Fedex and Ups Damage thread

When I bought my JBL L300 from the east coast for delivery to California a freight company was used. No problem. Sender used Forward Air. I had to pay extra for them to deliver from LAX to the High Desert. They arrived OK. I would not trust FedEx or UPS.

I bought a Carver amp and another Carver piece on eBay. Shipped in same box. A small amount of crumpled newspaper was used as packing. The amp had a bent mounting flange and the other piece was a write off. Items were packed by a UPS store. UPS denied claim.

A pair of PBN Montana SP2 speakers packaged by the UPS store and shipped to FL from VA. Both speakers arrived completely destroyed. Claim payed.

A VTL ST-150 shipped to GA from VA. Fedex lost the label off the box. Someone thought it was a good idea to send it back to VTL in CA after seeing a reference to that address on the box.  I only found this out because I did the detective work to figure out where it was. It took 3 weeks to get it to the buyer and Bea Lam was a complete pain in the ass to deal with.

The key is to pick up and don't trust these people.  They won't pay a claim, they simply suck.  Also, insurance is no good unless they completely lose it.  Was just in Vegas, found a great used place that will not ship anything (they have had too many issues, imagine that).  Found a beautiful, early Threshold amp and shipped to myself via UPS.  Had a fragile stamp on 6 sides.  It looked like it had been punted, dropped, run over, dragged behind a truck and just plan fully violated.  Luckily, the amp was built like a tank and I had a 4" layer of bubble wrap around it, with paper padding additional.  Luckily, it sounds wonderful. 

A  number of years ago I was home anxiously awaiting the arrival of an ARC amplifier. I was looking out the front window when the UPS truck pulled up. As I watched, the driver emerge from his truck he dropped the amplifier which landed on edge at the bottom step before coming to rest in the street. I awaited him at the front door. He didn't say a word. I picked up the box and could hear the broken class inside. I asked him if he was going to tell me about his dropping the box. All he asked was if I was refusing delivery. I did not want the amp sent back broken to the seller. So, I took delivery and immediately contacted both the seller and UPS.To their credit UPS took care of the situation. All it took was time and a bunch of repeat phone calls. I hope the driver was fired. I will not ever send anything of value through UPS. 

Methinks whenever a UPS or FedEx disgruntled employee see's a 'fragile' sticker(s) they intentionally manhandle it.

Had a Conrad Johnson MF2250 sent into the factory for upgrade, on the return leg to me, it was dented big time, looked like the fork lift driver rammed the prongs into the box, no amount of over packing can protect from that.

Local pickup only for me going forward for fragile freight.