Material Return Policy

MI Metals wants you, the customer, to be completely satisfied with your purchase of aluminum extrusions. Our goal is to provide you with the highest quality material and to warranty that material. Orders will be produced according to the latest mutually agreed-to standards on file, including the detail specifications of the item design according to the die drawings for the items purchased. Painted items will be produced according to the appropriate AAMA guidelines for the type of paint being applied. Anodized items will be produced according to published Aluminum Association Standards. We realize that at times some material may slip through our quality systems and processed in place. This policy is in effect to assist our customers in those times should such events occur.

Reporting of non conforming material

The reporting of non conforming material should take place immediately after it is discovered. This can be done by email or personal phone call directly to the salesperson or the general manager of the producing plant. Please do not rely on voice messages. Should you not receive conformation of receipt back within 2 hours, please contact the producing plant and ask for assistance. Upon reaching a service agreement for your account, MI Metals will furnish your company with the appropriate contact numbers for Sales Representatives and local plant General Managers.

Customer Inspection – Receiving Inspection

Customers should always inspect bundles and their content as soon as possible while being unloaded. If there are any shipping damages, the customer must report the damage immediately to the carrier and make a note to the effect on the receiving Bill of Laden. This condition must be reported to the shipping plant.

Items should undergo some inspection at the time they are received, while still in the bundle form. MI Metals recognizes the fact that not all specifications can be checked at this time. Any suspect material should be quarantined until more detailed checks can be made by the customer’s Quality Control department.

When entire bundles of material are rejected, it is preferred that an MI Metals representative personally inspect the material in order to submit a report of the incident. This will be done in a timely manner in efforts not to inconvenience our customer (timely manner is defined as an agreed upon time between the customer and MI Metals). In the event that a MI representative cannot make a timely personal visit, the plant General Manager will make a decision concerning the return of the material on the next available truck. Samples may be requested from the customer prior to this approval for return.

Information that will be needed by the plant in efforts to do a thorough investigation of the complaint is: PO number, part / die number, length, finish and bundle ticket number.

A signed Return Authorization form must be given to the customer by a MI Metals representative before any material can be returned for credit. This will take place in a timely manner after the Non Conforming report is reviewed.

Work in Process Discovery

When material defects are discovered after the material has been received and put into production, the same procedures listed above will be applicable when the defect will prevent using a majority of the material.

If an MI Metals representative cannot make a personal timely visit, a sample of the material showing the defect should be sent via overnight delivery to the shipping plant. An immediate review and decision will be made regarding the disposition of the material. A signed Return Authorization form must be given to the customer before any material can be returned for credit.

Defect Reporting

The types of defects observed should be reported in detail to MI Metals for corrective action purposes. MI Metals continuously seeks to improve the overall quality of the products we provide to you as our customer.

Time Restraints

MI Metals reserves the right to limit returned material to within 6 months of the original delivery date. Materials in complaint that have aged in excess of the 6 months allotted time frame (from the original delivery date) are considered non-returnable. Aesthetic defects such as oxidation of mill finish products which have aged beyond 3 months from the original delivery date are considered non-returnable. In manufacturing processes such as special tempering practices for no age material (T1, T4 T42), hardness complaints / returns are limited to no longer than 2 months from the original delivery date due to the natural aging process and custom inventory turns.