Order confirmation (ordrebekræftelse)
Also known as confirmation of order, sales order confirmation
An order confirmation is the seller's written confirmation of what was ordered — and often the only place the terms appear before delivery.
- Sent
- Before delivery
- Establishes
- Scope, price and terms
- Value in a dispute
- High
In practice
The order confirmation is the cheapest piece of evidence-gathering there is. It takes a minute to send and, in a great many cases, decides who is right when the parties remember things differently.
It establishes three things at once: what was ordered, what it costs, and on what terms. If the terms of trade are attached or referred to here, they form part of the agreement — much harder to argue later if they first surface on the invoice.
In industries where the scope shifts along the way, the same holds for the changes. A short confirmation of each addition is what makes the extra work billable without an argument.
Where it commonly goes wrong
- It is not sent on verbal agreements. That is precisely where it would have made the biggest difference.
- Additions are agreed by phone and never confirmed. The extra work has been delivered but never agreed, and the invoice can be disputed on that part alone.