Custom boxes travel a long way before they reach you, and occasionally a pallet gets caught by a forklift or a carton arrives crushed. What you do in the first hour matters more than anything else, because the evidence you capture then is what any resolution rests on.
Before you sign
For a pallet or freight delivery, walk around it while the driver is still there. Look for crushed corners, torn shrink wrap, a leaning stack, water staining or a broken pallet. If anything looks wrong, write it on the delivery receipt before you sign, in plain words: which side, what you can see, how many cartons look affected. A signature on a clean receipt is a statement that the goods arrived in good condition, and it makes a later claim much harder to support. If the damage looks severe, you are entitled to refuse the delivery, but note the damage either way.
What to photograph
- The pallet or carton as delivered, still wrapped, from two or three angles.
- The damage close up, with something in frame for scale.
- The shipping label and any carrier markings.
- The affected boxes after opening, showing what is actually unusable.
- A wide shot of the full delivery, so the proportion affected is clear.
Keep the outer packaging and the damaged units. Do not flatten or dispose of anything until the matter is closed, because a carrier or an insurer may want to inspect.
Work out what is genuinely affected
Crushed outer cartons often protect the boxes inside exactly as intended. Open the affected cartons and count. Sort into three piles: unusable, cosmetically marked but still functional, and unaffected. A precise count of the first pile is worth far more than a general report that the delivery was damaged, and it lets us look at the right thing immediately.
How to raise it with us
| Send | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| Job or order number | Pulls up the exact run, board spec and lane |
| Photographs from the list above | Shows whether the cause was transit or production |
| Delivery receipt with any noted damage | Supports a carrier claim if the damage happened in transit |
| Count of unusable units | Defines the size of the problem |
| Your deadline | Decides which turnaround lane is relevant if anything needs remaking |
Reach us at sales@iboxfactory.com or +1 (201) 510-1994. To be straight with you: this page does not set out a blanket replacement or refund policy, because the terms that apply to your order are the ones on your written quote and order confirmation. What we can say is how the case is handled, which is that we look at the evidence, work out whether the cause sits with production or transit, and come back to you on what happens next.
Reducing the odds next time
Most damaged deliveries are transit damage, and transit damage responds to packing choices. Boxes shipped flat in a well filled outer carton travel better than boxes in a half empty one. Pallets that are stretch wrapped to the deck, with no overhang and with corner protection, arrive intact far more often. If you have had repeated problems on one lane, tell us and we will look at how the shipment is built rather than only at the boxes.
If you are placing an order and want to talk about how it will be shipped and protected, start at the quote form and say where it is going. Related: how to order custom boxes and how long custom boxes take to make.
