Deduction Recovery with Your Broker—A How-To
- Jon Allen
- Oct 2
- 1 min read
Think triage and workflow. The goal is to recover fast while preventing the next hit.
Step 1: Prioritize Work newest to oldest to protect eligibility windows. Walmart disputes typically close at two years; many programs and retailers cap specific claims at ~90 days.
Step 2: Build the evidence pack: invoice, PO, price/allowance proof, POD/BOL, item/pack specs, and promo agreements. Your food broker should assemble these quickly; they live in the details daily.
Step 3: Portal precisionAP deductions run through retailer portals (e.g., Walmart APDP). File to code, attach proof once, and track SLAs.
Step 4: Close the loop. Each win (or loss) feeds root-cause metrics: price file accuracy, carrier OTIF issues, promo setup flaws, barcode edits, etc.
Why speed matters: OTIF penalties and pricing errors often appear weeks after shipping; fines are commonly assessed on a cadence and can bite into the quarter.
Fictional deduction recovery example (for illustration only)
A snack brand sees recurring price misses. Partnering with their broker, they align item/price deduction recovery files with promotion terms and standardize the evidence pack. They claw back most recent deductions and stop the pattern in 30 days.
KPIs to watch
Win rate by code
Days-to-dispute
% preventable vs. truly valid
Dollars recovered vs. denied (with reasons)
Woodridge Retail Group operates with a prevention mindset—cleaning up today’s losses and eliminating tomorrow’s. Woodridge deductions are powered by HRG.
