anymore than it already is. Find out what parts of it were damaged in transport, and get ready to write about it to those who had it sent. You shouldn’t have to pay for a replacement, as the damage to the package was completely out of your control.

It could be helpful to take a photo of it for later use, so any pictures that you take showing the damage can be very helpful when it comes to making things right.

Once you’ve properly inspected and recorded the damage that has been done to your product, you’re ready to get into contact with the seller. Whether it be via phone or email, you can send them pictures of your damaged product as evidence that you have in fact received it, and it was broken on arrival.

If you can’t find the contact information, there’s a high chance that it will be listed on the website you ordered the product from.

If you’re a business

If you’re running a business and you find out that one or more of your customers have received a damaged product, it can put you in quite a predicament. If you do nothing about it, then your reputation is at stake, and you could lose some customers. If you can afford to take the hit, some businesses offer a complete refund on the product, without asking that the customer return it.

You could also offer some compensation or a replacement product in exchange for the damaged one that they had received. However, it’s important to note that time is of the essence.

Your customer has waited long enough for their product, and taking too long might affect the review they leave on your store.

In either case, it’s important that the communication between the customer and the business has been handled properly. A business getting in touch with their customer as soon as possible can help to keep the customer from getting even more frustrated. You can reach an understanding, and ensure that they’re still able to receive a service that they’re happy with.