Managing Missing Serialized Parts
Occasionally you may have a need to take a serialized inventory item out of stock because it is lost. In other words, you did in fact purchase the item but now you have no idea where the item went and you need to get it out of inventory.
Here is the challenge. You cannot delete a serialized inventory item unless you delete the bill itself and you can’t delete paid bills unless you delete the check that pays the bill. Either way, none of this is a viable solution if you actually purchased the item but lost it.
Here is how to handle this issue in Total Office Manager.
Step-By-Step
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Create a customer called “Lost Serialized Inventory”.
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Create a new Sale (click Customers | Enter Sales Receipts)
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Select the customer “Lost Serialized Inventory” and select the serialized item(s) that has been lost.
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Set the quantity to the correct number and retail price of the item to zero.
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Using the Serial # field, select the correct serial number(s).
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Explain why you made this adjustment using the memo field or Details section (Menu | Details).
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Click Save & Close.
Note: By using a customer, you will have complete history on serialized inventory adjustments. You can view the history form or run any number of reports using the “Lost Serialized Inventory” customer.
Serialized Item Tips
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If you must remove other serialized items in the future, create a new sale, and use the same Lost Serialized Inventory customer. Just repeat the above process.
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If you someday locate the item, you may simply delete this Sale and the item will once again be available. For greater detail, you could even issue a Credit (e.g. Refund). A Credit may be preferable if you want to better track the dates associated with when the item was “lost” and when the item was “discovered”.
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If you do find the item and discover it was sold to a customer, we recommend that you open the original invoice and add the item to it. If you must, make the retail price zero so that income and deposits are not messed up.
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If you discover that you entered the serial number incorrectly, you can change the serial number of a serialized item in the Item Receipts form.
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If you discover that you entered the serial number incorrectly, you can change the serial number of a serialized item on unpaid Bills.
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If you discover that you entered the serial number incorrectly, you can change the serial number of a serialized item on paid Bills but you must use the Serialized Inventory Adjustment form.
