Help Required Regarding Inventories

[muttywhitedog]

I am after some learned advice from someone who knows their Inventory stuff, as I feel I am about to get screwed over big style! Here's the scenario:

in Jan 07 I took on an inventory from a guy who had got redundancy and was already 99% out of the door by the time I pitched up. I had 2 weeks to sign the HO/TO before I was off to Afghanistan for 2 months, and he was demobbed by the time I was planned to return.

Dave, the lad who was leaving the RAF, did a half-day walk-round with me and we ticked off as many items as we could, and then he left it to me to find the other items. Some were with the Sqn in Afghan and some just couldnt be found, so I duly signed the HO/TO form and listed all the deficiencies, and the lass in SCAF updated my inventory, and I was reasonably content that what was on the print-out was what I had.

Now there were some pretty "random" items on it, such as 1 x shower curtain, but over the years I gradually reduced my holding of spurious items that had been located during my TO.

I have now come to hand over my inventory to my successor, and to my horror find that some of the items that I physically saw and signed for are not quite what they should be, namely a silver teapot, coffee pot, milk jug and sugar bowl with a combined value of over £500. On TO I had my Inventory print-out and there was a NSN followed by the descriptions "coffee pot", "teapot", "sugar bowl", "milk jug", and at no stage did the word "silver" appear. I therefore ticked off those items as I had located a teapot, coffee pot, milk jug and sugar bowl. This has only come to light because I couldnt locate them during my current HO/TO, and had offered to go down town and replace them with a set from Tescos! However now that SCAF have got involved, that is no longer an option!

The advice I am seeking is where do I stand? I signed for them, but the print-out that SCAF gave me was vague in its description. Also, I would expect a V&A check to be done on solid silver items, which has never happened.

I have an appt with OC SCAF on Thursday morning, and would welcome advice, as I feel I am being hung out to dry for a procedural failing, in that the NSN description on an inventory print-out is far too vague.

Thanks in advance.

 

[Realist78]

In my experience with inventories, much like the position you find yourself in, keeping on the right side of the stackers will see the problem disappear, especially under the circumstances.

 

[Downsizer]

How did it come to light that they were silver and not the cheapo ones you first thought they were?

 

[muttywhitedog]

When the guy taking over the inventory asked SCAF for a value so he could fill it on the deficiency chit. I have been away for just over a week and got back today to find he'd already gone down the SCAF route before giving me a chance to replace what I thought was a £10 tea set.

 

[TrickyTree]

I had a similar problem when clearing from my last Unit, and had to travel to another nearby Unit where my inventory was controlled to discuss the situation with OC SCAF there. Now, it just so happened that said OC SCAF was a worldly-wise Warrant Officer, who listened to my explanation and with me reached a satisfactory conclusion. When I offered to back up my case with documentary evidence he seemed taken aback - "No, no, you are a senior NCO and if you tell me that that is what happened then that is what happened".

I fear that had the incumbent of that office been a junior commissioned officer I would have had an entirely different conversation!

The vagueness of inventory descriptions counted massively in my favour and should do in yours. Given the lack of detail I don't think you could have reasonably have been expected to know that the items were silver, especially as you say they were'nt classified as V&A (aren't V&A items called something else these days?). However I spent a good half day sorting through all my ITLs and other paperwork to ensure my case was watertight. I know that you will do the same.

Just to cover my arse, I don't stack blankets, I mend poorly aeroplanes, so I am by no means a supply guru, except that this and another experience has taught me to be really, really anally retentive with inventories!

 

[rest have risen above me]

Didn't it strike you as odd on take over that what would normally be a C store was on an inventory? They are the bane of the world, inventories, along with blah blah blah (insert long list of woes and injustices).
I had to write a couple of laptops off from my last inventory and it took ages, just keep your argument strong and assist with all enquiries as at some point someone will see sense and that it wasn't 100% your fault..perhaps reporting them stolen may help.

 

[muttywhitedog]

Didn't it strike you as odd on take over that what would normally be a C store was on an inventory?

Considering I had such items as a shower curtain and a vaccum cleaner on it at the HO/TO in 2007, no it did not appear strange in the slightest. As it was something I had "seen", I never bothered having it returned.

TT - Yes I am paying meticulous attention to what has been listed as a deficiency - I appear to have twice as many security cabinets on my sig than the RAF Police have been signing up 3 times a day for the past 3 years! I have been counting normal 6x3 cupboards that lock with a key, when all of a sudden they have become full-on security cupboards!!!

There are some (small) items on the deficiencies that I am prepared to be billed for as they cannot be located such as a couple of desk fans and a kettle, but I'll be damned if things that have suddenly become a totally different description are my fault.

 

[rest have risen above me]

Another thing to check are the rules about coughing up cash. I'm sure you can't be held personally responsible for some stuff. We've one guy up here with an inventory worth £6m and it is a whole lot of uncontrollable equipment that is shipped around the world at times. There is no way on earth that he could ever pay for some of the smaller items without selling his house, family and both kidneys. Like I say at some point someone sees sense and writes it off, just like TTs case a sensible WO in his case.

 

[I'm a liar]

MWD,

I'll try my best to explain the Inventory muggle. I am a Stacker of some 31 years so hopefully most Stackers think along the same way as me.

Inventory print out list says coffee cup. Coffee cup is seen on HO/TO then you have coffee cup.

Coffee pot Silver is on invenory list, then coffee pot silver has to be seen on HO/TO.

If inventory says Coffee pot and you show coffee pot then bingo. Regardless of price.

If OC SCAF tries to hang you out, ask to see the last 20 HO/TO inventories and the F21's raised against them. ie a table will be a table regardless of price. Thats what the JSP 886 says.

The prices will be so far appart they will be untrue. MJDI does not record the true value of an item. Therefor they can not charge you the value they quote, because they do not know the real value of the item. Its against the law to charge for something that you do not know the price of.

Just say no! Give them what is stated on the inventory and tell OC SCAF to 'get back in your box Princess'.

Remember though, I'm a Liar!

 

[MrMasher]

You could always "find" the silver items in building 90's foyer about 11:10 on any Monday. DT_Xtremez_30:

 

[Downsizer]

When the guy taking over the inventory asked SCAF for a value so he could fill it on the deficiency chit. I have been away for just over a week and got back today to find he'd already gone down the SCAF route before giving me a chance to replace what I thought was a £10 tea set.

Aren't SCAF mandated to do 100% inventory checks every year?

 

[Norman the Storeman]

Aren't SCAF mandated to do 100% inventory checks every year?

If your inventory contAins Attractive (old V&A) items then it is subject to an annual check. Otherwise it is within 3 years of the last HO/TO or independent check.

However it is 'best practice' for the Inventory Holder to carry out, at the very least, an annual 100% check. I certainly do and I'm a stacker (trust no-one)!

In my experience it is very rare for anyone to be billed for 'lost' items. Only cases of neglect or culpable damage tend to attract such action.

But as 'I'm a liar' stated. If it says coffee pot on your inv print and you produce a coffee pot...end of!

Good luck! DT_Xtremez_14:

 

[Downsizer]

If your inventory conatins Attractive (old V&A) items then it is subject to an annual check. Otherwise it is within 3 years of the last HO/TO or independent check.

However it is 'best practice' for the Inventory Holder to carry out, at the very least, an annual 100% check. I certainly do and I'm a stacker (trust no-one)!

In my experience it is very rare for anyone to be billed for 'lost' items. Only cases of neglect or culpable damage tend to attract such action.

But as 'I'm a liar' stated. If it says coffee pot on your inv print and you produce a coffee pot...end of!

Good luck! DT_Xtremez_14:

So shouldn't have scaf checked his V&A teapot?

 

[shimmeringbottom]

MWD, I have just gone through the whole HO/TO process at the same unit and found SCAF very helpful (the female Sgt). I was taking over but kindly sorted it all out for my boss as I had some spare time.

There were lots of items on the Inv print-out that I simply couldn't find - either because they were not there or because the description was not very good. In any case I went over to see said Sgt and she couldn't have been more helpful - she looked up everything and when I still couldn't find them they errr 'disappeared' from said inv listing......!

Common sense will be applied so don't worry too much - you signed for items back in 07 that you eye-balled at the time in good faith - people do some under-hand things when it comes to HO/TO! - barstewards!.

 

[stereolab]

SCAF Bods

SCAF Bods

It is always a good idea to have a good relationship with SCAF if you are an inventory holder. At every unit I was on they could not have been more helpful, but it is incumbent on you as the holder to do the routine checks and speak to SCAF when you notice any problem. You cannot really be held responsible for items that go walkabout, my inventories were mainly for buildings with 24 hours unfettered access back in the good old days before security took over. SCAF, at units various always solved my problems.

 

[Odie]

Stick by your guns, as mentioned before a coffee pot is a coffee pot, unless it's called a coffee pot, silver. When on the air defence of Emmerdale I used to get all manner of junk "dumped" on my bungs and blanks inventory by SCAF - shoes, jerry cans, etc. DT_Xtremez_42:A packet of biscuits and a chat with the inventories clerk can work wonders. DT_Xtremez_30:

Something to consider in future if you're due to go away is have someone else take over the inventory to hold it until you get back and take it over from them in slow time.

 

[Harry B'Stard]

Inventories faff!

Inventories faff!

I was roped in to do a tool stores inventory check a couple of years ago.

It hadn't been done for over two years and there had been massive move arounds (fukcin' pulse line bollox) since it was last checked.

It took me and two sickie SAC's three weeks to identify only 80% of the contents.

Although SCAF were really helpful, the list for the inventory was sh1te.

There were separate NSN's for Sets of tools, the individual tools in that set and the box it came in. There was no way of telling which item came under which number.

As someone has already pointed out some of the descriptions were vague... the worst being 'Tool STRETCH'.

It took ages to find out that it was on about an Oleo COMPRESSION tool!

Needless to say, whenever I get my own inventory to play with I'll be taking great care.

HTB