2. misc-audio
  3. 1041953895

UPS strikes again

I sold a turntable here on the'GoN and shipped it to Kansas City, KS via UPS ground insured in the original box/packing with extra padding/foam etc. Sent it from my local Mail Boxes Etc. They have always been very good to deal with. They inspected it before I signed off on it, stating it was well packed. It went out on 12/27, and because of the holidays it did not arrive until yesterday, 1/6. Late last night the buyer emailed me to tell me that the dustcover is cracked, a corner chipped off, the inner platter no longer lines up with the motor pulley, AND the inner platter no longer spins freely, the motor also jams and will not rotate.

UPS must have had to put people on overtime to work it over that bad. This is the second time in 6 months. I bought an ARC SP9 preamp and when it arrived from California, several caps were broken off the PC boards. This made a second trip out for the unit, to ARC for repair.

Back to claims hell for me. Any advice for speeding things up to resolve this? I am going to reimburse the buyer out of pocket first while waiting for the claim. I assume that if UPS decides to inspect the unit, they will send someone to the buyer's home in KC to reject the claim. I am going to begin the initial claim through Mail Boxes Etc.
slipknot1
mfkeleher
146 posts
 
I brought a package to Staples in Pittsburgh marked "Fragile" and the clerk told me her friend at UPS said never to do that, as it marks the package for special destruction. Apparently some of the handlers are unsupervised and angry at their customers. My experience with UPS has been highly unsatisfactory. I've had damage so bad that one could only attribute it to willful destruction.

I've discovered an alternative that seems pretty good so far - Greyhound express. It goes out on busses. I had 3 day service from Pittsburgh to Phoenix. You have serious people handling your package. The only drawback is there are different, and sometimes low insurance limitations. Don't believe the website showing 24/7 counter open hours either, it's more like 7 or 8 to 4 or 5 weekdays. I've used them 4 times so far with complete satisfaction. They also take the largest size packages of the three Fed-Ex, UPS or GPX. There are many more shipping points than bus terminals, if bus service passes thru your area there's probably a shipping location for you to use.
fineberg
151 posts
 
Actually by far the most reliable and safe shipper is DHL even when they go to the third world the package never leave the control of their direct employees and they are amazingly careful. They are also, however, amazingly expensive. I once shipped a laptop computer from France back to the US for repair and it cost over $200 (this was 10 years ago too). But if you need to be sure, they are the way to go.
infinity_audio
186 posts
 
I just received my DVD player from UPS and it was defected! I asked the seller to clam insurance for me. They smashed one corner so bad that a thick layer of cardboard actually tourn out and inside was showing. It's frustrated. I read UPS website and was told that anyting under $100.00 will be automatically be insured by UPS. Is that true? Want to know more about how to get full advantage for claiming insurance from UPS, since they always try to blame on some other BS reasons. What can I do to give them enough reason to approve my claim?
slipknot1 OP
1,423 posts
 
An update to the latest UPS buffoonery: I initiated the action with Atlanta headquarters yesterday. I called to arrange for an "inspecter/rejector" to go to the buyer's house to inspect the damage. The customer service rep asked me for the usual information. She asked me about the value of the item in question and I told her. She responded that her manifest shows an insured/declared value of $100.00. I said, "No, I declared and insured for $500.00. I am looking at my reciept from Mail Boxes Etc." She informed me that the receipt "doesn't count", only the manifest. So, now I not only have a beef with UPS, but one with Mail Boxes Etc. as well. The buyer emailed me photos of some of the damage. The dustcover is cracked all the way through end to end and one inch or larger chunks are broken off the corners. I think it was dropped from some distance, or something very heavy was dropped on it. The platter bearings were destroyed as well as the motor. Stay tuned. As an aside: All AudiogoN members who have had claims against UPS, We should consider a class action lawsuit. Any lawyer/members willing to take up the cause? ;)
More to discover