My wife has a window covering business.She sells a lot of blinds and shutters and we are constantly having claims with UPS.They come in rangeing from bent to totally crashed,sometimes hanging halfway out of the box.They are packed well too,bubble wrap and styrofoam at each end of heavy cardboard boxes.They are just rough as hell on freight.
That's it. I'm starting my own shipping company. I promise not the F!@* anything up. And I'll deliver everything in custom hotrods built no later then 1964. I think a couple Bi planes might add to my "cool factor" for the air transit. So who's in. I'm taking order now... Who doesn't want to see there cool new parts show up in a cool 55 chevy?
i had three jobs in CA some time ago and worked the 1am-8am shift and the most of fucktards that work the trucks in the unloading part of the hub sit back and launch packages out of the truck, most of the heavy stuff stays in the back of the trailers (first off when unloading) but, by and large its a joke. it gets even worse when a supervisor pisses off one of those guys, nothings safe! i have never used them since i left!
i sent a 1955 c300 hemi intake and wcfb carbs that i sold on e-bay to california last may via ups. i did not trust that it would make it in one piece so i made the crate entirely out of 2X8's with a 3/4 thick plywood lid screwed together. i lag-screwed the intake right to the deck of the crate and put spacers on the bottom of the lid to keep anything from moving. it arrived safely but the buyer bitched about the crate & freight
Sometimes that's the key, a big sturdy box and then make sure the item can't move in the box. Then tape the crap out of it. The last time I got a big box from the appliance place, I got some 4-layer cardboard corner stiffeners and they worked great in the packages I used them with to keep stuff from moving or being crushed. I guess DHL is about to be no more, their parent company is shutting them down in the US according to some news reports... not sure I'd send anything through them now given they're all getting laid off and probably couldn't give a flying f---...
USPS left my new handgun on the front porch of the FFL holder. It required a signature. UPS driver told me to never put fragile on a package.
The last several items I have shipped anywhere were "built into the boxes" meaning I built a CRATE out of nuts, bolts, screws, plywood and 2x4's. any of the stuff I am selling has a good value to it, so I would rather it "arrive alive" and eat some shipping than risk damage to stuff they just aren't going to make any more of.
I use UPS at work and the only times we recieved something smashed was because of packing. Dude, you gotta pack it like you were shipping one of your kids. I would have shipped those carbs in seperate boxes.
Spent 3.5 years at UPS in various departments and I can tell some stories... They really used to police improper handling of packages (including cameras or spies up on the catwalks) but it sounds like they are getting away from that. Best advice is to package everything so it can withstand someone walking on it or dropping it from the air. Box inside a Box is best and also put your contact info on a tag inside the box attached to the merchandise in case the part becomes seperated from the box. Remember UPS is self insured so they will try to fight any claim or payout. Take lots of photos. Especially if you are the shipper. If you can survive working at UPS you can tolerate working almost anywhere. Turnover rate was above 90%.
my oops guy pushed a box off the back of his truck then picked it up ,he didnt see me standing there . when shippers drop off get it, i look for box damage before he leaves .if so i wont except .at this point he has paper work to do ,or waits to open and check for damage .the later is faster . i wont shipp with oops ,its grayhound or usps or nothing.c
awsome...I got my Pilots Ticket, and clean medical.and well over 400 hrs. .Im ready to go to work for you. make sure you buy some fast ones
A trick I use when shipping odd size hot rod parts UPS. I wrap the items up un a plastic garbage bag, put som 1" styrfoam in the box, place the part centraly in the box, seal the box with out moving it, and fill the box with low expanding foam bought at you local DYI store. The foam protects the part, the box is uncrushable, and the foam is light. hope this helps someone, jim h
I can never find foam that will fill the box without buying like 20 cans of the stuff... which at $6 a shot gets expensive fast.
I was a Driver at UPS(United Parcel Smashers) when that came out!! There IS a lot of truth in that! I left DHL last year(lucky me!!)and I gotta tell ya...being in the Transpo business for over 20 years,I've seen just about every way you can screw up a package. Unfortunately,All of the major shippers stack the odds in their favor when it comes to paying on a claim. They ALL will tell you it was damaged due to improper packaging. One way to cover yourself is to take pictures(it's a hassle) of the item before and after you pack it.Then if you do have to file a claim,you have proof of the way it was packed. As for who the best is...it will always be a gamble. <object width="425" height="344"> <embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/89frRi8GgGA&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></object> <object width="425" height="344"> <object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/gV2hDBY1BhE&hl=en&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/gV2hDBY1BhE&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>
i was standing in line at ups and the dork behind the counter was saying to this gal that stuff had to be packaged to withstand being dropped from shoulder height. great, i'm mailing a starter and sure as shit, the soliniod was broken. fortunately, the buyer didn't care as it was going to get rebuilt anyway... dhl has LOST a few things for me (but found 'em and made it right) but never damaged stuff...
What a time for this thread to come up. I just shipped a lighting fixture and the buyer said it is damaged beyond use. Not sure I believe him, but I do think UPS treated it like hell. This must be a common thing. When I called to file a claim the guy said it would be no problem for me to get my $$ back plus the shipping.
bought a axle and spring and payed for it when it was delivered the box was opened and the spring was missing driver said a claim was made about the damage fought with ups for 4 mo they refused the claim packged was insured they would hornor it
FEDEX dropped something off for my mom while I was there (coffee pot). It was glass, and there was no question it was smashed to a million pieces just by lifting it. I had to yell at the guy and get him to come back and take it back. He actually said "yeah, well it's obviously damaged." Then don't deliver it!! He had to carry it to the door, don't leave it if it is smashed. CHAZ
Good luck with the insurance from UPS. They will take an item and ship and insure it but then don't want to pay the claim. I say if they accept the package as it is, then they should have to pay.
Working nightime with FedEx flight opps, I see a lot of freight come down the line... and no, employees are not overtly hard on the frieght... Most of the employees I work and interact with take their jobs pretty seriously... That said, if I had a dollar for every box which came down the line improperly packaged, I would not have to work anymore... If you're shipping a 50 pound item in a single ply cardboard box with one strip of clear packign tape on each seam, DON'T EXPECT IT TO GET THERE IN ONE PIECE! I promiss you that the box will not hold up to simple, reasonable handling of fright. MY favorite are the 1 ply card board boxes with minimal taping packed to the gills with 25-40 pounds of loose 1/4 inch flat washers, or the single ply boxes packed with business pamphlets... the seams rip open every time and product is either lost or damaged... all simply because the person or company shipping the product tried to save on packaging... if you skimp on the packaging materials, you take a chance every time. OHH and I resent the implications that package handlers are retards and meat heads... most of us are working second jobs to make ends meet, especially in this economy... alot of folks on my night shift have day jobs... why, I'm an Architect during the day, and I work with a construction manager, two graffic artists, a computer software developer, and even a research DOCTOR who works in a prestegious university hospital's genetic research wing... and a lot of the others, while not daytime professionals are decent guys... so lets not make general assumptions here...
I received an iPod via UPS. The package actually had tire tracks on it. I opened in front of the driver and the package was EMPTY. Needless to say, he took it back. I received another one the next day from Apple (they used a different shipper the second time).
I used to fix transmission equipment in the field for a previous employer. On one particular trip overseas, the precision parts I needed for the repair were actually sticking out through the side of the box... When I got back to the factory, I checked out the shipping department's packing methods. The parts were not packed well from the beginning.Moral of the story: If the contents can move inside the package, they will either exit the package or become damaged. GUARANTEED. Pack contents so the package will survive a 6ft drop. While this will not guarantee survival, it will greatly increase your odds.
I sympathize with those of you who have had problems,but honestly, have we not absolutely beaten this shipping discussion thoroughly into the ground already? Do a search and you'll find dozens of threads and they're all about the same. Pack it three times better than you possibly think it needs, insure the crap out of it and then start praying. I suggest we move on to hot rods now.
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