Performance Violations and Resolutions Policy
Cahoot tracks performance violations — late shipments, order defects, and inventory errors — to maintain service standards across the fulfillment network. This article lists every violation code, the resolution Cahoot applies, and how each one affects your Cahoot Rating. It applies to Cahoot Fulfillment Partners (CFPs).
What Counts as a Performance Violation
A performance violation is a recorded incident where a Cahoot Fulfillment Partner fails to meet the standards set in the Fulfillment Partner Operating Instructions and Code of Conduct. Each violation is assigned a code that determines the resolution Cahoot applies.
Violations lower your Cahoot Rating. A lower rating reduces the volume of orders allocated to your warehouse and affects your eligibility to continue participating in the network.
Performance Violation Codes and Resolutions
Every performance violation lowers your Cahoot Rating. A lower rating reduces the volume of orders allocated to your warehouse. The table below lists each violation code, what triggers it, and the additional resolution Cahoot applies.
| Violation Code | What Triggers It | Resolution |
| Late Shipment | The order shipped after the Cahoot Ship By Date. | The fulfillment is not payable. Cahoot invoices the CFP for an expedited shipping label if one is required to keep the delivery on time. |
| Inventory Damaged Before Shipping | Inventory was damaged at the CFP warehouse before the order shipped. | The fulfillment is not payable. The CFP is billed the full retail price of the item(s) plus shipping cost. |
| Order Missing Contents | The order shipped without all of the items it was supposed to contain. | The fulfillment is not payable. The CFP is billed the full retail price of the item(s) plus shipping cost. |
| Shipped Wrong Item, Size, or Quantity | The wrong product, size, or quantity was shipped to the customer. | The fulfillment is not payable. The CFP is billed the full retail price of the item(s) plus shipping cost. |
| Incorrect Packaging Used | The order shipped in packaging other than the pre-assigned shipping supplies, or in packaging too small to protect the merchandise. | You are billed any carrier adjustment or surcharge caused by shipping in packaging other than the pre-assigned box or mailer. |
| Inventory Lost, Misplaced, or Damaged | Inventory in the CFP's possession is lost, misplaced, or damaged through no fault of Cahoot or the Seller. | The CFP is billed the full retail price of the item(s). |
| Order Not Barcode Scan Verified | The order was packed and shipped without completing Cahoot Scan Verification. | The fulfillment is not payable. |
| End of Day Form Not Scanned | The Cahoot End of Day form was not scanned by the carrier on a shipping day. | The fulfillment is payable, but the missed scan counts against your error rate. |
| Inbound or Work Orders Not Ready on Time | An inbound shipment or work order was not received, processed, and ready for fulfillment within the SLA. | Cahoot may throttle inventory allocation to your warehouse or remove existing inventory. |
| Repeated Performance Violations | A pattern of performance violations across any of the codes above. | Suspension or removal from the Cahoot network. Payments for fulfillment services already rendered may be adjusted or forfeited. |
What Happens When a Performance Violation Is Recorded
- The violation will be recorded on your Cahoot dashboard under the CFP Violations section.
- Review the violation details to identify the order or inventory involved.
- The resolution listed in the table above is applied automatically, including any non-payable fulfillment or chargeback.
If you believe a violation was recorded in error, submit the details to Cahoot Support — Submit Ticket.
How to Avoid the Most Common Performance Violations
Most performance violations come from a small number of timing and verification steps. The following practices prevent the majority of them.
- Ship every order the same business day its label is provided. Cahoot releases labels throughout the day until 2:45 PM local time, Monday through Saturday.
- Complete Cahoot Scan Verification on every order. A fulfillment with no verification scan is not payable, even if the package was delivered on time.
- Scan the End of Day form after packages are handed to the carrier, not when it prints. See Scanning Cahoot End of Day Form.
- Confirm packages receive a carrier origin scan before they leave your warehouse. See Reconfirm Orders were Handed to Carrier.
- Use the pre-assigned packaging for each order. Labels are rated for the assigned box or mailer, so substituting packaging can cause damage or carrier surcharges. Contact Cahoot Support if an assigned package is the wrong size.
- Report damaged or short inventory when you receive it, before it is listed for sale. Any mismatch reported after listing is treated as shrinkage. See Handling Damaged SKUs when Receiving Inbounds.
Frequently Asked Questions
How does Cahoot determine whether an order shipped on time?
Cahoot records the timestamp when an order is marked shipped in the software, and also monitors carrier pickup and origin scan history to confirm the package physically left your warehouse the same day. Both are considered together, so an occasional missing carrier scan outside your control is not treated as a late shipment on its own.
I received a pending order email notification. Is that a performance violation?
No. Pending order email notifications are reminders that orders are awaiting fulfillment. A Late Shipment violation is only recorded if an order is not shipped by its Cahoot Ship By Date.
What happens if the carrier misses a scheduled pickup?
Tell Cahoot the same day. If you report a missed pickup while there's still time to act, Cahoot can often reroute the affected orders and no violation is recorded. If Cahoot doesn't find out until the following day, the orders are recorded as late shipments — by then the delivery promise has already failed and there's nothing left to reroute.
Don't wait for the Reconfirm Orders page. It appears the next business day, which is too late to save the shipments. Submit Ticket as soon as you know the pickup isn't happening, and drop the packages at the local hub the same day if you can.
Are orders missing a carrier origin scan counted as violations?
Not on their own. If you marked Handed to Carrier = Yes, you handed the packages over and the carrier simply didn't scan them that day — that's outside your control and isn't treated as a late shipment. A violation applies when the packages never left your warehouse.
My carrier keeps missing scheduled pickups. What should I do?
Contact your local carrier representative directly and get the pickup schedule corrected as quickly as possible. Repeated missed pickups compound into late shipment violations, so treat a pattern as urgent rather than routine. Notify Cahoot Support so they know the issue is being worked.