A warranty claim, worked out fairly

What does this tour show?

It shows a warranty claim handled in a way the customer can see is fair. At half past three a customer comes back with a bulge in the sidewall of a tyre fitted a few months ago. Roshan starts a claim from that tyre, enters the readings, lets the screen work out the pro-rata share, and later raises a credit note on another claim the supplier has already approved.

Warranty claims are where a tyre centre's reputation is made or lost. The customer feels let down by the tyre; the supplier wants evidence before paying; the shop is stuck in the middle. When the share depends on whoever is at the counter, two customers with the same fault get two different answers. Working it out the same way every time, with the numbers on screen, ends that.

How is the share worked out?

The share depends on how much useful tread was left when the tyre failed. Useful tread is the depth above the limit the claim works from, 1.6 mm in the sample.

Pro-rata share = (tread now − 1.6 mm) ÷ (tread when new − 1.6 mm)

The tour's two claims:

For the approved claim: (5.2 − 1.6) ÷ (8.0 − 1.6) = 3.6 ÷ 6.4 = 56.25%, and 56.25% of Rs 20,200 is Rs 11,362.50.

Step by step

1. Open Warranty claims. The page covers tyres fitted to a vehicle, with a New claim button and the claims grouped by who they are waiting on.
2. Read Waiting on us first. These are claims where you need to inspect the tyre and send the claim to the supplier. In the tour, the sidewall bulge is here, marked Open.
3. Check With the supplier. Claims sent and waiting for the supplier's decision, such as a tread separation. Chase any that have waited too long.
4. Read Supplier decided. Claims the supplier has approved or rejected. Approved ones need the customer credited; rejected ones need closing.
5. Start a new claim from the fitted tyre. Pick the tyre on the customer's car. Its details come with it.
6. Enter the fault and tread. Reason (sidewall bulge), tread now (6.0 mm) and tread when new (8.0 mm). The claim steps continue to photos and review.
7. Read the pro-rata share. The screen works it out, 68.75% in this case, from the tread left above the limit. The answer is the same whoever is at the counter.
8. Send it to the supplier. Once photos and review are done, send the claim to the supplier your usual way and press Submit to supplier, choosing the supplier and adding their reference if they gave one. EasyTaskr records the claim as With the supplier; it does not email the supplier itself.
9. For an approved claim, raise the credit note. Open the decided claim for premature wear. It shows the tread (5.2 mm of 8 mm), the 56.25% share, the supplier, and the customer credit amount of Rs 11,362.50. Press Raise customer credit note.
10. Tell the customer. Show them the share and the credit. Most people accept a fair number when they can see how it was reached.

Why credit the customer with a credit note?

A credit note is a proper document. It reduces what the customer owes or sits on their account towards the next set of tyres, and it shows on their statement with a reference. Cash handed over the counter leaves no trail, and a discount typed onto the next invoice is easy to forget. For centres with fleet or trade customers on account, credit notes also keep the account's balance right. The customer credit guide explains how balances, credit notes and ageing fit together.

Why group claims by who they are waiting on?

Because a warranty claim spends most of its life waiting, and the question that matters is "whose move is it?" Grouping claims as waiting on us, with the supplier, and supplier decided answers that at a glance. The first group is your to-do list: tyres to inspect, photograph and send. The second is your chasing list: claims the supplier is sitting on. The third is your finishing list: approved claims where the customer is owed a credit note, and rejected ones to close with an explanation. A tyre centre with three claims a month can manage on memory; one with thirty cannot. The grouping keeps both honest, and it stops the most common failure, which is an approved claim that nobody credits because everyone assumed someone else had done it.

Tips for warranty claims

• Inspect the tyre with the customer present and photograph the fault before anything else.
• Measure tread at the same point each time, ideally the most worn main groove.
• Explain the formula in one sentence. "You get back the share of tread you had not used yet."
• Move claims to the supplier the same day. Waiting on us should be a short list.
• Close rejected claims with a note of the supplier's reason, so the conversation with the customer is straightforward.

Common mistakes

• Promising a full refund at the counter. The supplier's decision and the pro-rata share decide it, not the mood of the conversation.
• Typing tyre details from memory. Start from the fitted tyre so the DOT lot and supplier are right.
• Leaving approved claims uncredited. The customer waits, and the supplier's money sits in your account.
• Using a different tread limit for different customers. Fairness depends on one rule.
• Settling in cash with no document. Nothing on the customer's account shows it happened.

What should you do next?

With the claim sent and the approved one credited, the tyre centre's day is nearly done. Earlier tours cover opening the bays, pricing a walk-in, the job card and goods in by DOT date. If credit notes and account balances are new to you, the customer credit guide is the place to start, and how to get invoices paid faster helps with the accounts side of fleet work.

How EasyTaskr helps

EasyTaskr's tyre warranty claims are grouped by who they are waiting on, start from the tyre fitted to the car, and work out the pro-rata share from the tread left above the limit. For a claim the supplier approved, the customer credit note is raised from the claim.