UPS Shipping/Damage Claim policy experience

How is this UPS' problem?

Sounds to me like you were taken by the seller.

I shipped a pair of Martin Logan speakers through UPS in the original manufacturers packaging.

They punched a hole through one of the panels. They openly admitted that they damaged it, but claim that the packaging didn't meet their requirements, so they would accept no responsibility.

I now ship everything through Fedex.

Two turntables I received were damaged. I was lucky that the two sellers were very cooperative. I report to then what happened with photos. They agreed that there were damages. I asked them to file damage claims. Both did, but only one claim was accepted by UPS.

One TT was packed by a local UPS store (it was very securely packed except the weight not removed and the toneare not secured, causing scraches on the surface from the needle. The needle was bent.) UPS admitted their wrong doing. I got a full refund from the seller, and the seller got a refund for the damage (I don't know how much) from UPS.

Another one was fully insured, but it was not packed by the original packaging material. The TT cover was cracked, the hinge was broken, a coner was dented, and most of all, the needle body part from the sumiko blue point special cartridge fell off from the impact (might have been droped or banged on a wall?). It clearly looked like the TT was mishandled by UPS. I don't think the TT would have survived from such impact with the original packing or any packing. UPS declined the claim due to non-original packing. The seller did not want to get the TT back, but I settled down with the seller with a partial refund. The TT was still operational.

Without original packing, one should prove UPS that his/her own packing was at least as safe as the original to get a full refund for the damage.

I worked for UPS awhile ago as a claims adjuster. Did you know it is very common practice that a courier says a package must be able to fully withstand a five foot drop on bare ground? This is almost an industry standard no matter which courier you choose. The reasoning is the automated conveyor system every center utlizes. When there is a jam, the packages will be bottlenecked and one may fall past the guides and fall to the floor. This is extremely rare, but it certainly does happen.

To properly protect an item in transit of a delicate nature generally requires two or even three corrugated layers with proper fill volume in between each. the vast majority of people that ship do not know how to properly ensure against damages, and these are the people at most risk of experiencing such damage.

If you do have a claim, always save every ounce of packing material. Additionally, if there is no clear outward damage to the parcel, the claim will be denied 100% of the time.

UPS is by far the worst of the shipping companies. Though there is no way in Hell that I would trust anything of value to the our wonderfully government employed post office workers.

I bought a 90 pound tubed amp from a guy in California in mid 2007 who packaged it in a BBQ grill box with foam peanuts and loose tubes. The box arrived via UPS and I made my UPS guy (Mike) stand there and watch me open it, taking pics the whole way.

I knew the claim would never be paid as it was terribly packaged. However, I immediately filed with Paypal (my only method of payment for items I purchase that I don't personally pick-up). The seller shipped it for 25% of the selling price. I ended up getting my money back, but it wasn't easy. The box was rated for about 50 pounds and nobody in their right mind would have every packaged a $5000 fragile amp in it. I am sure the seller lost a ton of money on this feable, lazy attempt.

My rule is to photograph the packaging process as proof of proper packaging. For any very heavy items, I always add plywood to the sides and bottom of the boxes as added protection. I always make sure the boxes are rated for 150% of the actual weight.

I never use UPS and always use either DHL or FedEx I hear both a more reliable with handling claims on a reasonable basis. I can honestly say I have never had any shipping damage on anything I have shipped and three times on items I have received - all via UPS.