Vending Equipment Arrives with Visible Damage: Record Before Unpacking Further
If vending equipment arrives with visible damage, a clear factual record helps the supplier and delivery team understand the concern. Photograph what can be safely seen, identify the delivery and contact the responsible parties promptly. Avoid continuing with unpacking or setup simply because the schedule is busy and other staff are waiting.
The correct procedure depends on the delivery agreement and the nature of the issue. This guide does not determine liability or interpret acceptance terms. It explains how a site contact can provide useful information while the responsible supplier and competent delivery team decide how the equipment should be handled next.
Keep the situation safe and unchanged
Do not try to lift, reposition or dismantle the machine to inspect a mark. Tell the delivery team what you have noticed and follow their instructions about the immediate area. If the condition raises a safety concern, keep the equipment out of use and ask the responsible team for an assessment before anyone attempts operation.
Avoid cleaning away marks or discarding packaging that may help explain the observation until the supplier advises what is needed. This does not mean obstructing a route indefinitely. Ask the responsible team how to preserve the relevant information while keeping the site safe and managing the space appropriately during the discussion.
Capture a useful visual record
Take a wider photograph showing where the issue is on the equipment, followed by a closer image of the visible detail. Include the packaging condition where relevant and safe to observe. A close-up without context may be difficult to associate with the correct side or part of the machine when reviewed remotely.
Record the time, delivery reference and equipment identification available in the paperwork. Describe what you observed without guessing its cause. For example, a visible scratch or dent is an observation; an assertion about when or how it occurred may require evidence the site contact does not have at that moment.
Use the agreed reporting route
Notify the supplier and delivery contact through the route agreed for the order. Explain whether the machine is still with the delivery team, positioned on site or awaiting further instructions. Ask what information they require and who will coordinate the response, so several people do not issue conflicting instructions to the site.
Read any delivery document carefully and raise questions before making statements you do not understand. Follow the applicable reporting process rather than relying on a generic phrase copied from another situation. Keep the written response and any case reference together with the images, avoiding unnecessary personal information in the material shared.
Record the agreed next step
Ask for confirmation of whether inspection, replacement, repair or another action is proposed. Record who will carry it out and what the site should do meanwhile. Do not promise colleagues an installation date until the responsible team confirms that the equipment and visit are ready to proceed under the revised arrangement.
Once the matter is resolved, keep the outcome with the asset record. If the delivered unit changes, update the equipment identification and associated paperwork. A completed record should allow a future contact to understand the original observation, the response and the final status without reconstructing events from scattered messages.
For vending delivery planning, identify the reporting contact before arrival. The finished-floor delivery checklist addresses another part of the same coordination process, while a clear equipment record helps distinguish concerns about the machine from separate questions about the delivery route.
Discuss delivery arrangements with the team before your planned installation.