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When was the last time you were shopping online and had a question about the item or about the site’s return policy? If that store was Amazon, Walmart, or another large online retailer, were you ever able to reach a live person to have your question answered? Frustrating, right?
Others we have talked to say the same thing. They also are getting annoyed by this one; “We apologize for the delay but someone will be with you shortly.”
Imagine you have a question about a $100,000 charge against your company from one of your biggest retail customers. As a supplier, you would expect someone to be available to answer your questions. Okay, if not by phone, an email would be nice.
Unfortunately, some of the nation’s largest retailers have decided that operating those phones is getting too labor-intensive or expensive. But, technology is going to be their savior. The real question is will it be great for you?
At least you will not have to listen to awful hold music. Instead, a web portal has been set up for you to submit your disputes over fines and deductions. Based on our experience, the portal is lacking in many ways. For starters, there is no way for you to enter supporting documentation or information for your initial claim submission.
If the system accepts your claim with no issues, it is your lucky day. You should go out and buy a lottery ticket. Unfortunately, in light of what we have experienced to date, the majority of disputes end up requiring a lot of work to substantiate each claim. So, at a minimum, your company is facing the need to hire extra staff to dispute and document each claim individually.
We believe you will agree that you should not have to work so hard to get the money owed to you. However, right now, everyone is dealing with shortages of time, people, and money. The real solution is to find someone who knows your company and can monitor and review each claim. Then, when a claim comes in, they should be able to provide any necessary documentation. This leaves your staff free to handle other issues and to do what they do best.
Let’s Talk
HRG helps suppliers who want to recover money due to them from retailers because of invalid deductions, fines, or underpayments by carefully auditing event results, related activities, and agreements. Unlike our competitors who rely on catching obvious mistakes with computer programs, HRG uses proprietary technology and highly experienced auditors to fully evaluate and process our clients’ claims. HRG is unlike any other competitor in that we represent all categories across all the major retailers.
To find out more about HRG, please contact sales@hrg-audit.com.
