When is a deduction ready to dispute?

When disputing a deduction, remember that you are essentially going to court to prove why the deduction was invalid and should be paid back. Just like in court, you need to present sufficient evidence to prove your case.

For any given deduction code (i.e. - A030, A036, etc.), there are certain types of documents that can help prove why you should be repaid. Deductions Navigator highlights the most common types of proof documentation that are required for deduction codes.

When viewing the documents attached to a deduction, certain document types are marked as recommended.

If a document that is recommended is not currently associated with the deduction, an alert will be displayed.

When all recommended proof documentation is attached and selected for a deduction, you will see a notification that the deduction is ready to dispute. Fire away!

Dispute Readiness

From the Deductions List, you can quickly filter to see only deductions that are Ready to Dispute, or those that are not Ready to Dispute. Click the "Dispute Readiness" button, then select "Ready" or "Not Ready."

Below is a list of dispute codes with recommended document attachments:

Code	Collect recommended documents	Prepaid recommended documents	Other recommended documents
A004 - Return/Defective			Invoice or PO for proof of cost, Accounts Payable Credit/Debit Memo Detail Report, policy proof screenshot or text for disputing return policy
A030 - Carton Shortage	Bill of Lading	Proof of delivery	Invoice, Accounts Payable Credit/Debit Memo Detail Report
A032 - Damage/Defective	Bill of Lading	Proof of delivery	Invoice, Accounts Payable Credit/Debit Memo Detail Report
A034 - Unit/Internal Shortage	Bill of Lading	Proof of delivery	Invoice, Accounts Payable Credit/Debit Memo Detail Report
A036 - Cost Difference			Invoice, Accounts Payable Credit/Debit Memo Detail Report, buyer communication
A038 - Substitution	Bill of Lading	Proof of delivery	Invoice, Purchase Order, Accounts Payable Credit/Debit Memo Detail Report
A135/A147 - Return to Vendor			Invoice or PO for proof of cost, Accounts Payable Credit/Debit Memo Detail Report, policy proof screenshot or text for disputing return policy
A176 - Auto-Chargeback	Bill of Lading	Proof of delivery	Invoice, Accounts Payable Credit/Debit Memo Detail Report, if cost: buyer communication
UNPD - Unpaid Invoice	Bill of Lading	Proof of delivery	Invoice

File Size and Type Restrictions:

Per the Partners Online documentation, allowed file types are PNG, JPG, PDF, CSV, GIF, TIF, EML, DOC, DOCX, and PPT. We have seen failures with XLS and XLSX format, so if you need to upload a spreadsheet, make sure to convert it to CSV format before uploading.

They state that file size allowed is 200 MB per dispute case and 10 MB per file, but we have noticed that much larger individual files (even over 50 MB) have been uploaded with no issues.

Things to remember:

A deduction can still be disputed even if a recommended document is not available. SupplyPike's recommendations are based on the most commonly required documents for disputing a given deduction code. In some scenarios you might not need everything that is recommended, and there could also occasionally be additional documentation needed.
Recommendations are based on the file tag that is assigned to the document. They do not consider the content of the specific file itself. Content of the file must be sufficient to prove the deduction was invalid (i.e. - if a document is tagged as a Proof of Delivery but is not stamped by the DC, it will still likely lead to a denied dispute).
Be sure the checkbox beside each recommended document is checked in order for the document to be sent with the dispute.