Saying it's fine
If you tell the supplier the part is fine, even in a quick text, that can count as accepting it. Check it first, then reply.
British Columbia
British Columbia
WHAT TO CHECK AND WHO FIXES IT WHEN A FITTING ARRIVES WRONG
What you do the day a wrong fitting arrives can decide who pays to fix it.
When wrong parts are delivered, set them aside and check each one against the approved drawing. Then tell the supplier in writing, with photos, the day you find the problem. Who fixes it depends on the cause. A fitting or component that doesn't match the approved drawing goes back to its maker. A size measured wrong on site is yours to replace. This guide covers six ways a fabricated fitting or component arrives wrong and four ways to fix one. It also covers who pays, and what changes when the supplier is overseas.
Most wrong parts come from one of six causes. A tape measure and the drawing tell you which one you have, and the cause sets your first move.
| What you find | How to tell | Your first move |
|---|---|---|
| A size that differs from the approved drawing | Measure the part and compare it with the drawing | Send the supplier both sizes, the drawing's and yours |
| A part that matches the drawing but still doesn't fit | The part and the drawing agree, and the opening on site doesn't | Find out who measured or approved that size before you reorder |
| A site that changed after the sizes were taken | The site no longer matches, such as a new beam or a moved unit | Find out what changed, and tell the trade that changed it |
| Damage from the trip | Dents, crushed corners, or an end bent out of round | Write the damage on the delivery receipt before you sign |
| Parts short or missing | The count doesn't match the packing slip | Write the shortage on the receipt, and tell the supplier |
| The wrong metal, gauge, or finish | The material or thickness differs from what the order named | Check the order, then tell the supplier what arrived |
A few minutes of checking and writing things down protects you whichever way the cause turns out. That record is what settles who fixes it, with the supplier or with the carrier.
Set the piece aside. Put it somewhere it won't get cut, bent, or hung by mistake.
Write any damage on the delivery receipt before you sign it. Name what you see, like "crushed corner on the transition". A note like "subject to inspection" doesn't say what was wrong.
Check it against the approved drawing. Measure the sizes that matter, and note whether you measured inside or outside. Write each one beside the drawing size.
Take photos with a tape in the shot. Get the whole piece, each problem up close, and the label or packing slip.
Tell the supplier in writing the day you find it. Send the photos, the sizes, and the drawing number. Then ask how they'd like to fix it.
The record to send when a part arrives wrong
Three photos and a size note, sent in writing the same day, before anyone cuts or installs it
The whole piece
Shows which part it is and how it arrived
The problem, with a tape
Close up, so the size or damage can be read
The label or slip
Ties the part to the order and the drawing
Size note
Drawing number, revision, the date found, and the date the install needs a replacement
Send it in writing to the supplier the day you find it, with the drawing you approved
In British Columbia, the Sale of Goods Act sets out when a buyer has accepted goods. A part you've accepted is much harder to send back, and accepting one can happen in three ways.
If you tell the supplier the part is fine, even in a quick text, that can count as accepting it. Check it first, then reply.
If you work on a part or put it up, that can count as accepting it too. Ask the supplier first, and get their OK in writing.
If you hold on to a part for longer than a reasonable time without rejecting it, you've accepted it. Report a problem the day you find it.
You don't have to ship a rejected part back yourself. Under the same Act, telling the seller you refuse it is enough. The written terms on a business order can change these rules. Read the terms on the quote, and talk to a lawyer if it turns into a dispute.
A fitting or component that arrives wrong can be used as it is, fixed on site, reworked by its maker, or remade. Pick the fix that suits the problem, and agree it in writing before anyone starts.
| The fix | When it works | Commonly used for |
|---|---|---|
| Use it as it is, with written approval from whoever specified it | The difference doesn't change the fit, the airflow, or a finish anyone will see | A small size difference on a piece hidden above a ceiling |
| Fix it on site | Your installers can make the change without weakening a seam or breaking the seal | Trimming a flange or adding a short extension |
| Send it back to its maker to rework | The part can be corrected and then checked against the drawing again | A bend at the wrong angle, or a missing opening or collar |
| Remake it | The size, metal, or gauge is wrong, or a fix would leave the part weak or marked | A transition made to the wrong opening size |
A reworked part should be measured against the drawing again before it goes back to site. A fix on site made without the supplier's OK can leave the cost with you.
Whoever supplied the wrong information or did the wrong work usually pays. The drawing you approved and your photos settle most cases quickly.
The maker got it wrong, so the maker fixes or remakes it. Your measurements beside the drawing sizes show it in one look.
Whoever measured or approved that size pays for the new part. Who is responsible for each measurement explains how that gets settled before the order.
The trade that changed the site usually covers the new part. Agree who pays before you reorder, and the new part won't be held up.
Whoever booked the freight files a claim with the carrier. In British Columbia, written notice is due within 60 days of delivery, and the full claim within 9 months of shipping.
Under British Columbia's conditions of carriage, a carrier pays at most CAD 4.41 per kilogram. The shipper can raise that limit by declaring a higher value on the bill of lading. For stainless parts worth far more than their weight, ask for it.
The cause and the steps are the same, but the time and paperwork to put it right are not. A wrong part from a factory overseas takes far longer to replace than one made across town.
| What has to happen | From a local fabricator | From an overseas factory |
|---|---|---|
| Someone looks at the part | They can see it on site, or you drop it off | Photos and email, often across time zones |
| A replacement is made | A remake from the same drawing | Usually a new production run |
| The replacement travels | A local delivery | Two to three weeks at sea from Shanghai, before customs and trucking |
| The wrong part goes back | Often a drive across town | Export paperwork and freight |
| Duty already paid on it | None on a part made in Canada | Can be refunded once the part is exported, or destroyed under border agency supervision |
The Customs Act allows a refund of duty on imported goods that are defective, of lower quality, or not what was ordered. You claim it from the Canada Border Services Agency within four years, with proof the goods were exported or destroyed. Landed cost and the hidden costs of imported metal parts covers what that duty adds in the first place.
The same misfit can be paid for by different people, depending on where the mistake was made. These are illustrations, not Duct Duct Goose jobs.
The approved drawing says 24 by 12, and the transition arrives 22 by 12. The maker remakes it at its own cost, and the installers carry on with the next section of duct while they wait.
The transition matches the drawing, but the sizes on it were taken from the outside of the duct. Since the part has to slide inside, it's too big, and the contractor pays for a new one.
In both cases, the drawing is what decided who paid. How to measure ductwork for a custom fitting shows how to write the side you measured, so the second case doesn't happen.
Most wrong parts start with something missing from the order or the drawing, and the rest with a delivery nobody checked. Each of those is easy to close before the next order.
| The gap | What it causes | Do this instead |
|---|---|---|
| Sizes sent without saying inside or outside | A part that's off by the thickness of the metal on each side | Write which side you measured, beside every size |
| Drawings approved without checking each size | A part made exactly to a wrong number | Check every size against the site before you sign |
| No make or model for the equipment it meets | A collar or curb that doesn't line up with the unit | Send the make and model number with the sizes |
| Gauge or finish left off the order | Metal that's thinner than the spec, or a finish that doesn't match | Name the gauge and finish for every part |
| Nobody checks the delivery | Damage found after the driver has left | Count and check every piece before you sign |
What happens after shop drawing approval covers what to check on a drawing before you sign it. What Duct Duct Goose needs to quote custom metalwork lists the rest of what an order should carry.
When a part we made doesn't fit, we start from the approved drawing and your photos, and work out the cause together.
We check each part before it leaves. Sizes, metal, finish, quantity, and the drawing revision are checked against the order.
You send photos and measurements. Call or email, and we'll compare them with the drawing.
If the mistake was ours, we fix or remake it at no charge. That covers any part that doesn't match the drawing.
If a size we were given was off, we'll tell you and price the new part. We'll also show you which size caused it.
We give you a new ready date. Custom fittings are typically ready in 1 to 2 days once the drawing is approved. Order size can change that, and a new part you're paying for needs its deposit.
Because fittings are made on our floor in Pitt Meadows, a remake doesn't wait on a shipment. Our custom duct fittings page covers the elbows, offsets, transitions, and takeoffs we make.
We can make a replacement for most sheet metal parts that arrive wrong, wherever they came from. Products we don't make, and equipment, go back to the company that supplied them.
When it isn't clear whose mistake it was, we'll look at the part with you before anyone is billed. Keeping a good customer matters more to us than the price of one part.
With these to hand, the supplier can tell you the cause and the fix on the first call. More on choosing where to buy sits in Local Fabrication vs Imported Parts.
For parts bought overseas, when imported sheet metal parts make sense covers lining up a local source for replacements.
Send the photos, the sizes, and the drawing, even if the part came from somewhere else. We'll tell you whether it can be fixed, needs remaking, or belongs with another supplier.
Standard ductwork and fittings price instantly on WebDuct, the online pricing and ordering portal, with a company account. Stainless, grease duct, installs, and other custom work start with a request or a call.
At Duct Duct Goose, we specialize in sheet metal fabrication and stainless steel services for commercial and industrial applications, including HVAC systems, ducts, and custom metalwork. Please note that we do not offer services for automotive-related projects, such as vehicle parts, repairs, or modifications.
