The Brand’s Product Arrives Damaged for a Review: How to Handle the Issue
Document damage or missing accessories, explain what is blocked and agree on a replacement while keeping proposals separate from commitments. Includes an issue log and a brand email template.
If a brand’s product arrives damaged for a review, record what you observe and explain which tests are blocked. Before promising another publication date, you need to know what solution the brand proposes and check the equipment you will actually use.
This procedure helps you document receipt, request instructions and keep the original unit linked to its replacement. The tables and messages are organizational tools; decisions about collection, replacement and deliverables need confirmation.
1. Log receipt before starting your tests
Compare the contents received with the agreed list and keep a private record of these details:
- Your own reference: for example, INC-014, linked to the product and collaboration.
- Product and unit: brand, model and available identifier. Keep the serial number in your private documentation when needed to distinguish units.
- Receipt: date and time of the inspection.
- Packaging: condition of the outer packaging and internal protection, described without attributing causes.
- Contents: expected, received and missing accessories.
- Observations: location and appearance of damage, or behavior observed if you had already started a test.
- Evidence: references to photographs and the email sent, saved in a private folder.
- Blocked work: tests, shots or demonstrations you cannot yet carry out.
Write “the corner of the box is torn and the casing has a visible crack.” That description does not establish who caused the damage. Similarly, “I cannot find the battery included in the agreed list” does not establish where it went missing.
As a specific reference, UPS requests photographs of the damaged item and its packaging, the shipping label and the outside of the package to document damage. These are requirements of its procedure: check which requirements apply to the carrier handling your shipment. UPS also says to keep the contents and packaging when a package is damaged.
Keep the original images private. Use file references in the shared table and avoid copying addresses, phone numbers or complete shipping labels unless they are needed to resolve the issue.
If there is an apparent risk, stop testing
Do not try to capture another shot or improvise a repair. Consult the manufacturer’s official instructions for that model and ask the relevant support team for guidance. As a specific example, the Sony DSC-H100 guide says not to use deformed or damaged batteries. That instruction applies to that equipment; find the documentation for yours.
2. Create an issue log
Copy this template into your production document. Create one row per problem when decisions or responsible people differ.
| Field | What to record |
|---|---|
| Reference and unit | INC-014; original unit U-01 |
| Observation | What you see or what is missing, with the inspection date |
| Private evidence | References to photos, the contents list and email |
| Outstanding test | What you have not been able to check and why |
| Proposal | Accessory shipment, replacement or return you are asking the brand to consider |
| Owner of the next action | Who needs to respond or arrange the next step |
| Confirmed response | Exact decision, date and message reference; “pending” if there is no response yet |
| Next review | When you will check the status again or follow up |
| Closure | What has been resolved and what evidence supports it |
Keep the observation, your proposal and the response separate. “Replacement unit requested” and “replacement confirmed by the brand” describe different stages. The next review date is a follow-up decision, not a universal response deadline.
3. Send the brand an email that supports a decision
Explain the facts, the blocker and the instructions you need. You can adapt this message:
Subject: [product / collaboration] — issue on receipt [reference]
Hi [name],
I received [model and unit reference] on [date]. When checking the contents, I observed [specific description]. According to the agreed list, [accessory, if applicable] is also missing.
I have saved [references to photographs and the receipt checklist] and can share them through your preferred private channel. Based on what I have checked so far, I cannot determine the cause of the issue.
[Tests or shots] are still outstanding, which puts [draft, video or Short and original date] at risk.
I suggest considering [sending the accessory or providing a replacement]. Could you confirm how to proceed and who will coordinate this? If the original unit needs to be returned, I need the instructions, the list of accessories to include, who will arrange transport and the agreed date.
For the content, I propose reviewing the dates once I have received and checked the necessary equipment. Any alternative scope or schedule remains subject to explicit confirmation.
I suggest we review the status on [date]. If there is still no confirmed solution, I will explain what remains blocked.
Thanks, [name]
If you do not have enough information to propose a solution, ask for instructions and leave that decision open. Silence leaves the proposal pending; it does not confirm a replacement or change the deliverables.
To develop the schedule once equipment availability is resolved, use the guide on what to do when a brand’s product arrives late for a sponsored video.
4. Fictional example: a camera arrives without the agreed battery
A creator receives a camera from the fictional brand Aurora on November 2. The confirmed contents list included a battery, but she cannot find it when checking the package. She has no compatible alternative and has not been able to test the camera. She had agreed to publish a review on November 10 and a Short based on the same tests on November 11.
She records “agreed battery not found in the contents received; operation still to be checked.” She does not record “faulty camera,” because she has not established that.
| When | Fact or decision | Record |
|---|---|---|
| November 2 | Receives U-01 and checks that the agreed battery is missing | INC-014 opened; photos and list saved; testing outstanding |
| November 2 | Asks the brand to consider sending the accessory or a replacement | Proposal sent; no confirmed solution |
| November 3 | Aurora confirms replacement of the kit and provides return instructions | Response saved; U-01 must be returned with the accessories actually received |
| November 4 | Hands U-01 to the carrier following the confirmed instructions | Shipping receipt saved; receipt by Aurora pending |
| November 5 | Receives U-02 with the battery and checks the contents | New receipt linked to INC-014; review testing still outstanding |
| November 9 | Finishes the planned tests and proposes new delivery dates | Proposal: review on November 15 and Short on November 16 |
| November 9 | Aurora confirms both dates | Email saved; calendar updated |
| November 10 | Aurora confirms receipt of U-01 | Return completed; equipment issue resolved |
These dates illustrate this example; they are not recommended shipping or production turnaround times.
The creator keeps two unit references: U-01 for what she initially received and U-02 for what she ultimately tests. She does not delete the first receipt record or present the original camera as a unit she evaluated. The review is based on tests carried out with U-02.
The replacement confirmed on November 3 does not itself confirm the new publication dates. Those dates are agreed in a later response and recorded separately for the long-form video and the Short.
5. Close the issue with supporting evidence
Before marking it as resolved, check:
- Original unit: the record shows what happened to it under the confirmed instructions. If it was returned, distinguish the shipping receipt from confirmation of receipt.
- Replacement equipment: it has its own receipt record, accessory list and observations. If another problem appears, add the new fact without deleting the previous one.
- Outstanding tests: it is clear which tests have been completed and which remain open.
- Content: every change to dates or scope has an identifiable response from the brand.
- Documentation: the messages and supporting records needed to reconstruct the sequence can be located.
You can resolve the equipment issue while video editing remains outstanding. Keep both workflows visible. If the equipment is on loan, the guide to loaned products for YouTube reviews expands on tracking accessories and returns.
6. Add the confirmed agreement to VidCRM
VidCRM lets you record products and brands, associate long-form videos and Shorts with them, and edit each video’s planned date. For loaned products, you can also enter a return date.
Use those fields to organize the work you have already agreed on. When a replacement changes the schedule, update each piece’s planned date after confirming the adjustment. If the loan return changes, record the corresponding agreed date.
Keep the issue log, references for both units, photographs and emails in your production documentation. That documentation lets you check what was proposed and what was confirmed.
Your next step is to complete the receipt record for the affected product and send the brand a specific request. Once you have a confirmed solution and dates, update the associated videos in VidCRM.
By VidCRM.
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