The customer verbally accepts delivery but will not sign. How should I close?
Ambiguous acceptance evidenceCheck the agreed acceptance process and clarify the customer's remaining concerns with the authorized commercial owner. Keep evidence of delivery, tests, decisions, and communications. Do not manufacture acceptance or assume silence has a legal effect without qualified review of the relevant agreement.
What to do now
- Review the agreed acceptance mechanism
- Document delivered evidence and remaining concerns
- Seek a clear authorized acceptance decision
- Escalate unresolved commercial interpretation
When to escalate
The acceptance dispute affects a material obligation or payment.
The sponsor and accepting business or service owner
Example
The customer confirms acceptance of named deliverables while listing two separate future requests.
Mistake to avoid
Treating a friendly meeting comment as a signed acceptance when formal evidence is required.
Prevent a repeat
Verify that transferred obligations and important lesson actions are completed after the project closes.
Suggested ApprovedFlow setup
- Projects
- Documents
- Tasks
- Approvals
Keep the closure decision and final evidence with the project and transfer accepted residual actions to named ongoing owners. See the platform
Related cases
- The vendor contract is still open after delivery. Who should close it?Unfinished commercial closeout
- Delivery is accepted, but financial records are unfinished. Can the project close?Different delivery and financial closure states
- A decision was made verbally and is now disputed. What should we do?Missing decision evidence
- The customer signs off a demo but rejects real use. Why?Demonstration-acceptance gap