So you're saying the boxes (inner and outer) had no physical signs of rough handling or being opened, but the speakers themselves were damaged? (You didn't say what damage exactly)
Were they big speakers, or small monitors, and
Is there any possibility that the speakers were damaged, without your knowledge, by the folks who boxed them? |
I have no idea what caused your problem. Were the speakers second hand? If a previous owner smoked drugs in their home then the dogs at customs would detect this and customs would likely look inside your speakers for hidden packages...(i.e. remove the driver to inspect inside)
All I can say is that my experience with UPS for international shipments on several occasions has been terrible. They even lost something for two weeks once. Their customer service did not even bother to follow up for me, even after repeated phone calls and ten days of waiting, and, in the end, I fixed the problem myself through phone calls to the receiver and by getting them to follow up directly with a local import/delivery supplier that UPS subcontracted at the receiving end airport. Another time they sent my goods to the wrong airport (mistyped the ZIP code in their system). Also their import and handling fees ( the hidden extras) seem to be far higher than anyone else.
Sorry for this brief rant....
From a more positive perspective, BAX and Fedex have always been excellent shippers for me. |
I live in Canada and have bought and sold dozen of items with folks in the U.S. without the problems you've encountered. I suspect it's good old UPS dropping stuff again, I won't use Brown for anything.
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they are dropped on the entire side of the box from a great distance |
Same thing just happened to me on a re-plinthed Lenco turntable shipped from Canada. Packing was flawless and the box was unmarked and showed no signs of being opened, yet one corner of the plinth was badly dinged. |
Damage done to Audio Note AX2'S, the predrilled holes for inserting the screws to hold the speaker to the cabinet was torn up making them twice the size as they should have been.
The screws were still in the holes. Taking the speaker off is the only why to look inside.
Mirage center speaker. Tha front corner was smashed in.
They are very skilled at destroying without damage to the boxes. Must be an art of some form or years of working for UPS or Customs and gaining such a skill that keeps the box in perfect shape and destroying whatever is in it.
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Yes this happens all the time in the US also. The box was dropped flush on one side. The impact was even on one full side which jars or shocks the contents inside without damaging the box. Has happen to me on both deliveries and shipments. No sign of box damage but the amps, speakers - whatever damaged.
If dropped a good distance the inside component really gets a quick jolt.
Bill |
I shipped Meadowlark Blue Heron 2's in original heavy duty wooden crates, from Northern California to Vancouver, British Columbia. Customs did open them and in the process damaged a very expensive tweeter. The Audiogon buyer in Vancouver was brushed aside by customs folks and we had to split the cost of the repairs. Customs folks routinely open these boxes and are notoriously careless. I won't ship to Canada again.
Joe |
I'm with you Joe, never again will I ship to Canada. Nothing against the Goner's of Canada but I'm not hanging around for strike three.
I do think Shandorne has a point on his drug smelling dogs. |
you made a mistake. you shipped ups. 'nuff said. they have the highest damage rate in the industry. they are careless and hate canada as well. |
My wife works for DHL here in Vancouver B.C., Canada. She deals with Customs Agents every single day, as part of her job description. According to her, Canada Customs are stiffer than U.S. Customs and not necessarily as in regulations, but the officers themselves.(Being at the YVR Airport, she will deal with agents from both borders.)
The problem is generally due to drugs. Canadians ship marijuana to the U.S., Americans will pay for the drugs with other drugs- in this case cocaine.
Expensive items are now generally 'red-flagged' by Customs, as a new trend is appearing: people will go to the extent of paying big money to 'decoy.' It is common for grow op's to be set up in multi-million dollar homes, in exclusive neighbourhoods.
Of course, Customs can go to any extent they want to inspect your package, literally even destroying your goods with out any avenue for you to follow afterwards.
So, if something can contain drugs, they will asume it will.
(By the way- I'll bet this 'Customs' damage generally occurs in B.C. as opposed to else where in Canada. Most drugs cross from our borders......)
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I think this has nothing to do with politics. It has to do with the following:
1. Incomplete information on billing, invoices - that will in a certain way force customs to search inside the box when in doubt, and I doubt US customs are more carefull than the canadian ones....
2. Improper packaging - have you ever seen the boxes for - let's say, the Sonus Faber Grand Piano? How flimsy can you get ? It may come from Italy alright and may be ok for smooth-sailing transport on a ship, but forget routes and mileage in the truck from the man in brown.
3. I know of many broken speakers, yet the damages on amplifiers are much less frequent.
4. Many employees from UPS and others just don't care, and this has nothing to do with canadian or american differences.
5. International shipping is always more hassle.
Last time I checked, Audiogon is still taking money from canadians and enjoying the business, so as far as I am concerned, it is north american in coverage and member origin and the site is set up for this. I do not take it too well that people will encourage others not to do business in Canada both ways. Whenever I paid out to a US seller, I was glad I did, and so was the seller as he gladly cashed the money order. It's a two way street, at least for most of us I think. If one cannot face the facts or take the slightest chances or risks, there's always your friendly snobby Hi-Fi shop nearby, with insane profit margins. And that's on both sides of the border too.
The same shipping problems could occur if you shipped something over a great distance within the US.
think about it... |
UPS recently lost a flightcase insured for $7,000 that I shipped two-day air from Florida to NYC for eleven days. A lot of time on the phone revealed that they had failed to segregate the package in Florida as a high-value shipment, and also managed to not segregate it in any of the lost-package sections of their depots. In addition, the supervisor I first dealt with failed to initiate the company's standard lost package procedure, which was responsible for some of the delay. The website scanning information showed that the package was in their 43rd Street facility in Manhattan, but they informed me that the scanning information provided to customers, including arrival scans, is sometimes just projections -- their internal scanning information showed that it never left their air hub in Louisville. My notes show that I ended up speaking with six different people, none of whom was properly trained (I got a different story from every one of them) and each of whom was a dim bulb. I had my reasons for using them for this shipment, but will not do so again -- they were terrible at every step of the way and are clearly a garbage operation. |
Fotis,
At Customs do they match the tape on the box being shipped so that there is no trace back to their inspection???.
There is no way that the speaker I shipped could be damaged like it was without it being removed from the box. But then the box shows no sign of being opened because the tape looks to be uncut and it is the same color as when it was first shipped.
Gary |
UPS Oh yes they destroyed a Tice powerblock/titan combo that I purschased from a guy in Hawaii.I am in Toronto,Canada.They were doubleboxed from the UPS store in Hawaii and I paid for all of that extra costs a lot of money.The boxes were fine when I received the units but the units inside were in bad shape.After hundreds of phonecalls and pictures that I send to them finally I received just today a check from them for the damage of only one of the units.They said they are working to cover the damage on the other one also at a later time.Now the damage occured during shipment back in July of 2005.I received a check today like 5-6 months later and still only for the one unit.They are bad.
George |
