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insurance and shipping with UPS

I recently shipped a Levinson 432 amplifier with UPS.I brought it to UPS and requested that they box it. It was insured. During transit UPS dropped the amplifier and pretty much destroyed it. I offered to pay for repairs, however the buyer had no interest in purchasing the item. UPS inspected the damaged amplifier and denied my claim, insisting  the  amplifier was not properly packaged. Corporate denied responsibility and said the issue was between myself and the UPS franchise that shipped it. I've been dealing with the franchise for a month and they are fighting with corporate in an attempt to adjudicate the issue. Meanwhile, I've repaid the buyer and have had  no relief from UPS. The UPS website clearly states that if a franchise boxed the item they are responsible. Does anyone have a suggestion on how to resolve this issue, other than hiring an attorney? UPS seems to be somewhat of a scam operation. I did not realize that all UPS offices were franchises and am wondering why anyone would ship anything of value with them.
catsally1
ra3's avatar
ra3
2 posts
 
Man I'm glad I read this post tonight.  I just packed up a ML 432 amp today to send for repair and even though it "feels" like it's well packed.  Inside a Dell/EMC SAN box that just fit the amp.  I'm going to double box it tomorrow before having Fedex come pick it up.
jafant's avatar
jafant
19,604 posts
 
Guys-
what kind of trouble/issue (s) are you experiencing w/ the No. 432 ?
Happy Listening!
ebeneezerfeeblegeezer
1 posts
 
My experience with UPS leads me to regard them in two ways...
United Parcel Smashers or United Parcel Stealers.
Good luck.
leoniruii
14 posts
 
FWIW, I have had equally bad experiences with both UPS and FedEx. It seems to me that there is a direct relationship between the weight of the item and the likelihood of damage being incurred.
FedEx roughed-up a Rogue Cronus Mag II that I purchased from a fellow in Las Vegas. I warned him - actually pleaded with him to double box it. He said he would do his best. No double box =d damaged amp. He made good for the refurb done by Rogue Audio (great folks), but I drove it to Rogue (I live in Pa about 90 minutes from them) and picked it up when finished. I didn't want the headache of trying to wrangle culpability out of FedEx as it came nearly across the entire U.S. and had been at multiple FedEx terminals. At which point was the damage sustained?
I actually went to the FedEx terminal to pick the amp up as they had missed two proposed delivery dates (that I took off from work for) due to weather which wasn't so bad that I couldn't drive there. When the terminal employee (a lady) opened the truck that it was loaded in for delivery, the first clue that things were likely not going to go well was that the boxed amp - in it's original factory container - was standing on edge despite being clearly marked with large arrows and verbiage to do otherwise. The large puncture through the outer (and only) carton was the next reason my heart sank. I even opened the box up and eyeballed the amp. There was no apparent damage. It appeared that whatever they 'speared' it with, wasn't long enough to actually reach the amp which was suspended on heavy, dense foam carriers. Upon powering it up when I got home, it was obvious there were internal issues.
On another occasion, UPS Ground Freight delivered a heavy (200 + lbs.) pellet grill to me that looked as though it had been dropped out of low-flying aircraft.
I could go on, but you get the point.
taeck101
10 posts
 
catsally1,
was your resolution verbally stated with UPS or was there something in writing?  Documenting your case with either police report, letter or email is always a good idea.  Hope you receive your check sooner than later. Cheers!
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