Substandard goods, which have a slight defect in the form of a scratch or inappropriate color, lost packaging or the non-functional part of the configuration, can significantly save finances and last for many years as intended. Non-standard is often confused with marriage, which plays into the hands of dishonest manufacturers or sellers and misleads the consumer.
What is substandard
Non-standard is a product that does not meet the standards, technical specifications for any parameters. Substandard goods are the result of non-compliance with production technology. There are several types of deviations from the norm:
- The product is conditionally suitable for use.
- Product is suitable after corrections.
- This product is not suitable for use and requires disposal.
Marriage or substandard
The goods, conditionally suitable for operation, including after repair, are substandard. If no changes or repairs can return things to its function, then this is a case of marriage. Substandard goods differ from defective goods in that products with minor flaws can be used for their intended purpose after appropriate refinement by the manufacturer or the after-sales service.
Causes of occurrence
Substandard goods may appear not only in the production cycle, but also for other reasons. For instance:
- Damage to products that occurred during the delivery of goods.
- Loss of parts or packaging, damage to packaging.
- External damage to the product (scratches, chips, color loss, etc.).
- Minor damage.
In addition to the production definition, non-conforming goods have an accounting interpretation: illiquid assets are inventory items that are difficult to realize, or surpluses deposited in the warehouse, or products that are not involved in the organization’s production processes (not needed by any of the divisions).
Substandard Cost
The costs of producing high-quality and substandard goods are the same for the manufacturer. The appearance of substandard goods with hidden defects indicates a gross violation of the process, the result may be a completely damaged batch. In this case, the manufacturer decides what is more profitable (from a financial and reputational point of view) to take. Disposal entails double losses, sale at a reduced cost may return production costs, but in this case it is necessary to inform the potential buyer about all defects of the illiquid.
Quite often, retailers purchase in bulk goods where there is an illiquid asset, and there is no way to make a complaint to the supplier or manufacturer. Most often, the cost of marriage and illiquid assets is scattered by the price of a quality product. The seller of the retail network can sell substandard goods at a reduced cost, while the seller will incur losses in the long run. Also, a sale is practiced, in which there is a return of all costs in monetary terms (sale without profit or loss). The last ways to get rid of substandard condition are repair and subsequent sale, sale at the lowest cost, return to the manufacturer, disposal.
Defects and their classification
What does substandard product mean? These are products with any defects, which, in turn, are divided into several types:
- Explicit defect. The type of damage that is detected by observing quality control methods.
- Hidden defect. This type of damage is not detected by standard testing methods.
- Critical defect. In the presence of this type of illiquidity, the use of products is practically reduced to zero or impossible for safety reasons.
Defects also vary in degree:
- Significant. It has a significant impact on the correct use of goods / products for their intended purpose, reduces the useful life and usefulness.
- Insignificant. It has an almost imperceptible effect on the practical use of the product / product for its intended purpose and on the period of its operation.
Defective goods with defects can be repaired, which also has its own differences:
- Fixable defects. Repair of products is advisable, technically feasible and cost-effective.
- Fatal defects. In fact, this type of defect is a defect.
Where the substandard gets
Items with any defects can be found at any point of sale, and due to the difficult economic situation, substandard goods stores appeared. Most often, substandard settles in various drains, and in this case, for the buyer, the purchase of such goods means a lottery ticket, and not always a winning one. It is good if the purchase will serve faithfully for a long time, but there are no guarantees for a successful outcome.
Stock stores form an assortment of unsold seasonal stocks of major brands, chains, or counterfeit products. Everything that has any defect falls here too. For example, clothes in the showroom are often tried on, and it loses some of its attractiveness - buttons can come off, stretch sleeves or a stain may appear. These are signs of substandard goods. If we are talking, for example, about building materials, then in this case there may be raznosortitsa, incomplete equipment or defects of varying degrees.
If the company protects the image, then substandard goods will be sold at a reduced cost, and all defects will be indicated on the card. And if it was repaired, then this will also be announced. Non-standard goods are also goods stored in the warehouse, and you can meet them not only in equipment stores, but also in grocery supermarkets. Slightly rumpled ice cream does not lose its taste and nutritional qualities, but expired products threaten health, and their sale is unauthorized.
Consumer rights
The consumer’s legal right is to return the product to the store if its defects were discovered after the purchase, and the seller did not warn about them. The algorithm of actions is defined by the legislation of the Russian Federation (Law on the Protection of Consumer Rights No. 2300-1 of 02/07/1992):
- Returns must be recorded in writing. To do this, the buyer writes a statement in free form, which indicates his data, the defects of the goods and requires a refund of the amount paid. According to the law, money must be returned to the buyer within 15 days after the sale. At the same time, the seller can offer an alternative - replacement with a similar thing or repair. The application is written in two copies - the original is given to the seller, a copy with the store stamp remains with the buyer.
- The seller must accept the return application, the defective product itself, and also check it for compliance with the application.
- In the event of a dispute when the seller does not agree with the identified shortcomings, it is necessary to conduct an examination, which the consumer is entitled to attend. The assessment is carried out by the seller. If the buyer does not agree with the conclusions of the examination, then he has the right to sue. If the court recognizes that the defects occurred not through the fault of the seller, the buyer reimburses the costs of the examination, legal and commodity (storage, transportation, etc.) costs.
- According to the law, the seller must return the money within 10 days after receiving the application. The amount must be paid in full, withholding funds for the loss of operational, aesthetic qualities of the goods is not made.
- The buyer must return the goods for which the application was submitted to the seller.
- If the seller refuses to return the money, and the illiquidity of the goods is proved, it is worth going to court. In this case, the applicant has the right to demand additional compensation (for losses, to obtain a penalty, a fine, partial reimbursement of legal expenses, etc.).
Non-standard in stock and in return
Substandard goods in the store are divided into two categories: “A” and “B”. Group A includes products that require testing, repair, returned by the buyer. Then the goods of this group are sent to the service center for further work - repair, testing. Immediately, experts make a conclusion about the state of things, and if they are not repairable, a conclusion is made on the basis of which funds are returned to the buyer (if the goods are returnable) or a replacement is made.
The expert opinion is transmitted to the store, where negotiations with the buyer will take place. It is unprofitable for the store to keep defective products, so substandard goods are seized and transferred to the manufacturer along with complaints. If there is no return agreement with the producer, then full or partial disposal is carried out.
Substandard assorted grocery store
The substandard group “B” includes products that have a substandard type of product, incomplete packaging, requiring the removal of client settings. This also includes products that have identification inconsistencies, for example, mismatch of stickers on the packaging and directly on the products, defective accessories, items with inappropriate packaging (for example, the headset of another model is included in the kit of a mobile phone).
Part of the goods of group “B” is sent to the pre-sale preparation warehouse, where customer settings are deleted, markdown occurs, a change in the status of products, etc. The specialist assesses the need and possibility of repair (testing). After the decision is made, the goods are either dismantled or sent to a service center. In this unit, the client’s settings are cleared and things are transferred to retail outlets, while the expert decides whether markdowns are appropriate.
Goods not subject to repair / restoration are disassembled into spare parts for further use in repairs. Products that cannot be used in any form are transferred to the producer or disposed of.
Reviews
Any enterprise has substandard goods. Customer reviews often take the form of a dispute over the advantages and disadvantages of purchasing defective goods. There is no consumer who has not acquired illiquid assets at least once. In most cases, such a product attracts low cost and sometimes lasts for years. Those who advocate such purchases share their own experience, which turned out to be successful.
Many indicate that the purchased goods required a little home repair on their own, and in the future there were no problems with it. For the most part, this applies to low-tech products, where substandard goods - household appliances, furniture, fabrics, metal products, etc.
Most of the negative reviews talk about expensive or high-tech purchases - cars, mobile phones, computers, etc. Most buyers agree that taking such purchases is not worth the risk: repairs can be more expensive than the purchase itself, and guarantees of quality work after no interference.
For most buyers, the main problem with the purchase was the dishonesty of the seller or manufacturer. Many are ready to buy substandard goods, the description of which corresponds to the real state of affairs, and which has a reduced cost. Unfortunately, many retail chains sell repaired illiquid assets as a quality product and do not notify the buyer of any problems, repairs or defects.