[Keith W. Blackwell]

I only have one shipment-damage story, and it dates back to 1985,
and it happens to be audio-related, sort of.

I shipped my turntable [actually it belonged to my brother and I
was borrowing it] to my temporary address in another state (summer
job). The box itself arrived *punctured* somehow, and whatever
punctured it proceded right through the back of the shell and
hit the tonearm and broke it off. After a phone call, a driver
stopped by to verify the damage, confirmed it, and then it was
up to me to supply documentation for the value. I got a receipt
from my brother for, I dunno, maybe less than $200, and the
company paid it back -- full value of the item brand new, though
by this time it was several years old. I sent the check to my
brother, who was quite pleased :-). I'm almost certain that was
UPS. That was also a long time ago.

I only ship a few boxes per year, receive maybe 2 dozen, but I
haven't had shipping damage since then. Most recently, when I
needed to return a new (refurbished) camera with a DOA viewfinder,
I discovered that the USPS flat-rate can be an excellent value.
I also like the idea of using USPS when dealing with strangers
selling something to me, since there are stronger laws against
carrying out illegal acts (like fraud) through the US Mail.


--
Keith W. Blackwell
(my employer certainly has nothing to do with this)

[Mr Soul]

Several years ago I sold my Nakamichi Dragon. It had been purchased in 1992,
and safely shipped via UPS in its sales carton -- nothing else. This time,
UPS absolutely, positively refused to accept it unless it was double-boxed.
I'd agreed to pick up the shipping charges, and this greatly increased them.
Interesting - usually they could care less how it was packaged. So
you are saying that UPS explicity told you that it needed to be double-
boxed after you identified it's contents, or they could see from the
original box?

Mike C

[Arny Krueger]

"William Sommerwerck" wrote in
message
Every shipping company will break packages if you don't
package them correcly - it's the nature of the business.
You've got to pad everything and double-box it. If you
don't do that, then fragile contents will get broken.

Several years ago I sold my Nakamichi Dragon. It had been
purchased in 1992, and safely shipped via UPS in its
sales carton -- nothing else. This time, UPS absolutely,
positively refused to accept it unless it was
double-boxed. I'd agreed to pick up the shipping charges,
and this greatly increased them.

I double-box everything I ship, and just about everything I get shipped from
vendors comes with a box over the manufacturer's box. Typically, there is
the proverbial 2" of packing between the shipper's box and the
manufacturer's box.

[William Sommerwerck]

Several years ago I sold my Nakamichi Dragon. It had been
purchased in 1992, and safely shipped via UPS in its sales
carton -- nothing else. This time, UPS absolutely, positively
refused to accept it unless it was double-boxed. I'd agreed
to pick up the shipping charges, and this greatly increased
them.

Interesting - usually they could care less how it was packaged.
So you are saying that UPS explicity told you that it needed to
be double-boxed after you identified it's contents, or they could
see from the original box?

I insisted that they accept the unit in its original carton. The UPS label
was still on it, confirming that it had been shipped without additional
protection. UPS refused to accept it, insisting on double boxing.

[Richard Webb[_3_]]

William Sommerwerck writes:
Several years ago I sold my Nakamichi Dragon. It had been
purchased in 1992, and safely shipped via UPS in its sales
carton -- nothing else. This time, UPS absolutely, positively
refused to accept it unless it was double-boxed. I'd agreed
to pick up the shipping charges, and this greatly increased
them.

I insisted that they accept the unit in its original carton. The UPS
S label was still on it, confirming that it had been shipped without
additional protection. UPS refused to accept it, insisting on double
boxing.


OF course, since '92 they've really changed things up at
UPS as well as FedEx. Lots more automation, the big sorting centers, etc. Lots more machine handling of your packages.
Anybody who ever wonders why should look at one of those big sorting centers, such as the one for UPS somewhere in
KEntucky, or FEdEx here around MEmphis. THat stuff takes a
beating, is machine scanned, and when it reaches the right
off shooting conveyor for its destination a robot arm bats
it off the main belt onto the one for its destination. THis stuff definitely ain't treated nice anymore.

Regards,
Richard
.... Remote audio in the southland: See www.gatasound.com
--
| Remove .my.foot for email
| via Waldo's Place USA Fidonet-Internet Gateway Site
| Standard disclaimer: The views of this user are strictly his own.

[hans]

On Nov 19, 12:41*pm, Rick Ruskin wrote:
As far as I'm concerned, FedEX service sucks.

A package of audio gear was slated to arrive at my door 2 days ago. I
was home all that day and when it hadn't arrived by 5:00PM, I checked
its status online to find that FedEX had it marked as "delivered" at
4:05PM. *It obviously had been delivered somewhere but not to the
proper address.

6 calls to Customer Service later, they still did not know the
whereabouts of my stuff. *In addition, I was given a different story
with each conversation as to how long a trace would take, when a claim
could be filed, or whether or not the driver responsible was even
aware of the problem. * I was finally given the name of the trace
agent in charge of the situation who would contact me by the end of
the business day yesterday. *That call never came.

In the meantime, a woman knocks on my door late yesterday afternoon,
hands me my package, and informs me that it went to her address by
mistake. *She also states that she called FedEx immediately after
finding it on her doorstep and would redirect it herself the next day.
Whoever she spoke with never passed that info on to either me, the
shipper, or anyone inside of FedEx. *(The tracking department knew
nothing of this until I called them this morning).

It's somewhat understandable that delivery mistakes can happen,
especially here in Seattle where the street system is pretty
eccentric. *What's not understandable is how a company like FedEx can
drop the ball as many times/as badly as they did and the inconsistency
of their communication both within the company and to their customers.

As a shipper, I will never use them. *As a purchaser, I will request
any other carrier.

Rick Ruskin
Lion Dog Music - Seattle WAhttp://liondogmusic.comhttp://www.myspace.com/rickruskin

Ive had them twice over the past 6 mos deliver packages to my house
that were at the right number worng street one block away. The drivers
are just too pushed or too stupid to get the addresses right

hans

[Dar]

On Nov 23, 8:55*pm, hans wrote:
On Nov 19, 12:41*pm, Rick Ruskin wrote:





As far as I'm concerned, FedEX service sucks.

A package of audio gear was slated to arrive at my door 2 days ago. I
was home all that day and when it hadn't arrived by 5:00PM, I checked
its status online to find that FedEX had it marked as "delivered" at
4:05PM. *It obviously had been delivered somewhere but not to the
proper address.

6 calls to Customer Service later, they still did not know the
whereabouts of my stuff. *In addition, I was given a different story
with each conversation as to how long a trace would take, when a claim
could be filed, or whether or not the driver responsible was even
aware of the problem. * I was finally given the name of the trace
agent in charge of the situation who would contact me by the end of
the business day yesterday. *That call never came.

In the meantime, a woman knocks on my door late yesterday afternoon,
hands me my package, and informs me that it went to her address by
mistake. *She also states that she called FedEx immediately after
finding it on her doorstep and would redirect it herself the next day.
Whoever she spoke with never passed that info on to either me, the
shipper, or anyone inside of FedEx. *(The tracking department knew
nothing of this until I called them this morning).

It's somewhat understandable that delivery mistakes can happen,
especially here in Seattle where the street system is pretty
eccentric. *What's not understandable is how a company like FedEx can
drop the ball as many times/as badly as they did and the inconsistency
of their communication both within the company and to their customers.

As a shipper, I will never use them. *As a purchaser, I will request
any other carrier.

Rick Ruskin
Lion Dog Music - Seattle WAhttp://liondogmusic.comhttp://www.myspace.com/rickruskin


Well, it's been interesting , the timing of this thread coinciding
with my shipping
of a delicate sculpture. Turns out FedEx won't pick up for ground
service unless I have an account, which I don't, and the dang 30" cube
box is too big for my cabover Mazda pickup, so UPS it is. They will
pick up , but after reading a few more horror stories I went ahead
and glued folded cardboard braces along all the edges of the outside
of the box, to go with the inner cross braces made of 1" pvc pipe (4
of those , spanning the full 30" in 3 directions. Now it will be able
to withstand being dropped from a roof, maybe a 2-story window, and
being roughed up a bit . Of course I'll be there when the driver
comes, in case my additions violate some obscure , ****ant packaging
guidelines , like ones that are meant to keep packages from being to
sturdy , so they can F me and send it back or not pay if it gets
hurt . Double boxing would have been impractical , as the 30" cube
cost $30 , and the next-up size to go around it would cost even more,
and a bunch more to ship (a bunch more than the $188 I'm already
bending over for ). Sheeesh , I'm glad I ship tiny stuff 95% of the
time.

(and this would be the time to see what's in the box :
http://s129.photobucket.com/albums/p...edron01 5.jpg
)

have a good one everybody, on both boards

Dar

[MG[_4_]]

"Dar" wrote in message
...
On Nov 23, 8:55 pm, hans wrote:
On Nov 19, 12:41 pm, Rick Ruskin wrote:





As far as I'm concerned, FedEX service sucks.

A package of audio gear was slated to arrive at my door 2 days ago. I
was home all that day and when it hadn't arrived by 5:00PM, I checked
its status online to find that FedEX had it marked as "delivered" at
4:05PM. It obviously had been delivered somewhere but not to the
proper address.

6 calls to Customer Service later, they still did not know the
whereabouts of my stuff. In addition, I was given a different story
with each conversation as to how long a trace would take, when a claim
could be filed, or whether or not the driver responsible was even
aware of the problem. I was finally given the name of the trace
agent in charge of the situation who would contact me by the end of
the business day yesterday. That call never came.

In the meantime, a woman knocks on my door late yesterday afternoon,
hands me my package, and informs me that it went to her address by
mistake. She also states that she called FedEx immediately after
finding it on her doorstep and would redirect it herself the next day.
Whoever she spoke with never passed that info on to either me, the
shipper, or anyone inside of FedEx. (The tracking department knew
nothing of this until I called them this morning).

It's somewhat understandable that delivery mistakes can happen,
especially here in Seattle where the street system is pretty
eccentric. What's not understandable is how a company like FedEx can
drop the ball as many times/as badly as they did and the inconsistency
of their communication both within the company and to their customers.

As a shipper, I will never use them. As a purchaser, I will request
any other carrier.

Rick Ruskin
Lion Dog Music - Seattle
WAhttp://liondogmusic.comhttp://www.myspace.com/rickruskin


Well, it's been interesting , the timing of this thread coinciding
with my shipping
of a delicate sculpture. Turns out FedEx won't pick up for ground
service unless I have an account, which I don't, and the dang 30" cube
box is too big for my cabover Mazda pickup, so UPS it is. They will
pick up , but after reading a few more horror stories I went ahead
and glued folded cardboard braces along all the edges of the outside
of the box, to go with the inner cross braces made of 1" pvc pipe (4
of those , spanning the full 30" in 3 directions. Now it will be able
to withstand being dropped from a roof, maybe a 2-story window, and
being roughed up a bit . Of course I'll be there when the driver
comes, in case my additions violate some obscure , ****ant packaging
guidelines , like ones that are meant to keep packages from being to
sturdy , so they can F me and send it back or not pay if it gets
hurt . Double boxing would have been impractical , as the 30" cube
cost $30 , and the next-up size to go around it would cost even more,
and a bunch more to ship (a bunch more than the $188 I'm already
bending over for ). Sheeesh , I'm glad I ship tiny stuff 95% of the
time.

(and this would be the time to see what's in the box :
http://s129.photobucket.com/albums/p...edron01 5.jpg
)

have a good one everybody, on both boards

Dar

In the pre-merger days of Compaq, I sent a laptop back to them by DHL (their
warranty shipper) and it was returned to my office folded in half, which was
not a good thing. Amazingly, they just covered the nearly-destroyed box
with shipping tape and dumped it on the receptionist. Eventually they paid
the claim. All of them botch it from time to time.