If cages arrive deformed, don't sign and unload on the spot. Photograph, shoot video, count the pieces and note the license plate, then pursue the maker or the carrier according to who is liable. Once you sign 'appearance intact' on the delivery receipt, any later claim becomes extremely difficult.
Photograph everything: the whole truck, close-ups of the deformed cage, close shots of the deformed area, and the cage label together with the contract number in one frame. Also record the truck plate, arrival time and how the loaders handled it — all of this is evidence for later liability determination.
Determine liability: if the factory inspection passed and packaging was intact but deformation happened in transit, it's caused by carrier handling or road shock — the consignee claims against the logistics provider. If the factory inspection already showed problems, or packaging wasn't reinforced as required, it's the maker's responsibility, and the maker resupplies or exchanges.
Minor deformation (frame off by under 5mm, a local dent in the mesh) can be corrected on site with a wooden mallet or a jack before signing. Obvious deformation (side-bent post, base dented enough to block fork entry, cracked welds) means reject that cage and note 'X cages rejected for deformation' on the delivery note, with the driver signing to confirm.
Claims handling: if the FTL deformation rate exceeds 2%, re-inspect the whole batch — don't just replace the few broken cages. LTL deformation is usually tied to transshipment handling, so on the next shipment ask for extra corner protectors and film wrapping. Before dispatch, Nanjing Tongnuo Warehouse Equipment Manufacturing Co., Ltd. proactively reinforces cages where deformation risk is foreseeable and tells the customer.