New re-inspection regulation: price discount after approval by grower
FloraHolland is modifying its re-inspection regulation. A new aspect is that, from now on, growers will offer a price discount following quality-related complaints, after conferring with the buyer.
Additionally, buyers are given more scope to file a complaint at a different location from the location where the product was purchased. These new rules take effect on 1 February 2014.
Price discount arranged directly between buyer and grower
In the current situation, the quality inspector offers a price discount and handles a justified quality-related complaint. However, growers want to be able to make this decision on their own, without having to depend on the inspectors. After all, the financial consequences are borne by the grower. From 1 February 2014, the price discount is only possible following the approval of and under instruction of the grower.
What will change
To arrive at price discount agreements, the buyer will from now on contact the grower. If the grower agrees, then he will confirm this to the FloraHolland department of Product Reclamation (formerly Re-inspection). If buyer and grower do not come to a settlement, then the complaint is referred to and handled by FloraHolland. This entails reclaiming the product. A price discount is no longer an option then.
Buyers must find the grower's telephone number on the packaging and sleeves. To facilitate the transition to this new regulation, FloraHolland will initially help buyers find the telephone number. For growers that work via an agent or unpacker is it important to make an mutual agreement about the contactperson for decisions about pricediscount. Information on this point will follow.
Arrangements remain unchanged for complaints that do not involve price discounts for the buyer.
Complaint handling on location
From 1 February 2014, buyers will have the option of filing their complaints about all their clock purchases at the nearest FloraHolland export location. The complaint and the product need to be available for inspection at this location by not later than 16.00 hours. The current rules regarding the admissibility of complaints about transport damage and maturity differences remain unchanged.
Quality policy 2014
The current changes to the re-inspection regulation are part of the 2014 Quality Policy. This policy takes account of the changing wishes and demands of growers and buyers. Growers wish to have more control over their sales, and having full responsibility for the supply information is part of that. It is essential for buyers that this information is supplied reliably directly from the grower. The self-inspection principle will be implemented fully for all product groups in a step-by-step process. FloraHolland will discontinue inspections as a collective service, to focus instead on product reclamation. The terms 're-inspection' and 'inspector' will be replaced by 'product reclamation' and 'product reclamation officer'. The quality policy will be rolled out across all product groups by end 2014.
