# Core Charge — New Workflow & Operations Guide **Audience:** Operations team **Applies to:** Central admin → **Orders** (the order Items row) **Last updated:** June 2, 2026 --- ## 1. Why we changed this Core charges never had a real process. Until now, everything about a core charge lived in **order notes** — when the supplier waived it, when we refunded the customer, what the return label cost, the tracking number. That created real problems: - **Information gets lost.** Notes are free text. They get buried, overwritten, or never written at all. There was no reliable record of what happened with a core. - **Costs were confusing.** The **return label cost for the part** and the **return label cost for the core** are two different things, and they were easy to mix up. There was no clean place to separate them. - **No single source of truth.** To answer "did the supplier charge us? did we refund the customer? what did the core return cost?" you had to read through the whole notes thread. This is a **broader issue** than just adding a button — we never had a structured way to track anything related to core charges. --- ## 2. What's new A dedicated **Core Charge** workflow with its **own badge/button** on each item that carries a core charge. It records the **entire core-charge story in one structured record per item**: - **Waived core charge** — the supplier does **not** charge us the core, and we give the customer a refund. - **Returned & Refunded** — the customer **returns the core**, we refund them, and we record the **return label cost** and **tracking #** for the future. - **Supplier credits** for a core return are **recorded automatically, as usual** — no manual entry needed. --- ## 3. The benefits - **One source of truth.** Everything about a core charge lives in one place on the item — no more digging through notes. - **Nothing gets lost.** Structured fields instead of free-text notes; the record shows who updated it and when. - **Clear cost separation.** The **core's** return label cost is recorded separately from the **part's** costs, so the two never get confused again. - **Clean numbers for reporting.** Amounts are validated as positive values, so core-charge money flows correctly into reporting. - **Faster and consistent.** Ops follows the same simple steps every time. --- ## 4. Where to find it On the **Orders** list, open the order and look at the item. The **Core Charge** button sits right next to **Return Entries**, and only appears on items that actually carry a core charge. ![Core Charge button on the order item](images/list-button.png) *(Example: order **229640567** — note the `Core Refund $70.00` badge and the orange `Core Charge` button. The notes on the right are the old way of tracking this; going forward it lives in the Core Charge record instead.)* Click **Core Charge** to open the recording window. There is **one record per item** — re-opening it edits the same record, so there are never duplicates. --- ## 5. The two cases — pick the one that matches what happened | Case (Status) | When to use it | What you record | |---------------|----------------|-----------------| | **Waived** | The **supplier waived the core** — we were **not** charged. We refund the customer immediately, with no return. | Customer Refund Amount only | | **Refunded** | The **customer returns the core**. We refund the customer and send the core back to the supplier. | Customer Refund Amount, Return Label Cost, Return Tracking # for Core | The window shows or hides fields automatically based on the case you choose. --- ## 6. Case A — Waived (supplier waived the core) Use this when the supplier did **not** charge us for the core, so there is nothing to return — we simply refund the customer. ![Core Charge — Waived view](images/modal-waived.png) **Steps:** 1. Open **Core Charge** on the item and set **Status = Waived (supplier waived core)**. 2. Enter the **Customer Refund Amount** — the core refund given to the customer (required). 3. **Comment** (optional) — e.g. "Supplier waived core charge". 4. Click **Save Core Charge**. No return label, tracking, or label cost is needed — those fields are hidden for a waived core. > **Real example — order 229640567:** The supplier (PAM's) waived the core > ("*I was able to waive the core so we did not charge you a core*") and the customer was > refunded **$70.00**. That is recorded as **Status = Waived, Customer Refund Amount = $70.00**, > as shown above. --- ## 7. Case B — Returned & Refunded (customer returns the core) Use this when the customer is sending the old core back and we return it to the supplier. ![Core Charge — Refunded view](images/modal-refunded.png) **Steps:** 1. Open **Core Charge** on the item and set **Status = Refunded (customer returns part)**. 2. Create the return label for the customer as usual. 3. Fill in: - **Customer Refund Amount** — what the customer gets back for the core. - **Return Label Cost** — what the **core** return label cost us (this is the core's label, kept separate from the part's label cost). - **Return Tracking # for Core** — the tracking number for the core going back to the supplier. 4. **Comment** (optional) — RMA #, etc. 5. Click **Save Core Charge**. > **You can save in stages.** Record the tracking # and label cost when you create the label, then > re-open the same record later and add the **Customer Refund Amount** once the core is back with > the supplier and the refund is issued. --- ## 8. Supplier credit — handled automatically When the **supplier credits us back** for the returned core, that **supplier credit is recorded automatically, as usual** — you do **not** enter it in the Core Charge window. The Core Charge record is about the **customer refund and the core return label/tracking**; the supplier-side credit continues to flow through the normal Supplier Credit process on its own. --- ## 9. Where each charge goes (this is the part that used to be confusing) | Money | Where it goes | |-------|---------------| | Core refund **to the customer** | **Core Charge** window | | **Core's** return label cost | **Core Charge** window (Return Label Cost) | | The **part's** return label cost | Its normal place — **not** the Core Charge window | | Credit **from the supplier** for the core | **Supplier Credit** — recorded **automatically** | | Anything not core-related | Additional Cost / Supplier Credit as appropriate | - 🚫 **Do NOT put core charges in "Additional Cost."** Keeping core charges out of Additional Cost is exactly what makes core tracking and reporting accurate. - ✅ All **core**-related money (customer core refund + the **core's** return label cost) goes in the **Core Charge** window. --- ## 10. Field reference | Field | Shown for | Notes | |-------|-----------|-------| | **Status** | Always | Waived or Refunded | | **Customer Refund Amount** | Always | Must be a **positive** number. Required for **Waived**. | | **Return Label Cost** | Refunded only | Cost of the **core's** return label. | | **Return Tracking # for Core** | Refunded only | Tracking # for the core going back to the supplier. | | **Comment** | Always | Optional free text. | **Notes** - Amounts must be **positive** — the system blocks negatives/zero (they break reporting math). - There is **one record per item**; re-opening **Core Charge** edits that same record. - Use **Remove** (bottom-left, appears once a record exists) to delete the record entirely. - The button updates to show the saved status/amount, e.g. `Core Charge $70.00 - Waived`. --- ## 11. Quick decision guide ``` Did the supplier charge us a core? │ ├─ NO → Supplier waived it → Status = WAIVED │ • Refund the customer │ • Record: Customer Refund Amount │ └─ YES → Customer returns the old core → Status = REFUNDED • Create the return label • Record: Return Label Cost (core) + Return Tracking # for Core • Once the core is back with the supplier → record Customer Refund Amount • Supplier credit for the core → recorded automatically (no action needed) ``` --- ## 12. Next steps This documentation covers the new Core Charge workflow. **Uday will share the SOP** for this shortly. If the team would like a **walkthrough/training session**, let us know and we'll arrange one.