Had the same thing happen to me by a big name shipping Co. Better check your invoice as they usually don't insure the full amount instead they did some crazy calculation based on the pound or something. I had a legit $10k crate engine and the max they would pay was like $1500 no matter what was in the crate. Lucky it looked worse than it was as the damages were only external. The $1500 paid for a shop to disassemble and check and replace most of the external damages. GOOD LUCK!!!
Man thats a pretty Motor i would be super pissed...prob some idiot on a forklift that had know clue what he was doing.... I would assume that your crate was maked all over the place this side up and fragile...i am wondering if the thought "fragile" was italian for crush the livin shit out of it !!! I guess make a claim and see what happens i have done shipping and receving on and off for quite a few years and most trucking outfits will payout when something like this happens...i will still keep my finger crossed for you just in case.
Krylon32 is exactly right. Everyone blames it on someone else. Shipper says it was good when it left and the freight guys will say they did nothing wrong. It stinks, but unfortunately the only completely safe thing to do for a customer is to refuse shipment in this situation and let the shipper and the hauler fight it out. Definitely a tough situation for everyone, including the guy that ships the product and also the haulers in some cases depending on the specifics...
You will be very lucky to get anything but silence from any shipping company for the damage. Especially if they are in any way connected with the big guys,Toll,TNT,DHL UPS etc . their lawyers had it sewn up decades ago. last year i purchased a very large MAN diesel engine to repower a vehicle here. This was 5 figures worth of heavy gear. The shippers, a well known OZ company DROPPED IT!. Completely smashed the oil pan ,destroyed the crate it was in and even smashed chunks out of the heads. I had already paid for this thing and I could see a hugely expensive and drawn out legal battle looming. Fortunately Daimler AG stepped in and forced an issue .I got both my money and another engine but also kept the wreckage. I was only able to salvage the short motor . so..a few days later i am waiting for a $3000 headlight unit for the same truck. Guess what! same fucking carrier delivers a well wrapped and insulated smashed headlight unit..!! I went to their main depot to see how stuff was moved. Most of the forklift drivers appeared to be on speed and were driving like they were playing X box. No friggen wonder the stuff gets smashed everywhere!. So don't expect anyone to cough up money for breakage unless you are prepared to fight for it and these pricks have the cards marked in their favour.
LTL shippers have always been rough but lately we have experience more damages. On some shippers we take digital pictures of the load they are picking up and have the driver inspect the packaging and note that it is packed adequately. Like someone said earlier, they always want to blame someone else. This is one more step in putting accountability where it belongs. Seeing that engine damaged makes me sick. I can just see one of the guys in the warehouse carelessly dropping it and saying "OOPS" and then sending it on its way. To me, it would never be right and there will always be a question in his mind about when hidden damage may come up. I would push the shipper for a replacement engine. Bob
There's some great advice offered here. I hope others take it to hart. Don't know whats going to happen tomorrow, but I will keep you all posted. Thanks to ALL.
I've got one where the shipping company did the right thing just to gve you some hope. I bought a rebuilt 348 off a HAMB member a couple of years ago. Was shipped from San Fran to Canada using Yellow Freight. Sometime during the shipping they dropped the pallet which pounded the engine through the pallet, screwing up the oil pan. I contacted them to open a claim. Took photos and sent them back-up for the cost of a new oil pan and gaskets. They sent me a check for the exact number submitted, no questions asked. I was very impressed.
You have to accept the delivery to open the box/container to check for damage. If you open the box,you've accepted the shipment. If the box/container is obviously damaged,REFUSE the shipment as "Damaged" and contact the shipper immediately.
You can also file for concealed damage after you open up. No guarantee you'll win, it's usually a long fight. As mentioned previously pictures and documentation are your best friend. We go through this on a regular basis. In our case we deal with large companies that have some clout with the carriers, that helps a lot.
I had an engine shipped from So Cal to me in Michigan..Skratch did a great job of wrapping it up and securing it to the pallet..Absolutly no problems at all. But as a policy of my own , from many bad experiances and working in the constuction industry where we have alot of stuff shipped by common carriers.. I jumped up in the trailer with my knife and tools to open up the package..the Driver was trying to get me to sign for it..and all I said was "I dont sign for nothin' I cant see." It turned out great
I drive for an LTL company. (conway) We have one of the lowest claim rates in the market but we still have them. Best advice is to take pictures and note all damage on bill of lading before driver leaves. Times are hard for the LTL companies and if they can get out of paying they will. Ive seen dumb asses ram their fork lift in a trailer full of freight so they can gain another inch to close the door. Didnt hurt anything but still. Treat it as if its yours is my moto.
Just kind of a quick up-date. I'm as in the dark about this as I was Friday after taking delivery. Took most of the day to hear back from the ESTES and only to find out that theirs a third party to all of this were the claim has to be filed. After two calls to the shipper today he says he is still waiting to hear back from the third party??? And that's since Friday??? I can see from this point that there is no way in hell I'm ever going to break even on this. Even if I hadn't taken delivery.
I work for a shipping company, and I can tell you right now... you should have rejected it and sent that bitch back. It's gonna be real, REAL hard to prove it didn't happen after you got it. The driver is going to deny any knowledge of it being damaged because that poor fucker simply wants to keep his job. When you refuse the shipment, you deny ownership. I have no idea what all you do and don't have as far as documentation, but man, you should have said "Nope... take 'er on back". I do wish you luck, my friend... because that bad mother fucker don't look cheap. Damn I'm sick at my stomach....
Ten years ago I shipped a Red Ram hemi with trans attached from Texas to Illinois. I was very nervous about these issues and contacted the builder in Illinois for their recommendations about freight lines. I used a local shipper to build the crate and deliver the engine to Conway Southern, their recommended carrier. It got there with no trouble, got back to me a year later, and is now happily running around in my roadster. That's a sweet engine, but I don't envy you the fight that's ahead for you. Fearless
What shipping company do you work for? Id fess up in a heart beat. We dont lose our jobs for accidents at our company. Not unless it happens multiple times. As for the 3rd party thing. Just be patient and let them work out the claim. They take your money but they dont want to give it back if they werent at fault. Just keep calling about every other day and check up on the statis of the claim. Make sure your talking to the right people and not some middle man.
Not Good,happens all to often,as long as when you recieved it and noted the damage with that driver ,you should be fine,just careless stuff. I got a Brizz bumper out from the States,arrived in New Zealand looking like a fork lift had run over it !cant show ya the damage one ,but got it all sorted ,just the time factor was a piss off..........Good luck mate .
Regarding the claim, it is likely gonna take months. We have had several claims here and I have one still lingering since October... Keep calling, but don't get panicked if you don't get an answer right away. The name of the game for them is just to put you off until you get tired of calling... I also have to admit that we have had times when I KNOW that the shipper and trucking company both got the product here safely and then our OWN guy tore the product up getting it off the truck. I would not try to turn that in if I knew it for sure, but everyone (including MY employees) will play dumb on a deal like this...
In a nut shell this is what I received this morning: This is to acknowledge receipt of your claim listed above and advise that it has been filed with the Carrier on your behalf. Please keep in mind that Carriers have up to 30 days to acknowledge this claim and once acknowledged they have up to 120 days to resolve the claim. Also you are required to hold onto the freight until the conclusion of the claim. If for any reason the freight is disposed of and or moved this could result in the declination of your claim by the carrier. Should the Carrier request any additional information we will contact you immediately. The good news, I got a call from the Carriers Inspector this afternoon and was able to set-up an appointment for this Monday afternoon. Just a little over two weeks so far. I think things could be worse in this matter, but I don't see how! <!-- / message --><!-- sig -->
Well I hope it all works out for you. But I am real curious to know what the price tag was on such a sweet unit.
freight claims take time. yours has been open for a bit over two weeks... i know it isnt what you want to hear, but thats the open truth. it takes time. conway wont fire for no reason? better think again, and fast. conway was BUILT on the ability to fire without cause or recourse...
After 55-70 degree temps around here we now have a foot of snow on the ground and still coming down. Well so much for the weather report. Up-date: The inspector came by on Monday and was willing and open to taking pictures of everything including looking at my picture on high resolution monitor that I had taken and I also emailed them copies. This AM I received a copy of the inspection report and to me, it looks favorable. I also received a call from the third party FreightQuote.com and they seem to be on top of things and putting pressure on Estes Freight to keep things moving. I will continue to post progress up-dates as thing move along and thanks for everyone's support and insight.
Nice engine...Hope when you signed for it you noted that the box was damaged. That way the shipping company can reimburse you.
This stuff amazes me, i used to work recieving in metal at an aerospace shop, so i saw lots of stuff, "How the Fuck do you loose a 14' Pallet out from under material???"
I just shipped an engine with another company, the lift truck driver didn't seem to care how he handled it. I stapped and braced it inside, hope it holds. As long as they don't drop it I think it will be OK.
If you signed a paper reciept (not one of those electronic boxes) ALWAYS write the damage on there and then sign. Makes it harder for them to say it happened later.
that's bullshit, i wouldn't refuse the shipment... especially if the contents are irreplaceable. last thing id want is for my stuff going BACK to the nimrods that fucked it up in the first place. pictorial documentation and a signed statement from the driver should be good enough.
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