UPS Shipping Story

[Gump]

I've read a few horror storys over the last few years on this forum about expensive Hi-Fi/HT equipment that was damaged during the shipping process. I recently made a purchase that entailed my new Mcintosh MX-135 processor being shipped to me via UPS Ground. Being a bit nervous based on the above mentioned horror stories I decided to try and head off any problems by checking the item out in the presence of the UPS driver.

The processor arrived the other day and I politely explained my plan to the driver. He quickly and not quite as politely told me to forget it. He said that I could not open the box until I had signed for it first. He made it clear that once I had signed for it he was leaving and that it was against UPS's regulations for their drivers to stay while the customer opened their packages.

I empathized with the sturdy young man and explained that I was well aware of how busy he must be and that he obviously couldn't stand around waiting for everyone to open all their boxes, but in this case the item in question was quite expensive as well as being a bit on the fragile side and it would be in all parties interest to make sure it had arrived still in one piece.

He replied that that was what insurance was for and said if I wanted to speak to his supervisor to discuss it further then that was fine with him.

I told him that by now I could've had the thing opened and checked it out instead of debating with him. I signed the receipt and began to open the box. For some reason he took pity on me and reluctantly said he would remain until it was opened.

The good news is that the processor was in perfect shape and all is well. The driver was nice enough to remind me however, as he walked away, that how it looked didn't mean it would work when it was plugged in.

I did plug it in and it works perfectly. :T

Not sure what the point of my story is, but I thought it was an interesting anecdote.

Expect to have my Mcintosh MC-205 amp within the next couple of weeks and I'll be all set. My B&W 803D's are nervous with anticipation!

[Lex]

Actually, it is policy that once you've signed for it, they leave. He couldn't take it back after you've signed for it anyway, alternately, the post office once you've opened something, they won't return to sender.

On the flip side, I think you are letting paranoia run away with you. Over the years, I've bought many many thousands of dollars in gear, and the worst that has happened was a dial glass piece that slid up out of a panel a bit, I slid it back down, and it's been fine ever since.

[cobbpa]

That was nice of him to stick around...not sure what he coulda done if it was dinged up really, but still kind on the driver's part, despite the arguing. I guess it's dependent on how you look at it, but I would think that most damaged products are by the hands of the sender's poor packaging, not necessarily brutal carrier handling. And in my experience, when it's electronics involved, companies like to ship things securely, which is great!

[zmanbands]

Inspect the box for damage.

It is rare that you will get a package that there are no dings, punctures, or rips in it. Checking for external box damage takes only a few seconds. If you can find damage of any kind, ask the driver to mark the delivery as "damaged box". This is a foundation for a claim if you need to make one later. If your item is in a double box and/or one with styrofoam inserts, its also rare for the item to be damaged. So far I have had no claims to make on about 20 UPS and Fedex shipments over the past four years.

[Kal Rubinson]

That was nice of him to stick around...not sure what he coulda done if it was dinged up really, but still kind on the driver's part, despite the arguing. I guess it's dependent on how you look at it, but I would think that most damaged products are by the hands of the sender's poor packaging, not necessarily brutal carrier handling. And in my experience, when it's electronics involved, companies like to ship things securely, which is great!

Not always. I use manufacturer's original packaging and I repack carefully when I ship reviewed items back to the manufacturer or to Stereophile's lab. In one awful case, a pair of (>$10K) speakers was carefully re-crated (many, many woodscrews!). Only one arrived and that was internally damaged with the ceramic diaphragm shattered although the outer crate was in good condition. The other was missing for months until it was tracked down and returned. The returned carton was not anything I had seen before. It was missing all internal packing materials and contained about half the parts of the speaker cabinet and innards. Looked like they scooped up the bits from the floor.

Thank goodness for insurance.

Kal

[Alaric]

I thought UPS stood for Undelivered Packages and Sh!t