A delivery that does not match the order needs three things: a record of what really arrived, a message to the supplier, and a way to keep track of what is still to come. This guide works through one order in the goods received note editor: a delivery with broken, wrong and missing items, then the delivery that completes it.
Count first, then decide
Before you sort anything out, write down what you have in front of you:
- Count everything that arrived, per line, including the broken units. That number goes under Received now.
- Count the broken units of each line. They go under Damaged.
- Count what you refuse for another reason: a wrong item, a wrong color or size, or more than you ordered. That goes under Rejected.
The editor works out the rest: Accepted = Received now − Damaged − Rejected, and Outstanding = Ordered − Received before − Accepted. Damaged and rejected units are not accepted, so they stay outstanding. Damaged and Rejected are extra columns: tick More columns above the lines if you do not see them.
The example order
Names and figures are invented.
Harbor Street Café orders tableware from Ridgeway Kitchen Supply on purchase order PO-0118:
| Item code | Description | Ordered |
|---|---|---|
| MUG12 | Stoneware mug, 12 oz, box of 6 | 10 |
| PLT10 | Dinner plate, 10 in, box of 4 | 6 |
| TRAY | Serving tray, black | 12 |
| NAPK | Linen napkin, white, pack of 12 | 5 |
Step 1: Record the first delivery
The first delivery brings all 10 boxes of mugs, but 2 of them hold broken mugs. The plates are complete. 12 trays arrive, but 3 of them are brown instead of black. The napkins are not in the delivery at all.
Open PO-0118 and choose Create goods received note. The four lines come over with their ordered quantities. Type your Note number (here GRN-0052), who checked the goods under Received by, and the number on the supplier’s delivery note under Delivery note no., then the counts:
| Item code | Ordered | Received now | Damaged | Rejected | Accepted | Outstanding | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MUG12 | 10 | 10 | 2 | 0 | 8 | 2 | Short |
| PLT10 | 6 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 | Complete |
| TRAY | 12 | 12 | 0 | 3 | 9 | 3 | Short |
| NAPK | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | Pending |
Use the Note column to say what was wrong (“2 boxes broken in transit”, “3 trays brown, ordered black”). The totals read Received now 28, Accepted 23 and Outstanding 10, and the discrepancy list on the printout sums the problems up line by line:
- MUG12 · short 2 · damaged 2
- TRAY · short 3 · rejected 3
- NAPK · short 5
Pending means nothing for that line arrived on this note. Short means something arrived, but not all of it.
Step 2: Report it to the supplier
Send one message that covers every line, so the supplier can answer everything at once:
- Quote the numbers: your order number (PO-0118), your note number (GRN-0052) and the supplier’s delivery note number.
- List each problem with its quantity: 2 boxes of mugs broken, 3 trays in the wrong color, 5 packs of napkins not delivered. Attach the PDF of the goods received note, and photos of the damage if you took them.
- Ask what happens next for each line: a replacement, a later delivery, or a credit. Ask how the supplier wants the broken and wrong items back. Some suppliers issue a return number first (an RMA); write it in the Note column of that line when you get it. The return authorization form shows what such a form contains on the seller’s side.
Keep the broken and wrong items until the supplier has answered, in case they ask to see them or to collect them.
Step 3: Record the next delivery
A week later the supplier sends 2 boxes of mugs, 3 black trays and the 5 packs of napkins. On GRN-0052, choose Create next goods received note. Each line’s accepted quantity moves into Received before, and Received now is pre-filled with what is still outstanding:
| Item code | Ordered | Received before | Received now | Accepted | Outstanding | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MUG12 | 10 | 8 | 2 | 2 | 0 | Complete |
| PLT10 | 6 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Complete |
| TRAY | 12 | 9 | 3 | 3 | 0 | Complete |
| NAPK | 5 | 0 | 5 | 5 | 0 | Complete |
The pre-filled quantities are what you expect, not what you counted. Count the new delivery and change any line that differs before you print. Here everything matches, so every line is Complete.
If the supplier credits instead of replacing
Suppose the supplier has no more black trays and credits the 3 instead of sending them. Do not change the goods received note to make the line look complete: it records what was counted. Change the order instead:
- Open PO-0118, choose New version under More actions, and lower the trays from 12 to 9. The order keeps its number and prints Revision 2.
- When the mugs and napkins arrive, choose Create goods received note on the changed order. The new note continues from GRN-0052, and the tray line now reads Ordered 9, Received before 9, Outstanding 0: Complete.
The three-way match guide shows how the same records are used to check the supplier’s invoice before you pay it.
If more arrives than you ordered
Suppose 6 packs of napkins arrive instead of 5. You have two ways to record it:
- You keep the extra pack: Received now 6, Accepted 6. The line shows Over, the totals add an Over-delivered line, and Check before you send says “More was accepted than ordered. Check the quantities or note the over-delivery.” Tell the supplier, and expect it on the invoice.
- You send it back: Received now 6, Rejected 1. Accepted is 5 and the line is Complete. The rejected pack appears in the discrepancy list, so the return is on record.
Common mistakes
- Leaving the broken units out of Received now. Typed as Received now 8 with Damaged 2, the mugs come to Accepted 6 and Outstanding 4: the 2 broken boxes are subtracted twice. Received now is everything that arrived.
- Hiding a problem by lowering the count. Typing 8 under Received now and nothing under Damaged gives the same accepted quantity, but the record no longer says that 2 boxes arrived broken. Use the Damaged column.
- Starting the second note from scratch. A note typed fresh starts at Received before 0, and every line looks as if nothing had arrived. Use Create next goods received note, or Create goods received note on the order, which continues from the latest note.
- Mixing up the two columns. Damaged and Rejected give the same Accepted and Outstanding, but the discrepancy list tells the supplier which units were broken and which were wrong, and those usually lead to different answers.
What the editor does and does not do
- It counts quantities only. The goods received note has no prices; those are on the purchase order.
- It does not contact the supplier or the carrier, and it does not file a claim. What you need for a claim with a carrier is up to the carrier.
- Each new note continues from the one before it, so keep the notes saved on this device or in a backup file (how saving works). See all purchasing documents.