Code 11: Pricing Overcharge (Price Difference between PO and Invoice)

What is Deduction Code 11?

Code 11s are generated when cost differences occur for specific items, such as item cost differences between the invoice and the purchase order.

How to Prevent Valid Code 11s

• It is a best practice to keep a table of all pricing changes and their effective dates so that you can quickly identify invalid code 11s
• Deductions are based on the PO price, so if the pricing on the purchase order (EDI 850) is incorrect do not ship the product and contact your buyer immediately. The buyer will need to make changes on a purchase order and either send an updated EDI 850 or cancel and send a new EDI 850. Walmart says that the buyer must authorize payback of pricing discrepancies in written form. 
• Confirm that invoices are being generated correctly (check your EDI 810s)

Can Code 11s be Disputed?

Sometimes. Although Walmart says that pricing issues aren't considered for payback, it is still technically possible to dispute an invalid Code 11 in the Accounts Payable Disputes Portal (APDP) in Retail Link if you can prove that the price on the PO and the Invoice in fact matched.

Walmart states that code 11s should only be disputed through APDP for Store claims and recommends talking to your buyer if you receive a code 11 from another source. That said, we have seen where it's possible to dispute a code 11 from other sources in APDP, so take that with a grain of salt.

If you have a scenario where the price on the PO does not match the price on the Invoice, a dispute in APDP is almost certain to be denied. However, if you are arguing that the price on the PO is incorrect you could still attempt to contact your buyer to plead your case. Technically, whenever you fulfill an order you are agreeing to t he pricing on that order, but we have seen scenarios where buyers might be lenient.

How to Dispute Invalid Code 11s

Supporting documentation:

• Proof that the pricing on the PO and Invoice matched
• Written documentation (emails, etc.) with buyer showing any changes/custom pricing agreements for the time frame
• Invoice (EDI 810) showing correct cost and allowances