Walmart Deduction Recovery: Disputing Claims On APDP

Walmart is one of the largest retailers in the world, with millions of customers and thousands of suppliers. As a supplier, you may have experienced some deductions from your invoices due to various reasons such as price differences, shortages, damages, or returns. These deductions can affect your cash flow and profitability, so you may want to dispute them and get your money back.

In May 2023, Walmart made significant changes to its dispute resolution process impacting the way you dispute deductions and recover revenue. With the launch of the Accounts Payable Disputes Portal (APDP), suppliers are now required to dispute deductions individually, marking the end of the Settlement Disputing method.

This article aims to explore the impact of these changes on suppliers' businesses and provide effective tips and solutions to handle the new system, ensuring an edge in the competitive marketplace. 

Understanding Settlement Disputing:

Settlement Disputing was a method employed by large suppliers dealing with thousands of shipments to Walmart which streamlined the process by settling all deductions within a specific timeframe, often quarterly.

Despite its convenience, this approach came with uncertainties leading to potential cash flow problems as payment settlements could take months.

How APDP Works

Walmart's Accounts Payable Disputes Portal (APDP) has replaced the Direct Commerce Inc. (DCI) portal, offering an in-house and more robust Walmart deductions management solution for suppliers. As an integrated part of Retail Link, APDP grants suppliers access to dispute deductions more effectively and efficiently.

Key Advantages of APDP:

• Streamlined Access: APDP is seamlessly accessible through Retail Link accounts, eliminating the need for a separate login or account creation.
  
  
• Line-Level Disputes: Unlike the overall deduction level disputes in Settlement Disputing, APDP allows you to submit disputes at the claim line level rather than at the overall deduction level. For example, if you received a deduction for code 22 (goods billed not shipped) for three items on one invoice but only one item was missing, you can dispute only that item rather than the whole invoice. This gives you more flexibility and accuracy in disputing deductions.
  
  
• Improved Communication: APDP facilitates direct communication between dispute analysts and suppliers, allowing for faster resolution and providing transparency on dispute statuses and relevant messages.

Common Walmart Deduction Codes to look out for:

Understanding the types of deductions is crucial for effective dispute resolution and revenue recovery. Here are some common types of deductions with codes to look out for:

Read a detailed article on all popular Walmart Deduction Codes

Information And Documents Required To Dispute A Walmart Deduction

When initiating a dispute for a Walmart deduction through the APDP system, the submission of specific documentation is essential. A range of information is necessary to facilitate the dispute resolution process. While some information can be easily obtained, others may require access to various portals before they can be used on APDP platform.

Presented below is a list of frequently demanded Information for effective dispute management:

• Claim Number (the Invoice number) 
• Claim Date 
• Dispute Type 
• Two-digit Claim Code 
• Disputed Amount 
• Supplier Number
• Purchase Order Number
• Freight Carrier
• Shipping Method
• Description (reason for disputing the deduction)

List of frequently requested Documents:

• Proof Of Delivery (POD)
• Bill Of Landing (BOL)
• Electronic Data Interchange
• Invoice
• Claim

Future Of Vendors Using Settlement Disputing

Now that Settlement Disputing has been phased out, vendors using this method will need to adjust their strategies to cope with individual deduction disputes on APDP.

The success of vendors now disputing individual Walmart deductions depends on how well they adapt to the changes that Walmart introduces and how well they can optimize their disputing process.

Some best practices that vendors can follow to improve their disputing performance are:

• Master the APDP Platform: Learn how to use Walmart's Accounts Payable Disputes Portal (APDP). It's where you can track deductions, dispute them, and find resources to understand deduction codes.
  
  
• Proper Documentation: Have all your paperwork in order, like proof of delivery, bills of lading, and invoices. This documentation helps you prove your case and sort out deductions faster.
   
• Walmart Deduction Codes: Get to know Walmart Deduction Codes to understand why deductions occur and be ready to dispute them effectively.
  
  
• Monitor Your Deductions: Keep an eye on deduction reports regularly to spot trends and recurring problems. Addressing these issues helps prevent future deductions.

Someone who has used APDP before knows how time-consuming and repetitive it can get to dispute every single deduction, especially when your company receives thousands of them every single month.

You Can Leverage Technology To Automate Deduction Management

You can leverage the Walmart deduction recovery services provided by iNymbus to automate your deduction management process. iNymbus uses Robotic Process Automation (RPA) which is specifically designed to work with retailer portals, EDI, and other document sources to create and submit disputes quickly. Whether it is Amazon, Walmart, Lowes, CVS, or any of the 25 other retailers we support, iNymbus will streamline the end-to-end Walmart Deduction Management process for your staff. 

Tailored precisely for your company's SOPs, our RPA solution guarantees maximum efficiency, seamlessly integrating with your existing tools and procedures. Leave the complex bot configurations to us, as we take care of all the heavy lifting. Within a few weeks, you'll have a fully operational, live product, empowering your business with enhanced productivity and streamlined processes.

These are the results our clients have got after they onboarded iNymbus deduction management software:

• 30X efficiency boost in processing chargebacks
  
• Cost-per-claim reduced by a drastic 80-90%
  
• Reduction in duplication of work and unnecessary manual steps
  
• Continuous disputing and follow-up of all claims 
• In-app reporting showing the status of all claims across all connected retailers.

Walmart Chargeback Dispute is a tedious process, but with the help of technology, you can not only fight this battle but also win it.

Book a quick and informative demonstration call to explore how iNymbus can help you achieve your specific objectives for deductions and dispute. We support over 25 plus retailers.