Most fixture problems that turn into real headaches were visible on delivery day. A hairline crack in a toilet tank, a chipped corner on a shower base, a faucet carton that rattles because the aerator worked loose in transit: all of it is far easier to sort out in the first hour than in the third week, after the plumber is booked. This guide gives you a simple routine to inspect fixtures on delivery, whether a courier drops a faucet box at your door in Halifax or a freight truck brings a crated tub up a driveway in Kelowna.
Why the first hour matters
Carriers and suppliers work on claim windows. Concealed damage claims on freight usually need to be filed within a short window, often only a few days, and a signed delivery receipt with no notes is generally read as "received in good condition." That does not leave you without recourse, but it does shift the burden onto you. A proper inspection of a full bathroom order takes well under an hour and needs nothing more than a phone camera, a utility knife and a tape measure.
Before the truck arrives
- Know what is coming. Check your order confirmation for the number of cartons or pallets. A vanity often ships as two or three boxes, and a shower system may arrive as separate rough-in valve and trim cartons on different days.
- Know the delivery type. We ship across Canada, and larger items such as tubs, shower bases and vanities travel by freight. Freight is curbside or driveway delivery unless you arranged inside service, so line up a second pair of hands.
- Clear a landing spot. In winter that means a shovelled, salted path and a dry area indoors, because cardboard sitting on wet snow soaks through in minutes.
- Brief whoever is receiving. If a neighbour or contractor is signing on your behalf, walk them through the steps below.
Step one: inspect before you sign
For freight deliveries, this is the moment that matters most. Before signing the delivery receipt:
- Count the pieces against the bill of lading.
- Walk around the pallet or crate. Look for crushed corners, punctures, broken banding, torn shrink wrap and tip indicators that have triggered.
- Photograph everything from all sides, including the shipping label, before you touch anything.
- If you see damage, write it on the receipt in specific terms ("crate corner crushed, hole in side panel, possible damage to contents") and ask the driver to initial it. A one-word note like "damaged" is much weaker in a claim.
- If a crate is clearly destroyed, you can refuse the delivery. Call your retailer first if you can, but do not feel pressured to accept something obviously wrecked.
Courier parcels (faucets, accessories, drains, lighting) rarely give you a chance to inspect before signing, and many are simply left at the door. Photograph the box exactly as found, dents included, before opening it.
Step two: unbox by category
Different fixtures fail in different ways, so the checks change with what is in the box. Peel protective film back only where you need to see the surface, and leave the rest on.
| Fixture | What to check | Common transit damage |
|---|---|---|
| Toilets and bidets (vitreous china from lines such as TOTO, Kohler, Duravit and Icera) | Run a hand around rim, base and tank edges; check the underside; confirm tank, bowl, seat and tank-to-bowl kit are present | Chipped base corners, hairline cracks near tank bolt holes, missing hardware |
| Bathtubs (acrylic from Maax or Bain Ultra, cast iron, solid surface) | Lift the film in a few spots under good light; check rim and skirt edges; confirm drain kit and feet or plinth | Rim chips, cracked skirt corners, scuffed high-gloss surfaces |
| Shower bases and doors | Sight along the base for cracks; check every glass edge for chips; confirm hardware bag and wall profiles | Corner chips on bases, chipped tempered glass, missing hardware bags |
| Kitchen and bathroom sinks | Check fireclay (Shaws, Bosco) for cracks and glaze pops; check stainless (Blanco, Franke) for dents; confirm grids, strainers and clips | Chipped fireclay corners, dented bowls, missing mounting clips |
| Faucets, shower valves and trim | Open every inner box; confirm the finish matches your order; check for scratches; confirm cartridge, supply lines and mounting hardware | Wrong finish, missing rough-in valve, scratched spouts from loose packing |
| Vanities and medicine cabinets | Inspect every face and edge; open doors and drawers; check tops for cracks and mirrors for edge damage | Corner crush, cracked tops, chipped mirror edges |
| Lighting | Confirm shades, canopies and brackets; check glass and finish; look for a Canadian certification mark (CSA, cUL or cETL) on the label | Broken glass shades, bent arms, missing mounting plates |
Step three: confirm it is the right thing
Damage is only half of it. The other half is confirming you received exactly what you ordered, because a fixture that has been installed is rarely returnable.
- Model and finish. Compare the carton label and the product itself against your order confirmation. Brushed nickel and stainless look alike in a dim garage, so take it into daylight.
- Handing and configuration. Left-hand versus right-hand drains, corner versus alcove, single-hole versus widespread faucets. These are the most common "it was fine, just wrong" issues, and they hurt most after the tile is in.
- Rough-in and dimensions. Check a toilet's rough-in against your drain location and a vanity or vessel sink against your plan. The model number on the carton lets you pull the spec sheet from the product page.
- Certifications. Plumbing fixtures for Canadian installation should carry a CSA or cUPC mark. Provinces adopt the National Plumbing Code with their own amendments and your local inspector may ask to see it, so find it now rather than later.
- Manuals and templates. Keep them with the product. Apron-front and workstation sinks often ship with cut-out templates your counter fabricator will need.
Cold-climate cautions
Canadian deliveries add one more wrinkle: temperature. Acrylic, composite and some solid-surface products are more brittle when cold, and a tub that spent a February night in a trailer in Winnipeg can chip at the rim if it is dropped onto sawhorses before it warms up. Let items sit indoors, still packaged, for a day where possible. Cold metal also sweats when it comes into a warm house, so wipe faucets and trim dry before boxing them back up so the finish does not spot while it waits for the plumber.
When something is wrong
Contact your retailer before the carrier, and do it the same day. What we need is straightforward: order number, photos of the packaging as received, photos of the damage and a copy of the delivery receipt with your notes. With that in hand, a damaged tub from the freestanding bathtub collection or a cracked toilet tank is usually a replacement, not a dispute. Keep the packaging until the issue is resolved, never install a damaged item hoping it will be fine, and be honest about the difference between transit damage and a normal characteristic: a small glaze mark on the underside of a toilet base is typical of vitreous china, a crack is not.
Storage between delivery and install
Renovations rarely line up neatly with deliveries, so most fixtures sit for a while. Store them flat, indoors, in original packaging, away from foot traffic, and never stack anything on a tub or shower base. Multi-box orders like those in our shower systems collection, which arrive as a valve, a trim kit, a head and sometimes a hand shower, should be checked off piece by piece and kept together, labelled by room. For more planning help before the boxes show up, browse our buying guides.
Frequently asked questions
What if the driver will not wait for me to inspect a freight delivery?
You are entitled to check for visible damage before signing. If the driver will not wait for a quick walk-around, write "not inspected, driver would not wait" on the receipt, note anything you can see, and photograph the shipment before and after unloading. Then open everything within a day.
Is it normal for a toilet or fireclay sink to have small marks in the glaze?
Vitreous china and fireclay are fired products, and minor glaze variation on hidden surfaces is normal. Chips, cracks and glaze flaws on visible surfaces are not, and should be reported.
Should I open everything on delivery day even if the reno is months away?
Yes. Claim windows are short, and a carton that looks perfect can still hide a cracked tank or the wrong finish. Open, inspect, photograph, then reseal and store with the protective film left on.
Does shipping to a remote area change anything?
Items travel farther and get handled more often, so the routine matters even more. Deliveries to northern communities, the territories and island locations usually pass through extra transfer points, and inside delivery may not be offered. Confirm the delivery method when you order so you know whether you need help moving a crated tub or vanity indoors.
