When a short shipment or over shipment is noticed − most often by the recipient, although occasionally by the sender in the case of an error noticed post-shipment − the other party should be informed promptly, so corrective action can be taken. Such action could include supplemental shipments in the case of short shipments, returning merchandise in the case of over shipments, and issuing corrected invoices if the actual quantity is acceptable. Furthermore, one might carry out an investigation into the cause of the error to ensure that fraud or theft is not occurring through incorrect reporting or other means.
