Page 209 - Griffin Plant & Seed Catalog 2027

CLAIM REQUEST

As you're well aware, claims are a fact of life in the horticulture business. Claim activity often peaks in the winter
months. Griffin is committed to managing the claims process quickly and efficiently. With your help, we can resolve
claims promptly to minimize the impact on you and your productivity.

Reasons to request a claim, in the rare instance that…

• You open your plug shipment mid-February and your plants are frozen
• You open your poinsettia shipment in July and appears to have overheated in transit

• You receive your shipment and notice several empty cells
• Your plants are blooming pink instead of red
• You’re paying your invoice and notice a pricing error
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It’s time to file a claim – but how?

1 . Embrace earliness . Report ANY trouble – even potential trouble – immediately to your Griffin Sales or Customer
Service representative. Most vendors require notification within 24-48 hours of receipt. You must file a claim with us,
even if you’ve contacted the vendor directly. If the plants rebound and the problem corrects itself, we can always
close the claim – no harm done.

For seed, if you receive the wrong variety, product form or package size, contact your Customer Service rep
immediately for a prompt replacement. Do not open the package as we cannot accept returns on opened
packages.
2. Get specific. We’ll take as much detail as you can dish out regarding the affected products and the trouble CLAIM REQUEST
you’re having. Often a photo of the label on the tray or tag in the bag of URCs is helpful to clearly identify where the
plants came from which helps to validate the issue and address the cause. With seed claims, we’ll ask for variety
and batch information, delivery date, order number and/or invoice number. For seed germination issues, we need to
know the approximate % germination achieved.
3 . A picture is worth a thousand words (and a few dollars) . Sometimes it’s difficult to describe what’s wrong
with plants. Dated timely photos are required for claims relative to quality, wrong color, wrong variety or freight
damage.
4 . Add it up . The sooner we have your final loss counts (within 10 business days is ideal), the quicker we can
coordinate with the vendor and issue your credit – or, possibly, replacements.

5 . If you see freight damage, note this on Bill of Lading and take required dated photos . They are
extremely helpful . We’ll work with the vendor and the freight company to provide additional documentation as
needed and start the process to secure replacements.
6 . Do the math . Before reporting short counts, consider the quantity you’re being invoiced per tray. For example, a
512 plug tray may only be billed as 485, so you get 27 “free.” If your tray is missing 12 plugs, you still have 15 extra
that you weren’t billed for.

7 . Review order acknowledgments – an ounce of prevention . Confirming quantities, varieties and ship
weeks could prevent a claim in advance! If you find an error, contact your Sales or Customer Service representative
immediately. Doing so helps us correct the issue before running into vendor cut-off dates for order changes.

8 . Keep an eye on your invoices . If you see incorrect pricing on the first invoice in a series of orders, we can
correct future orders before they’re billed.
9 . Return the right way . If you need to return seed, contact us in advance to provide a reason and get return
instructions. Please refer to our return policy located in the terms and conditions of sale published on our website,
in your seed price book and in your Griffin Seed & Plant catalog. Non-compliant seed returns are subject to a 20%
restocking fee.
10 . Don’t dump product – at least not in a hurry . Some vendors require the product to be returned for testing;
freight companies may want to inspect for damage. Our Claims team or your Sales representative will confirm when
it’s okay to toss.

Our goal is to facilitate claims resolution in a timely manner. We value your business and are dedicated to helping
you maintain productivity and profitability. If you have any questions about the claims process, please let us know.

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