Cabinet damage appears only after unpacking: preserve the sequence

If you discover cabinet damage after opening a carton, pause work on the affected item and document what you found before altering it. Preserve the connection between the cabinet, its packaging and the delivery record, then contact the supplier through the order's reporting process. An intact-looking exterior does not resolve what happened inside. Your first task is to provide a clear discovery record, not to assign a cause you cannot yet establish.

Plan inspection as a step before installation

Arrange enough space and suitable assistance to inspect the order according to the manufacturer's handling guidance. Keep unopened packages identifiable while working through them, and avoid mixing doors, loose pieces and packing materials from different cartons. A check performed only when the installer needs a particular cabinet can leave the rest of the order unexamined until the project depends on it.

KraftMaid recommends unpacking and inspecting cabinets soon after arrival and contacting the order designer when something is wrong. The useful principle is to find and communicate issues before later work depends on the item. Follow your actual supplier's reporting instructions and timing requirements rather than adopting a deadline from another brand.

Reading note: KraftMaid: Inspecting cabinets after unpacking.

Record the discovery without changing the item

Identify the affected cabinet or component and describe the location and nature of the condition. For example, distinguish a split at the rear corner from a mark on the visible door face. Keep the description tied to what you observe, using photographs that show the item's identity and the affected area without requiring someone to guess which piece is pictured.

Note when the carton was opened, when the condition was first observed and whether any assembly, installation or adjustment had already occurred. If someone else unpacked it, have that person explain the sequence they actually witnessed. Do not rewrite an uncertain history as a confirmed delivery event simply because the problem was first noticed after the shipment arrived.

Keep the original packaging associated with the cabinet

Retain the relevant carton, label, internal supports and protective pieces in an identifiable group while you obtain instructions. Record observable packaging conditions, including when the outside appeared intact. Do not force the condition into a preferred explanation by claiming an unseen impact or assuming that an undamaged-looking box rules out a problem inside.

FedEx Freight discusses packaging and damaged-contents images as part of an inspection and asks customers to retain original packaging during its process. That reinforces preserving both sides of the record. It does not determine which party caused this cabinet issue or establish the outcome of a request to your supplier.

Reading note: FedEx Freight: Packaging, contents and supporting records.

Send a discovery report the supplier can act on

Include the order and shipment references, product identity, concise condition description, relevant images and actual discovery sequence. Attach the receiving record so the supplier can distinguish what was visible at arrival from what became visible after unpacking. Identify any missing information explicitly, such as a detached label whose original carton has not yet been confirmed.

Ask what further inspection is needed and what should happen to the affected item while the issue is reviewed. Do not start filling, sanding, touching up or installing it merely to keep the schedule moving unless an appropriate agreed resolution calls for that work. Altering the item can make the original condition harder to evaluate and may create additional work that was never included in the proposed remedy.

Separate this item’s decision from the rest of the project

Imagine the cartons looked normal at arrival, but unpacking reveals a damaged rear corner on an assembled cabinet. The receiver has a carton photo, an item label and a record that the cabinet has not been installed. Those facts form a useful account. They do not, on their own, prove whether the condition began before packing, during transport or during later handling.

Have the project lead determine which work can proceed without relying on that cabinet and which decisions should wait for the supplier's response. Mark its status clearly so another person does not unknowingly install it or discard the relevant packaging. Keep subsequent inspection findings and any agreed resolution attached to the same item record. The aim is to preserve an accurate sequence while obtaining a concrete next step for the affected part.