UPS or should I Say Oooops

Yes, they will pay out if the unit is not in the original box. The damage has to be quite obvious though and packing would have had to have been MORE than up to their standards in the first place though. In other words, been there / done that..... Sean
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I will guarantee that EVERY claim starts off in their computer as "denied". I have witnessed first hand how the procedure is done AS THE CLAIMS ADJUSTOR ENTERED IT INTO THEIR SYSTEM. One of the clerks at the shipping counter was even freaked out as it came up INSTANTLY as "Claim Denied". It is up to the inspector / claims adjustor to manually override, which this one did on this specific claim.

If you have something that was packed within reason and you paid for insurance, you may have to file a suit against UPS to get them to pay you for damage incurred during transit. As such, UPS agreed that the parcel met its' shipping standards when they accepted it. They also made a contractual agreement to insure the parcel against damage when they accepted payment for said insurance. Once the package is in their care, they are liable for its' safe delivery to the consignee. If it does not arrive in good / original condition and there are signs of physical damage or rough handling to the contents or the package itself, it is up to you to "remind" them of their liability. They WILL blow you off until you PUSH the issue.

As such, this will all boil down to EVERY package having to be inspected on an individual basis and a GIANT rate increase due to the increased amount of time and labor involved. Unless you are a frequent shipper and the counter people know you, the local terminal has everyone open their boxes for inspection before acceptance. This minimizes claims like Sedond mentioned ( shipping damaged goods and then blaming it on transit damage ) along with them accepting poorly packed items that WOULD have been damaged.

For future reference, i would NEVER, EVER, EVER ship anything more than about 70 lbs via UPS, regardless of their weight limitations. Anything over about 50 lbs is actually "pushing it" in my opinion. I have been told first-hand that the dock workers purposely damage items that are heavy or "bulky" / hard to work with. They don't want to handle real heavy packages and damage them on purpose to "teach you a lesson" and keep you from sending "heavy" stuff in the future. As such, most any speakers should be shipped via motor freight and packed in either a crate or some type of framing. Sean
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Bulldogger, i have NO idea of where your getting your information from about the handling of packages. Even if you did or do work there. While NOBODY in their right mind would purposely damage goods or "play games" in front of a supervisor, it happens there ALL the time. I have friends that work at several different UPS terminals and they tell me "stories" all the time. They have also told me that if i value something and ship it via UPS, i should send it via Air if i want it to arrive safely. Then again, who can afford air shipments for things like good sized amps, etc ??? It could literally add a couple of hundred dollars onto the price of the amp if going cross country and it is heavy. That negates the "bargain" aspect of anything that you've managed to find on the net for a good price.

As to RPS ground service, i have found them to be superior to UPS ground service in terms of "parcel abuse". At least the boxes don't look like they were drop-kicked when delivered. I have NO idea as to how they handle claims though, as i have never had to file a claim with them.

For the record, i do run a business and get packages in on a daily basis. Any courier is capable of destroying a package. If you pack things going out like you would want to have them coming in, you'll probably be okay. It's cheaper to pay for some extra weight and packing materials than to have to give up the time, hassle and headaches of dealing with a claim. Sean
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