What notice do I have to give GS prior to inspection?

GS will select an appropriate inspector with experience to suit the client and product. In order to achieve this, we need to receive inspection bookings 2-5 working days before the requested inspection date. GS are a flexible company and we can accommodate client request on much shorter notice. Contact GS for further information.

How fast can we get a result?

GS guarantees typed reports to be e-mailed by 24 hrs the Day after the Inspection unless there are unavoidable problems. Normally it is a good practice to ensure the factory finishes production2 days before loading a container for shipment. Due to poor planning or lack of space, factories may experience difficulties. Often containers arrive the moment the goods are ready. This does not leave much time for inspections or problem solving. Buyers should stipulate a two-day gap in their purchase terms because this allows a Report to be presented to the buyer and shipping decisions to be made without undue time pressure. In the event that the factory is poorly managed and the result must be available as soon as possible, GS offers a Quick Result Form which is the inspector's handwritten draft faxed from the factory and briefly reviewed by the GS based Customer Service Executive before forwarding to the client within 2 hours of the inspection being completed.

Your fee seems high. I could hire my own full-time local inspectors for this kind of money?

It may look expensive on the surface, but once one takes into account all administrative costs, checklist preparation, report verification as well as the supporting extensive product knowledge, electronic databases and staff experience, then such price is good value for money. If you have a heavy volume of inspections, little seasonality, a narrow range of goods and of suppliers, it may make sense to build up a team of inspectors in China or other Asian locations but bear in mind the hidden costs of communications, managers, office registration, taxes, equipment and time spent hiring and training. GS has an existing infra-structure and due to economies of scale can make the price quite attractive for volume clients who will appreciate the advantages of outsourcing in terms of flexibility and reduction of headaches and aggravation that comes with managing a team of staff spread out over so many different factory locations every day. Moreover, outsourcing carries the additional advantage of having an independent third party forming objective and impartial opinions free from internal interferences.

If there is a GS inspection, is the factory relieved from its obligation to deliver quality goods?

No action or inspection by GS relieves the manufacturer from the burden of delivering quality goods or compensating the client for the delivery of poor products. Audits, inspections, loading checks or sample picking and tests performed by GS are simply a palette of quality tools at the buyer's disposal to affect more control over the purchasing process and reduce the possibility of errors, misunderstandings, negligence or even fraud. The objective is to create an atmosphere of control which sends a clear message to all parties that correct quality must be produced and shipped. GS is a facilitator; we are neither a trading company, nor an agent.

What happens if the goods arrive and we find that there are quality problems despite an inspection by GS?

GS is simply a quality assurance company and as such it is our job to report and record what we see and assist our clients in making decisions whether to ship product or not. As we are often not present during loading of containers and we only take a statistical sampling of the total lot we cannot guarantee 100% that the same goods were shipped, nor that the total lot size will meet the quality standards. We are simply there to reduce the possibility of future problems. Additionally there is a human factor involved. We try to get consistency by continuous training. Should it be proven that GS staff did not notice or document defects, or safety issues during the course of construction checks or inspections we will refund the value of the inspection. Any concerns that you may have regarding the performance of GS staff should be brought to our attention immediately so we can start claim investigations which involve checking reference samples, shipment samples and all paperwork relating to the inspection to verify where things went wrong. Then we update our procedures and training to prevent any recurrence.

How do you protect our information?

GS is strictly committed not to disclose any of your personal information and the report information to any fourth party except for yourself, your supplier and our internal divisions. Your personal information is used for billing purposes only and will never be sold, or re-used for any purpose. The report information related to you or the supplier is kept top confidential within GS internal divisions and will never be revealed to outside. Sometimes, when we need to show our new customers a specimen report, we always must get permission and authorization from the customer whom the original report was submitted to or related to. And, the industry that the specimen report is related to should be different from that the new customer covers. Even so, we always erase or hide all contact information, company names, logos or any identities related to the customer and supplier on the specimen report. It's because of the above mentioned privacy policy that we do not use web based online data transmission system on our website, which is potentially risky of data emission on the internet. We take this as one of the basic ethics of being professional since we are established and that we have to obey as always over the past years. By the way, the other basic ethics of being professional in this industry is about the bribery issue - we never accept meals offered by the suppliers - we have very severe internal punitive measures in that regards.

We have one supplier who is not packing the containers correctly. He will short pack or over pack. Could you help us with this? How would you do it?

The root cause of over pack or short pack is inaccurate calculation of the contents in the cartons before they pack them. This causes sizes or quantities of the carton always uncontrollable, so container space could not be uncontrollable for them, either. This causes a possible final - the products may reach your branches in bad conditions because the container keeps risky on the sea. Yes, we could help on this. Most of our quality control engineers are experts in the control of packaging and loading. Through Sample Review Service, we could (1)communicate with, (2)give instructions to, and (3)receive samples from the supplier, to ensure they pack the goods correctly for suiting the container's loading space. And, through actual Loading Supervision Service, we could verify the result and make adjustment or corrections if needed. And all these will be reported to you within 18 hours.

Can we pay after the audits or inspections?

New customers might be requested to pay before we proceed with the audit or inspection. Once we have several times of transactions, your service request becomes regular on monthly basis, and a good relationship is built between us, you could pay on monthly basis.

In which sector of products do we have more experiences?

We began our Quality Control service from the Lighting fixtures, Electric and Electronic products, furniture, hardline and softline goods, we are very familiar with most commodities, and we have carried out for our clients a great quantity of orders. Nevertheless, according to the different requirements of the clients from different sectors, we have accumulated a lot of experiences and knowledge by the orders we have done during these years, and now we are totally capable to treat with different fields thanks to the efforts done by our team and their knowledge.

Can we offer services to clients from all the countries?

Yes, of course. Actually, GS Inspection Service’s clients spread all over the world, Countries as United States, UK, Australia, Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Greece, Panamá, Venezuela, Russia, Dubai etc, but we do hope to get more clients from all the world, because we believe in our capacity.

Is it possible to give direct instructions to the Inspector?

Yes it is, you to create your own lists of Instructions and Defects for each of your products. Your instructions are transferred straight to the Inspector who is asked to focus his attention on during the Inspection.

Can I cancel an order?

Yes you can , until 4pm China Time the day before the Inspection and it is free of charge.

How and when are reports available?

Once the order is completed, you receive the detailed Report in PDF by email (80 % of them the same day as the Inspection).

What is Critical defect?

Any condition found which poses the possibility of causing injury or harm to, or otherwise endangering the life or safety of, the end user of the product or others in the immediate vicinity of its use.

What is Major defect?

Any condition found adversely affecting the product's marketability and sale-ability or adversely affecting its required form, fit, or function, and which is likely to result in the end user returning it to the source from which it was purchased for replacement or refund.

What is Minor defect?

Any condition found which while possibly less than desirable to the end user of the product, does not adversely affect its required marketability, sale-ability, form, fit, or function and is unlikely to result in its return to the source from which it was purchased.