UPS or should I Say Oooops

Hackee,

while I agree that MBE is a method to pack and ship, in fact the UPS supervisor suggested I use them, I refuse to be extorted by their pricing. An example, I had to ship a 35lb DAC. I went to MBE to help pack it, they charged me $10. They offered to ship it via UPS or USPS. The buyer wanted overnight delivery. MBE rates were $189, UPS $160. I walked over to USPS one block away and it cost me $72. I had an idea what the USPS cost would be when I brought it to them direct, and asked the MBE owner what it would cost me if I dropped off the package to USPS myself and he replied, "im not sure, I only have access to the rates UPS and USPS offers me". Something tells me, he knew exactly what it would cost me if I did it myself.

I am pleasantly surprised at the number of people who have had luck with claims w/o orig pacakging. My dilema at the time was that UPS wouldnt let me ship the package w/o the orig packaging.

FYI, the loophole is to set up a "one time pick up" by driver who will not and does not have the time to inspect the contents or the method which a package is boxed and skip the cusotmer counter.

I had one claim against UPS paid very promptly. However, it was for an item I that they lost (or was stolen while in their possession).

KRELL says, "never ship UPS."

From the minute the inspector started looking at the speakers that UPS damaged in transit, it was clear that the she had no intention of filing a report that said anything but "packaging insufficient." When I showed her the crushed styrofoam padding inside, she said, "No. That impact was from the INSIDE"--as if the speaker spontaneously accelerated from within. UPS promptly denied the claim and has ignored further inquiries.

I don't doubt that in some cases in some locales, UPS pays promptly. But with a company that size, it's inevitable that there are variations from place to place. The actual route taken by the packages probably also affects the damage rate, since apparently there are UPS shipping centers where conveyor belts drop packages from unreasonable heights.

In other words, as an individual, you are at the mercy of UPS unless you threaten legal action. You may be lucky and receive a quick and fair settlement to your claim. You may be unlucky. Anecdotal evidence suggests that the odds are not in your favor.

I will guarantee that EVERY claim starts off in their computer as "denied". I have witnessed first hand how the procedure is done AS THE CLAIMS ADJUSTOR ENTERED IT INTO THEIR SYSTEM. One of the clerks at the shipping counter was even freaked out as it came up INSTANTLY as "Claim Denied". It is up to the inspector / claims adjustor to manually override, which this one did on this specific claim.

If you have something that was packed within reason and you paid for insurance, you may have to file a suit against UPS to get them to pay you for damage incurred during transit. As such, UPS agreed that the parcel met its' shipping standards when they accepted it. They also made a contractual agreement to insure the parcel against damage when they accepted payment for said insurance. Once the package is in their care, they are liable for its' safe delivery to the consignee. If it does not arrive in good / original condition and there are signs of physical damage or rough handling to the contents or the package itself, it is up to you to "remind" them of their liability. They WILL blow you off until you PUSH the issue.

As such, this will all boil down to EVERY package having to be inspected on an individual basis and a GIANT rate increase due to the increased amount of time and labor involved. Unless you are a frequent shipper and the counter people know you, the local terminal has everyone open their boxes for inspection before acceptance. This minimizes claims like Sedond mentioned ( shipping damaged goods and then blaming it on transit damage ) along with them accepting poorly packed items that WOULD have been damaged.

For future reference, i would NEVER, EVER, EVER ship anything more than about 70 lbs via UPS, regardless of their weight limitations. Anything over about 50 lbs is actually "pushing it" in my opinion. I have been told first-hand that the dock workers purposely damage items that are heavy or "bulky" / hard to work with. They don't want to handle real heavy packages and damage them on purpose to "teach you a lesson" and keep you from sending "heavy" stuff in the future. As such, most any speakers should be shipped via motor freight and packed in either a crate or some type of framing. Sean
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