The record that settles shortage chargebacks.
When a shortage deduction or a compliance chargeback lands, the argument is never about opinions. It is about what can be proven: what shipped, what arrived, and when. This guide covers the documents that carry a dispute, and what makes a receiving record strong enough to settle one.
The documents that carry a dispute.
What makes a receiving record hold up.
Where records break down.
Most receiving records are built for throughput, not for disputes. Counts keyed in after the fact. One scan standing in for a full pallet. No image behind any entry. The gaps stay invisible until money is withheld, and by then the evidence either exists or it does not; it cannot be rebuilt.
Every item that crosses a covered door is captured with its label read, its picture, and its exact time. When a dispute lands, the evidence package is already assembled.
See the record Flowtally keepsCommon questions about disputes.
What is a shortage chargeback?
A shortage chargeback, or shortage deduction, is money a retailer or customer withholds from payment because they say they received less than the invoice billed. The dispute turns on evidence: what the supplier can prove was shipped, and what the receiver can prove arrived.
What evidence settles a shortage dispute?
The documents that carry weight are the purchase order, the advance ship notice, the bill of lading, the packing list, the proof of delivery, and the receiving record itself. The receiving record answers the actual question, what physically crossed the dock, and it is strongest when it is item-level, timestamped at capture, and backed by a picture.
How long do you have to dispute a deduction?
It depends on the customer: every major retailer publishes its own dispute window and process in its routing guide or supplier portal, and the windows vary widely. The practical rule is that the evidence has to exist before the letter arrives. A record built at receiving is ready on day one; a binder rebuilt afterward usually is not.
What should a receiving record include?
For each item or handling unit: what the label said, the quantity, the door, the exact capture time, and an image of the item as it arrived. The timestamp should be set by the capture device and never edited afterward, so the record is tamper-evident and holds up when a customer, an auditor, or a carrier asks.
Evidence built into the receive, not a binder rebuilt afterward.
Disputes settle with data, not memory. Every scan keeps its picture, timestamped and searchable.