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UPS. Friend Or Foe?

Recently shipped two speakers and the stands all in very good (8/10) condition to a buyer in another state. One speaker and the stands were in the factory boxes. The other speaker was boxed by UPS. The buyer sent pictures and stated they arrived damaged. One of the speakers had a rattle but no visible damage, the other speaker, (the one UPS boxed), had visible damage. Not surprisingly, the stands arrived unscathed.

All items were picked up by UPS in that city and taken for inspection.

And the results were...UPS is not at fault because they have a policy, buried in very fine print, that it is the shippers' (sellers') responsibility to ensure proper packaging.

My wife and I also found out the local UPS stores are legally not affiliated with UPS!!!

We are currently attempting to discuss this with the owner of the local store.

Sad but true...

tomcarr
tomcarr OP
1,499 posts
 

Thanks for all the responses and excellent advice.

Hopefully will turn out as it should...

markpao
519 posts
 

I have a good amount of transactions between here and a couple of other sights and can say with certainty that over the years UPS has been the worse BY FAR for damage, and not making good on insurance. I once had a pair of (heavy) mono blocks delivered to me- both damaged. UPS said they were not packaged properly so the claim was denied. They were both in the factory cartons with factory packaging. No UPS for me ever again. I use Fedex for the heavy stuff and USPS for everything else.

dbwinters's avatar
dbwinters
11 posts
 

I’ve had the same experience.  My nephew who worked for UPS has large conveyor belts in their warehouses to move packages.  Regularly packages drop off the sides and fall considerable distances.  I received my smashed amp in a torn box.  Looked like. Someone took a sledg hammer to it.  Wouldn’t claim responsibility in not so many words indicated I could take them to court!  Never again.

 

richmon
238 posts
 

Funny, in hundreds of deliveries I've never had a damaged box, except when a 'FRAGILE' sticker is on it, had an amp packed by Conrad Johnson sent to me, appeared to have been rammed by a forklift prong, no amount of overpacking protects that.

Agree that the drivers both UPS and FedEx are concientious, seems most of this manhandling occurs before the drivers get stuff, a FRAGILE sticker is a bullseye

sksos
160 posts
 

We ship hundreds of packages a year and last year only had one "lost" but nothing ever damaged...so far lucky, I guess. BUT there's a little secret I've been told by my local UPS rep (and I'm assuming FedEx). If you insure the item for a minimum $2,500 they then place the package in a secure cage that must be signed off from employee to employee so it's handled a bit different. When we ship cables that are almost impossible to get damaged in shipping, we still place this dollar amt of insurance, even if the cable isn't worth the stated amount. This is a kind of insurance policy and piece of mind for us. Again, never have had to place a claim to verify and hope we never have to find out.

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