That incident was almost 20 years ago. I had always packed my own gear before that and have ever since. I should have known better that time but the crates for those speakers were long gone. I should have just sold them locally but made a poor decision.
When Will We Learn?
I retired in 2020 and have been selling much of my higher-end equipment while it still has considerable value. A few of those pieces were replaced by more mid-fi pieces, but ones that usually punch way above their weight. That lessened the pain of losing the higher SQ of the more expensive gear. This past week, I bought a very nice Aperion 6C center speaker that was in pristine condition before it shipped. It arrived today, with all kinds of protection on top of the speaker and almost none underneath. The speaker weighs 40 pounds, and one of the front corners got smashed. What was so galling was that I communicated my concern to the seller before making the purchase, because how you pack an item has a lot more to do with protecting it than how much padding you add. This seller obviously was not familiar with that concept (it was not an Audiogon purchase, BTW). The damage did not affect the sound of the speaker, but since it was a front corner, it will be a constant reminder of the unnecessary incident. The kicker was that I agreed to pay an $83.00 shipping charge to avoid this from happening, but there is no way to insure against stupidity.
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Bummer. As one who has shipped and received my share of gear, I've experienced a fair number of "rejected" claims. I discovered that UPS states that properly-packaged item can survive a 2 foot drop. This is a good rule of thumb for packing on my end, regardless of shipping method, and instructing shippers on the other end. It appears that you had a conversation with the seller related to "proper packing" and they did not follow your specific instructions. I think you have a valid reason to request an adjustment from the seller due to the fact that they did not follow your reqquest. If you have an audit trail (via email?) you have a better case. I once bought a hand-built musical instrument and provided them specifics on how much impact the item would be subject to via shipping. Pack accordingly. It came in damaged. They made an adjustment. I would have preferred that it arrived non-damaged, but atleast the shipper had to pay for their mistakes. Best luck. |
I will ask the seller to consider some small adjustment, because the value of the speaker has dropped by at least half due to the damage (if I were to try to resell it). BTW, the cabinet is made of thick MDF and covered in a matte cherry veneer, very classy in an understated way. And get this - I traveled 60 miles one way yesterday to pick up the 6Ts (which were purchased on Audiogon from someone with zero feedback). I had been looking at them since I first saw the listing back in April or May, and one of the first questions I asked via the Audiogon conversation feature was "Do you have the center that goes with them?" I got either a negative response or no response (been so long, I can't remember, but none appeared on the convo record). Yesterday, he said he had just seen my query for the first time, and asked if I still needed the center. No wonder he has zero feedback, despite being an Agon member for several years. His communication during the sale was almost absent completely, to the point that I did not get a response to my email the day before our scheduled meeting to confirm that meeting. The real shock came when I sent a text a few minutes before leaving my house, and I didn't get a response until I was almost to the rendezvous point. In other words, I had no way of knowing for sure that he intended to show up and had to blindly trust that he would. Extremely weird to say the least. |
@discnik ...MediumDensityFibreboard......the sawdust cousin of particleboard.... Somewhat easier to infill & form, a +. The cherry veneer....are the fragments still attached, or at least, available? The matte finish is a surface coat, whereas the veneer matching can be problematic....but as you noted, it's a bottom corner..... Just to verify, is this the item under discussion? (...stated at the site as a gloss finish, but 🤷♂️....if I knew Everything, a different pay scale I've never known....*L*) The front surround didn't damage as well? Odd, but.... When you take pics, put a quarter ($.25) in frame; allows to be able to scale the scar.... Re your 'meet' with the seller.... I've known of drug deals that were more 'upfront' about it, in terms of contact and follow-thru....your concerns, appropo... Anyway, I'm pretty 'obvious' in this 'noid world..... Post pics, puleze, J |
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