No fault found returns: testing and resale
Treat no fault found as a result limited to the conditions tested. Preserve the returned item and customer evidence, reproduce the reported use, and investigate intermittent behaviour before deciding on resale. Record who approved release and why. Coordinate factory investigation through Cambridge China Bridge.
Keep the reported fault open
Record the customer's symptoms in their own words, alongside the product identity, batch, accessories and condition on arrival. Separate the returned unit from saleable stock. Use statuses such as awaiting test, fault reproduced and fault not reproduced under recorded conditions. Avoid closing the case simply because the factory says it works.
Keep the customer response separate from the technical finding: decide what further evidence or action to offer rather than sending an unexplained no fault found verdict. For the wider returns workflow, see investigating customer returns. This guide focuses on what happens when the reported fault cannot initially be reproduced. For portal problems, see cancelling with a broken returns portal.
Agree conditions that another tester can reproduce
Ask what happened immediately before the failure, what the customer connected or fitted, the settings used, the operating environment and whether the product was starting cold or already running. Ask for existing photographs, recordings and error messages. Do not ask the customer to recreate overheating, electric shock or another potentially dangerous event.
Write a test instruction covering the exact unit, accessories, software version where relevant, load, sequence, operating duration and expected result. Choose duration and repetition to match the reported trigger rather than an arbitrary bench check. Record equipment, conditions, observations and any departure from the customer's setup so the UK tester and China factory can compare like with like.
Investigate intermittent failures without erasing them
Where safe and relevant, test warm-up, cooling, restart, changing load and the reported connection sequence within the product's intended operating limits. Compare with a known working unit of the same specification. Change a variable at a time and record when the symptom appears or disappears. A successful run under different conditions leaves the original report unresolved.
Before resetting, updating, cleaning, dismantling or replacing parts, photograph the condition and preserve available logs and settings. Record each intervention and its effect. If resetting makes the fault disappear, describe that outcome rather than claiming the original unit was fault-free. Keep unresolved intermittent cases on hold or refer them for specialist investigation.
Send the factory an evidence pack
Keep original customer files alongside labelled working copies. Tie each photograph, log, test result and removed component to the returned unit. Record who handled it and what changed. Before destructive testing, agree the scope and preserve evidence that would otherwise be lost. For laboratory transfers, use sample chain of custody.
Send the factory the reported symptom, reproduction instruction, actual results and unresolved questions. Ask for its test conditions and raw observations, not just a pass stamp. Compare patterns across returns by batch, component and product version. If a corrective action follows, use corrective action closure evidence before treating the change as effective.
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Release stock only against recorded criteria
As an internal release gate, require documented functional checks, an explained outcome for the reported symptom, review of any safety concern, and checks of condition, accessories, instructions and intended sale description. Record the approver and reasons against the unit identity. Keep stock on hold where the customer conditions were not adequately tested or an intermittent fault remains unexplained.
UK businesses selling consumer products must not sell products they know, or should have known, are unsafe. A bench pass is not enough to dismiss a reported safety concern. Escalate that concern for competent assessment and use the imported product recall guide where relevant. Keep the customer case outcome and the stock release decision separately traceable.
Frequently asked questions
What does no fault found mean on a customer return?
It means the reported fault was not reproduced under the recorded test conditions. It does not establish that the fault never occurred or that the unit is ready for resale.
How do I test an intermittent product fault?
Match the reported setup and trigger where safe, preserve logs, and vary conditions methodically within intended operating limits. Record failures and successful runs, including any resets or changes.
What evidence should I keep before a factory reset?
Keep the customer's original files, product identity, arrival photographs, settings, software version and available logs. Record the reset and compare behaviour before and afterwards.
Can I resell a return marked no fault found?
Do not release it solely on that label. Apply recorded functional, safety, condition and sale-description checks, resolve the reported symptom and obtain named approval. Keep unresolved cases on hold.