Claim Triage Decision Rules Worksheet
A fill-in matrix that turns your warranty triage rules into a written table: for each common failure pattern, the evidence required, the coverage call, the default resolution, whether the failed unit comes back, and who can approve.
Reviewed for 2026, updated September 8, 2026.
Triage is where warranty cost and customer experience meet. The same cracked housing can become an advance replacement shipped today or a two-week return-and-inspect loop, depending on which agent picked it up. Writing the rules down fixes that. This worksheet is the table those rules live in: one row per failure pattern your team sees regularly, with the evidence you ask for at intake, how you call coverage, the default fix, whether you need the unit back, and who signs off when the answer is expensive.
The rows below are examples for a typical consumer electronics product, and every threshold is a placeholder for your own figure. Replace them with the failures your own claim history shows, keep the list short enough to fit on one page, and revisit it whenever the failure data changes the picture. The Warranty Claim Handling Cost Calculator in our Tools section helps you cost each resolution path before you make it the default, and the blog article on handling a warranty claim well covers the scripts and timing that go with each row.
| Reported failure pattern | Evidence required at intake | Coverage call | Default resolution | Failed unit return | Approval needed and owner |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cracked housing or visible damage on arrival, reported within your arrival window | Photos of the damage and the packaging, order number or serial | Covered as shipping damage | Advance replacement, same day | Not required below your unit value threshold; prepaid label above it | Agent decides; support lead owns the threshold |
| Dead on arrival, no power or no response | Serial, short video of the power attempt, charger and cable used | Covered | Guided troubleshooting first (outlet, cable, reset), then replacement | Required, prepaid label | Agent; escalate to support lead above your unit cost figure |
| Swollen, hot, or leaking battery | Photo, serial; stop-use instruction sent immediately | Covered, treated as a safety case | Expedited replacement | Follow your carrier's rules for damaged batteries; may mean disposal instructions instead of a return | Support lead same day; logged for safety review |
| Intermittent connector, port, or button | Video showing the fault, serial, firmware version | Covered inside the window | Repair if the part is on your replaceable-component list; otherwise replacement | Required | Agent |
| Liquid contact indicated or described | Photos, description of the exposure, serial | Typically excluded under your terms; confirm against your written warranty | Declined with the reason cited; paid repair quote offered | Only if the paid repair is accepted | Agent; second reviewer if the customer disputes |
| Drop or impact damage | Photos, serial, description of what happened | Excluded unless your warranty covers accidental damage | Declined with the reason cited; paid repair or replacement discount | Only if the paid repair is accepted | Agent |
| Firmware or software fault, device otherwise intact | Serial, firmware version, screenshot or error text | Covered | Guided update or reset; replacement only if the fix fails twice | Not required | Agent |
| Missing accessory or part in the box | Photo of the box contents, order number | Covered as a fulfillment error | Ship the missing part, no return | Not required | Agent |
| Failure on a discontinued product with no replacement stock | Standard evidence for the failure type, proof of purchase date | Covered inside the window | Refund or credit toward the current model, per your policy | Required | Support lead; finance if the refund exceeds your figure |
| Failure reported after the coverage window | Serial and purchase date | Out of coverage | Goodwill replacement inside your grace period; otherwise paid repair | Depends on the path chosen | Support lead approves any goodwill decision |
https://warrantpilot.com/templates/claim-triage-decision-rules-worksheet/Use it in your business, share it with your team, or link to it from your own site.
Also from WarrantPilot
- Warranty Program Readiness Checklist: A pre-launch and annual review checklist covering the written warranty, registration, claim intake, triage rules, fulfillment, closure, and the data loop, so a hardware brand's warranty runs as one process instead of an inbox.
- Free calculators