An RMA process is a numbering discipline: no charger travels back — customer to reseller, or reseller to factory — without an authorisation number issued first, and every number carries one record from first report to final settlement. The reseller designs and runs it; the maker’s agreement sets the outer terms.
Key Takeaways
- The number comes before the box: authorisation first, shipment second, every time.
- One number carries one unit’s complete record — identity, evidence, movement, finding, outcome.
- The workflow runs inside written agreement terms; desk discipline is what makes them work.
- EVDANCE publishes no standing RMA procedure — the return route for your account is a written confirmation, arranged before the first failure.
The Workflow, Stage by Stage
| Stage | The record created | The gate to the next stage |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Fault report received | A case opened against the serial number, the symptom in the customer’s own words | The serial is confirmed against the sale record — no serial, no case |
| 2. Pre-return diagnosis | Evidence gathered remotely: records, guided checks, photos, filed in the case | Evidence says a physical return is needed; faults closed here get no number |
| 3. Authorisation | The RMA number, issued with packing and address instructions | The number exists before anything ships — the gate the system protects |
| 4. Movement | Carrier and tracking details logged against the number | The arriving parcel matches the case at the door, unopened |
| 5. Receipt and test | Condition on arrival, the test result, and whether the reported fault was reproduced | A finding exists: confirmed fault, no fault found, or damage outside the warranty’s scope |
| 6. Outcome | The settlement recorded — repair, replacement or credit, as the governing terms provide | The outcome matches the finding, and the customer is told in writing |
| 7. Closure | The completed record, filed where a later claim on the unit will find it | Nothing is open: unit, money and paperwork all accounted for |
The Record Each Number Carries
One number, one file. The fields below are a record design, not a legal form — keep them for every return, however small:
- Unit identity: model, serial number, sale date and the invoice it was sold on.
- The report: who reported the fault, when, and the symptom as described.
- The evidence: fault records, photos or video, and pre-return check results.
- The movement: authorisation date, carrier, tracking reference and arrival date.
- The finding and outcome: what testing showed, what was settled, the dates.
The agreement-level questions — warranty outcomes, who carries freight, what evidence the factory wants — belong in the supply terms, the ground our spare parts and RMA process for distributors covers, checked against the warranty and after-sales checklist.
Two Rules That Keep the System Honest
Nothing ships without a number. A unit that arrives unannounced cannot be matched to a sale, a symptom or an agreement. Publish the rule in advance — unauthorised returns are held unprocessed until a case is opened — and hold it even when it feels slow. One informal exception becomes the route every later return takes.
A number is never reused or shared. Two units under one number produce one merged record and two untraceable settlements. Batched factory returns travel as separate numbers in one shipment — a production pattern is only visible when individual records survive.
Running This Process on EVDANCE Stock
EVDANCE hardware carries a 3-year standard warranty, claimed on written terms agreed with each reseller. EVDANCE publishes no standing RMA procedure: the return route, evidence expected and settlement forms for your market are confirmed in writing for your account before the first failure needs them — set up through the resellers and distributors programme or contact us. The stock moving through the fullest process is project hardware like the EV-AC03201T dual-connector AC station (two Type 2 connectors, up to 43 kW shared, OCPP 1.6J, RFID, IP54): a floor-standing unit a site cannot be without, whose paperwork must move faster than the unit does.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who issues the RMA number — the reseller or the factory?
Each leg has its own. The reseller issues the number the customer ships under; a separate factory authorisation governs the onward return, on the written terms. One number never stretches across both legs.
Can a customer send a charger back first and get a number later?
They can send it, but the process cannot start: without a case the unit matches nothing. Open the case on arrival, log the exception, restate the rule — do not let unnumbered returns become the normal path.
How long should return records be kept?
Longer than the warranty can be claimed, and as long as your market’s rules require. Practically, keep it for the unit’s life: a second fault is judged from the first one’s file.
Related Reading
- EV Charger Spare Parts and RMA Process for Distributors
- EV Charger Warranty and After-Sales Terms: A Distributor’s Checklist
- Commercial EV Charger Maintenance Checklist
- Which EV Charger Has the Best Warranty?
