Cabinet delivery check: count every box and file the claim at the curb

Published October 1, 2026 by Design Master Solutions LLC

A crushed corner found on install day costs a second trip, an idle crew and an unhappy homeowner. The same box found at the curb costs two photos and an e-mail. This is the delivery check we built into Cabinet Project, and you can run it the same way on paper.

Before the truck: have the list

Check against the order you placed, not against the packing slip the driver hands you. The packing slip says what was loaded; your PO says what you need. In Cabinet Project the box list for the delivery check is the frozen copy of the approved quote that became the order: one line per box, in order, with SKU, description and quantity. Nothing is re-read from the catalog or repriced after the order goes out.

If you send the order to your distributor by e-mail, the same list exports as a CSV (line, SKU, description, quantity, hinge, modifications) or as a PDF with your PO header.

At the curb: one box, one status

Go through the list and give every box one of four states:

• OK. The label matches the SKU and the carton is sound.
• Missing. On the PO, not on the truck. Record how many.
• Damaged. Crushed corner, punctured side, wet carton. Open it if you can and photograph the cabinet, not only the box.
• Wrong item. A different SKU, door style, finish or hinge side than ordered.

Take the photo with the SKU label in the frame. A photo of a dented box with no label proves only that some box was dented. In the app each problem box gets its photos, the quantity affected and a note, and the person who received the delivery signs on the phone.

Write the problem on the delivery receipt before you sign it, too. That is between you and the carrier, and the app does not replace it.

Before the driver leaves: send the claim

Cabinet Project drafts the claim e-mail from what you recorded, in English for a US distributor. It looks like this:

Subject: Delivery claim - PO 2214

Hello,

We received PO 2214 on 10/01/2026 and found the following problems:

- W3030 (Wall 30x30): 1 box damaged. Crushed corner, face frame cracked.
  Photo: https://…/deliveries/w3030-1.jpg
  Photo: https://…/deliveries/w3030-2.jpg

Please ship replacements and confirm the date. Reply to this e-mail with any question.

Thank you,
(your name, company and phone)

You edit the text on the screen and press send. Nothing goes out automatically. The e-mail leaves from your shop's own mail server when you have one set up, with replies going back to you, and the address you used is saved on the order for the next claim.

After: follow the claim until the box arrives

Each claim moves through four states: open (recorded), submitted (sent to the supplier), resolved (the replacement arrived) and closed. The job card on the board shows how many claims are open or waiting on the supplier, so nobody schedules an install around a box that is not there yet.

A short checklist for the crew

1. Open the order's box list before the truck arrives.
2. Count by SKU, not by carton total. Forty-two cartons can still be the wrong forty-two.
3. Photograph damage with the label visible, and the cabinet itself when you open it.
4. Note problems on the carrier's receipt before signing.
5. Send the claim from the curb, with the PO number in the subject.
6. Mark the order delivered and keep the claim open until the replacement is checked in.

The quote that produced this order is covered in how to quote a 10x10 kitchen with list price × multiplier.