My experience with UPS leads me to regard them in two ways...
United Parcel Smashers or United Parcel Stealers.
Good luck.
United Parcel Smashers or United Parcel Stealers.
Good luck.
insurance and shipping with UPS
I recently shipped a Levinson 432 amplifier with UPS.I brought it to UPS and requested that they box it. It was insured. During transit UPS dropped the amplifier and pretty much destroyed it. I offered to pay for repairs, however the buyer had no interest in purchasing the item. UPS inspected the damaged amplifier and denied my claim, insisting the amplifier was not properly packaged. Corporate denied responsibility and said the issue was between myself and the UPS franchise that shipped it. I've been dealing with the franchise for a month and they are fighting with corporate in an attempt to adjudicate the issue. Meanwhile, I've repaid the buyer and have had no relief from UPS. The UPS website clearly states that if a franchise boxed the item they are responsible. Does anyone have a suggestion on how to resolve this issue, other than hiring an attorney? UPS seems to be somewhat of a scam operation. I did not realize that all UPS offices were franchises and am wondering why anyone would ship anything of value with them.
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- 125 posts total
FWIW, I have had equally bad experiences with both UPS and FedEx. It seems to me that there is a direct relationship between the weight of the item and the likelihood of damage being incurred. FedEx roughed-up a Rogue Cronus Mag II that I purchased from a fellow in Las Vegas. I warned him - actually pleaded with him to double box it. He said he would do his best. No double box =d damaged amp. He made good for the refurb done by Rogue Audio (great folks), but I drove it to Rogue (I live in Pa about 90 minutes from them) and picked it up when finished. I didn't want the headache of trying to wrangle culpability out of FedEx as it came nearly across the entire U.S. and had been at multiple FedEx terminals. At which point was the damage sustained? I actually went to the FedEx terminal to pick the amp up as they had missed two proposed delivery dates (that I took off from work for) due to weather which wasn't so bad that I couldn't drive there. When the terminal employee (a lady) opened the truck that it was loaded in for delivery, the first clue that things were likely not going to go well was that the boxed amp - in it's original factory container - was standing on edge despite being clearly marked with large arrows and verbiage to do otherwise. The large puncture through the outer (and only) carton was the next reason my heart sank. I even opened the box up and eyeballed the amp. There was no apparent damage. It appeared that whatever they 'speared' it with, wasn't long enough to actually reach the amp which was suspended on heavy, dense foam carriers. Upon powering it up when I got home, it was obvious there were internal issues. On another occasion, UPS Ground Freight delivered a heavy (200 + lbs.) pellet grill to me that looked as though it had been dropped out of low-flying aircraft. I could go on, but you get the point. |
UPS destroyed an amp I had sent to the manufacturer for repair. The manufacturer handled everything, so I don’t know how it was settled, but the 64 lb. amp was not double boxed. The amp was obviously dropped at some point. When I sent it in, I had UPS Store box it up. They used a box way too large for it, with air-filled plastic packaging. I was not happy. It cost me over $140 to pack, ship (ground) and insure the amp. Also, I have heard that UPS stores can charge whatever they want for "insurance". There is no set price scale from UPS that they must follow. In contrast, I just got a subwoofer delivered by FedEx. 80+ lbs. in the box. Two FedEx delivery guys brought it to my door and into the house. The box was in perfect shape. I think I will be sticking with FedEx from now on, even if I have to box things myself. In my area, Walgreens drugstores will accept FedEx packages for shipping. Very convenient. |
ebeneezerfeeblegeezer has it right in his assessment. I quit using UPS years ago when I watched a driver getting off his truck in front of my house drop a tube amp on the step of that truck. He looks up and sees me in the window and says nothing about it when I open the door. The sound of broken glass (tubes) within the box made my decision to refuse delivery due to damage. Hate them. |
- 125 posts total