With hundreds of orders at play for most projects, there’s no question that some items will arrive shattered or scuffed. Three designers tell us the steps they take to handle damaged items throughout the design process.

Broken glass. bent metal. Scratched veneers. When it comes to dealing with damaged goods, Robin Titus has seen it all—and when confronted with a shipment gone awry, the Oak Park, Illinois–based designer’s primary strategy is to nip the problem in the bud. In her contract, she is open with clients that not everything can be returned, and that warranties and returns are dependent upon the vendor. For items that arrive broken, two factors come into play: where the item was shipped and the company’s policy. (In the latter category, Titus prefers brands that will send a replacement without requiring the hassle of repackaging and returning the damaged piece.)

For vendors that do want her to send back the defective item, the best-case scenario is that it was shipped to a receiver rather than to the client. From there, returns are much easier: The receiver calls Titus, she contacts the vendor, and everything is taken care of without involving the client. But if the client received the damaged item and the company requires a return, the situation becomes much trickier. “[Clients may be] used to easy online shopping return policies where they send everything to you with a return label and you can just pop it in the mail,” she says. “But when you have a chandelier in a 36-inch box at a client’s home, they don’t know how to package it back up right, because that’s not what they do for a living. And they’re not going to take the time to do it.”