UPS Destroyed a Pair of 1C speakers:

tojohndillonesq

I figure I will go make the same post in a bunch of different forums... with all the folks who look at the thread and chime in about their own rotten UPS experiences, it is the best sort of warning to others. Thanks all! I am headed to small claims court with them for fraudulently selling me insurance when they had no intention of paying it.

chandler9a

tojohndillonesq wrote: »

I figure I will go make the same post in a bunch of different forums... with all the folks who look at the thread and chime in about their own rotten UPS experiences, it is the best sort of warning to others. Thanks all! I am headed to small claims court with them for fraudulently selling me insurance when they had no intention of paying it.

I'll take a turn at chiming in... I've had at least three amps I can think shipped to me via UPS that were damaged. None of them worked by the time they got to me, looked like they decided since the box was heavy and obviously had something expensive in it, they should just drop it from high altitude. They are just awful and should stand buy their insurance coverage.

charley95

Sorry to hear this. It seems that more and more these days that insurance and warranties are not worth the paper they are written on. It's always about the top execs. at these wonderful companies!

audio_alan

Bummer, sorry to hear that. I hope UPS makes it right...

DaveHo

Unless I missed it, you still haven't stated how they were packed. Just because the store said they were packed well doesn't mean squat. Believe me, I'm on your side, but UPS does have official packing requiements which can be found on their web site. Did you meet those requirements? If not, you are wasting your time. If you did, go get 'em!

-Dave

Toolfan66

I still think packing was part of the problem if not most of it...


Just my .02

DarqueKnight

The local UPS depot won't allow a shipper to purchase insurance for a speaker shipment unless it is in the original manufacturer's packaging or the speakers have been packed to "professional standards". If the speakers are not in original manufacturer's packaging, UPS will open the box(es) and verify that sufficient and appropriate packing material is used.

I have had two pairs of CRS+'s damaged in shipping by UPS. The first pair was shipped in the original boxes and UPS paid the damage claim promptly. The second pair was not in original boxes, but was packed all around in Styrofoam blocks and a sturdy box that was actually better than the original packaging. UPS inspected the damage and the packaging and promptly paid.

TennMan

DarqueKnight wrote: »

The local UPS depot won't allow a shipper to purchase insurance for a speaker shipment unless it is in the original manufacturer's packaging or the speakers have been packed to "professional standards". If the speakers are not in original manufacturer's packaging, UPS will open the box(es) and verify that sufficient and appropriate packing material is used.

I have had two pairs of CRS+'s damaged in shipping by UPS. The first pair was shipped in the original boxes and UPS paid the damage claim promptly. The second pair was not in original boxes, but was packed all around in Styrofoam blocks and a sturdy box that was actually better than the original packaging. UPS inspected the damage and the packaging and promptly paid.

If the UPS Store does the packaging would it be considered packaged to professional standards? I hope so. UPS is hauling a pair of CRS+ to me right now that were packaged at the UPS store. They aren't in the original boxes. All this talk about damaged shipments has me nervous. They are in two boxes and each box is insured for $300. A good argument could be made that one speaker is no good without the other considering there must be a left and right speaker in order for the pair to function. Any ideas about what they would pay if one speaker is damaged?

DarqueKnight

TennMan wrote: »

If the UPS Store does the packaging would it be considered packaged to professional standards? I hope so.

UPS stores are individually owned and operated. UPS the carrier has no liability for improper packing by a UPS store. If an item is damaged and UPS the carrier determines that improper packaging was at fault it does not matter who packed it. UPS won't pay the claim and recompense would be between you and the UPS store.

TennMan

I thought that might be the case. It's sort of a dammed if you do, dammed if you don't proposition when you pay for their insurance. I've got my fingers crossed that nothing goes wrong. I just hope I don't get that guy they showed on TV that was tossing packages over a fence into the yard. I'll know sometime Monday assuming they don't get lost.

marcgd1959

I thought i might reply to this thread now that I am after a pair of polk sda somethings. I am the buyer that is being spoken about who received the two damaged sda 1C's. I packaged things up at an office equipment store for 15 years which included shipping fax machines, copiers, typewriters, computers and monitors, etc, all not in their original boxes. All fairly heavy items. This was not a good packing job at all. To say that there was not an adequate cushion around the speaker would be an understatement. the speakers were saran wrapped, topped and bottomed with caps of about 1/4 inch foam, than wrapped with non matching boxes to fit, and than taped to death. No bubble wrap, no tow inches of foam, no cushions, no space between the box and the speakers at all. they were delivered to the TV station I work at, where the people who received shipments could not believe how badly they looked when they came in and they told the driver this, I guess the driver said a call regarding damage would have to be made. Here we are a week later and no inspection has been done because I took them home to open them up further to see what other damage there might be as I could not do this at the station. Supposedly because I took them home, the inspection was closed twice. The last word is that they are calling me Monday in regards to setting up an appointment to finally see them. I also believe that there was a lot of right hands not talking to left hands here. You know, all I have wanted since I saw a pair of SDA-SRS's in a local stereo store in the early 80's was a pair of them in some kind. I fell in love with the sound and have been watching in the background ever since. Little did i realize what would happen.

Toolfan66

Sorry to hear about your problem and I figured packing was a big factor here. Do you have any pics of the damage to share?

I hope the seller has made this right for you....

George Grand

marcgd1959 wrote: »

I thought i might reply to this thread now that I am after a pair of polk sda somethings. I am the buyer that is being spoken about who received the two damaged sda 1C's. I packaged things up at an office equipment store for 15 years which included shipping fax machines, copiers, typewriters, computers and monitors, etc, all not in their original boxes. All fairly heavy items. This was not a good packing job at all. To say that there was not an adequate cushion around the speaker would be an understatement. the speakers were saran wrapped, topped and bottomed with caps of about 1/4 inch foam, than wrapped with non matching boxes to fit, and than taped to death. No bubble wrap, no tow inches of foam, no cushions, no space between the box and the speakers at all. they were delivered to the TV station I work at, where the people who received shipments could not believe how badly they looked when they came in and they told the driver this, I guess the driver said a call regarding damage would have to be made. Here we are a week later and no inspection has been done because I took them home to open them up further to see what other damage there might be as I could not do this at the station. Supposedly because I took them home, the inspection was closed twice. The last word is that they are calling me Monday in regards to setting up an appointment to finally see them. I also believe that there was a lot of right hands not talking to left hands here. You know, all I have wanted since I saw a pair of SDA-SRS's in a local stereo store in the early 80's was a pair of them in some kind. I fell in love with the sound and have been watching in the background ever since. Little did i realize what would happen.

Well, that explains that.

TennMan

I hate to hear about your speakers being damaged. I'm sure going through the claims process is aggravating and time consuming. I hope I'm not facing the same thing myself. I have a pair of CRS+ sitting 40 miles away that are scheduled for delivery tomorrow. I intend to meet the delivery man at the door, if possible, to have him note any damage to the boxes before he leaves.

I think when you have speakers shipped you've got to have some means in place to ensure the seller will get involved in the claims process when damage is done by shippers (UPS in my case). The way I did that was to pay half to the seller up front with an agreement to pay the other half when the speakers are in my hands in good, undamaged condition. That way we both share some risk and we both have an interest in the speakers arriving safely. We both signed a contract stating that as the terms of sale. I don't know that all sellers would agree to do that but the seller I'm dealing with seems to be a fair and honest person. I just hope the speakers arrive tomorrow in excellent condition so I don't have to worry about going through a claims process.

chandler9a

Tenn, I had a member here send me a single CRS a couple of years ago and it was packed like nothing I have ever seen, in a good way. He literally took every precaution and it took me 15 minutes to get it out of the packaging. I'm sure your seller does it right, it will be fine.

can't wait to hear your impressions of the SDA's vs. your M10's.

chandler9a

marcgd, sorry to hear about your misfortune. I hope there are some local polkies near you who can sell you some SDA's within driving distance. They are worth it!

TennMan

chandler9a wrote: »

Tenn, I had a member here send me a single CRS a couple of years ago and it was packed like nothing I have ever seen, in a good way. He literally took every precaution and it took me 15 minutes to get it out of the packaging. I'm sure your seller does it right, it will be fine.

can't wait to hear your impressions of the SDA's vs. your M10's.

I'm looking forward to hearing them. I've never heard a pair of SDAs.

shawn474

I bought an outlaw 950 preamp years ago from a guy in California. He had it packaged by a UPS store. I SH$T you not, the "professional" packing was a flimsy cardboard box and enough packing peanuts to fill a third of the box. That thing was bounced around all over the place. Only damage was a binding post that I was able to fix by myself after getting jerked around by UPS for over a month. They suck; plain and simple. I use FedEx or USPS just because of this experience whenever I can.

bd1886

A buddy of mine works for a major shipping firm and sees what can happen because of the "bean counters"......scary. (Those jerks cost us all long term and they get short term numbers to keep them working.) Never go with layered corporate in shipping.....if you have a choice. A couple bucks more makes a difference.

lanchile

tojohndillonesq wrote: »

I figure I will go make the same post in a bunch of different forums... with all the folks who look at the thread and chime in about their own rotten UPS experiences, it is the best sort of warning to others. Thanks all! I am headed to small claims court with them for fraudulently selling me insurance when they had no intention of paying it.

No compassion with them!! These people do not care at all. UPS SUCKS!!!

SDA1C

So you need a set of cabs or what? Bottle of jack and they are yours.

marcgd1959

I did pay $160 for shipping, I guess there is a repacking fee that was turned down as UPS thought everything was ok enough to ship. Thankfully the shipper did insure. 84 pounds each is well within UPS's weight limit. One thing i did notice . . . FRAGILE was no where to be seen on the boxes!

marcgd1959

Depending on what happens, I would guess if UPS does not take them, and they do send insurance money(right). All it looks like they would need immediatly is a couple of specific models of the woofers(1 dimensional and 1 stereo), and to make sure the cross overs are working. I would be able to live with wood tops and bottoms the way they are, knowing they could be replaced one day.
For now I am waiting with baited breath for Monday to see if UPS calls, if not, I would not want to be one of their people on the phone bank.

Toolfan66

If you purchased those speakers through eBay then I would start the process through them and PayPal for a full refund it's the only way you will be fully covered..

TennMan

My pair of CRS+ arrived well packaged and had fragile written in large letters on all sides. They are in near perfect condition cosmetically, exactly as described by the seller. I do have questions on how to test the drivers but I'm going to start a new thread for help with that.

marcgd1959

just to keep everyone up to snuff on my 1C UPS problem . . . they actually came and inspected the speakers today. let me tell you the guy was not a happy camper when he saw the wood damage, then the he saw the boxes and what little cushioning there was. i thought he was going to take the speakers with him, but he came in this little car so i thought wrong on that. he said the shipper will receive an answer regarding this sometime next week.

DaveHo

If they were truly packed in that manner, UPS isn't going to pay the claim. I'm no UPS lover, & I fully agree that they do their best to weasel out of legitimate claims, but this is 100% the sellers fault.

nspindel

This is one of the benefits of living in the greater NYC area. Any time I've sold gear, I've never had a problem finding a buyer relatively local so we can do it in person and avoid shipping. Bad things always seem to happen when you ship expensive equipment.

marcgd1959

yes they were packed really badly by the shipper, but it seems the ups store had the option of repacking them for good or bad for money. they ok'd the condition of the package for shipment. to me this was the big mistake. the ups store could have said no, not good enough at this weight, but . . . when the inspector was informed of this, he was not too happy. he is, i am sure, aware that this could have been repackaged at their ups store just as well and wasn't, we would have paid the fee. the shipper said he would, but since the ups store said all was fine, he didn't.
****a side question to whoever may be reading this . . . since i know that i can still get the drivers from polk, does anyone out there know who i can send the cross-overs to, to make sure they are working properly and to get them upgraded? thanks.

F1nut

Lasareath wrote: »

Whenever I send anything that is expensive or I think it might get damaged I double the insurance value. When I shipped out my Adcom GFP-750 I insured it for $1500. If it got destroyed I would be able to pay back the buyer's $750 and I'd keep the other $750 because I wouldn't have an Adcom anymore.

You are wasting your money insuring something for double its value. Let's say your Adcom was damaged in shipping. As part of the claims process they will research the current value and if it is $750.00 that is all you will get.