General Information

Freight Claim Procedures

Overview

Please review the following procedures in detail:

  • All product must be inspected at time of delivery.
  • Any discrepancies and damages (visible or concealed) must be reported to Martin Brattrud within 5 business days of delivery to shipping destination.
  • Any discrepancies to the Bill of Lading (BOL) or visible damages must be noted on the BOL at time of receival and before signing the BOL.
  • If damages are found, take detailed photos of any damages that follow the photo documentation instructions below.

Martin Brattrud’s (MB) Guaranteed Freight Program contracts shipments as Free on Board (FOB) to destination and the carriers are responsible for any damages from MB’s shipping dock to the receiving dock. MB is not responsible for any damages that occur to products during transit to the receiving warehouse/site, concealed damages or damages resulting from storage or installation and places the claim with the carrier for replacement.

Upon Receiving Product

Upon receival, it is the responsibility of the customer/receiver to inspect the delivery against the BOL and confirm the following prior to signing the BOL. Extensive photo documentation and carton/packing material retention are required. An immediate inspection will be requested of the carrier if damaged is reported. Please refer to photo documentation instructions below.

If any of the below items are not correct or damage to a box is found, it is the customer/receiver’s responsibility to clearly notate the errors or damages on the BOL prior to signing.

  • Items to confirm/notate on BOL:
    • Correct delivery address
    • Correct piece count and products
    • Inspect condition of the boxes and notate any external damage such as:
      • Crushed corners, ends, and/or sides
      • Holes in the box
      • Rips on the box
      • Dents
      • Water/liquid stains or damage
    • Do not note the BOL with “Subject to Inspection” at time of receipt. This will disqualify any future freight claims for damages.
    • Do not sign the carrier’s BOL without notations of errors or damages. This signifies that the carrier did not incur any visible damage during transit and the customer/receiver is responsible after receipt.

Freight Carrier Damages

For damages due to freight carriers, the following will be needed to submit a claim. Failure to supply any of the items below will delay replacement of the damaged pieces.

  • A scanned copy of the signed BOL with the damages noted
  • Photos documentation instructions for visible or concealed damages
    • Provide detailed photos of any damages.
      • For visible box damage: photos must be taken at time of delivery and before boxes are opened
      • For concealed damage: photos must be taken as soon as damage is noticed and no later than 5 days after product delivery. Photos need to show items as they are being removed from the provided packing materials and must include the packing materials in the picture for further review. If no shipping materials are shown in photos this will be considered an indicator of installer damage/rough opening of boxes.
  • An estimate of the expenses the customer will incur due to the additional time and expense correcting the damaged product (ex. Trip charges to site, Labor charges to correct piece, etc.)

Reporting a Claim

To report a claim please fill out the following form within 5 business days of product delivery:

Online claim form located at martinbrattrud.com/claims