Damage in shipping

Dan Beller-McKenna · From: Durham, New Hampshire, USA

I recently sold a speaker on the forum. When it arrived via Fedex the cone had a significant tear. I have refunded the buyer, and I'm wondering whether it is even worth pursuing any compensation from Fedex. Since the outer box showed no damage I suppose the blame has to fall on my packing--should i just assume this is my loss and move on? Anyone have experience with items damaged in shipping by Fedex?

Thanks,

Dan

Rick Barnhart · From: Arizona, USA

I'd give it a try, Dan...but in light of the lack of damage to the exterior of the box, they'll most likely blame inadequate packing. Even though it must have taken quite a jar to cause a tear in the cone. Reminds me of the youtube surveillance of a Fed-Ex driver throwing a package over a fence.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C5uIH0VTg_o
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Dave Diehl · From: Mechanicsville, MD, USA

I may be mistaken but I believe only the Shipper can file a claim on a damaged item with FedEx.

Dan Beller-McKenna · From: Durham, New Hampshire, USA

Yes, Dave, I would be the one filing a claim. Just not sure it's even worth the trouble.

Duane Dunard · From: Troy, MO. U.S.A.

Dan, I wish I had all the money back that I wasted on out-going shipping insurance, total waste. Rick's post nails it.

Erv Niehaus · From: Litchfield, MN, USA

I'm in the process of taking FedEx to conciliation court for damages done to a guitar. I had it insured for $4,500 and they refuse to pay anything. In Minnesota you can go up to $10,000 in conciliation court. The guitar was handled so roughly that the blocks holding the guitar in place were busted loose from the case. Sad

Dave Diehl · From: Mechanicsville, MD, USA

Sorry Dan, didn't realize you were the seller. I filed a claim online once from their website for a damaged item and a week later got a check for the amount I claimed, no questions asked so it won't cost but a few minutes to file it.

Lane Gray · From: Topeka, KS

BTW, I recommend paying FedEx do the packing. That way they're on the hook even if it WAS mis-packed
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Dan Beller-McKenna · From: Durham, New Hampshire, USA

Yes, Lane, I may go that route in the future. In the meantime, I took Dave's suggestion and filed a claim. We'll see....

Dan

Howard Steinberg · From: St. Petersburg, Florida , USA

FedEx destroyed two high end guitars that I had shipped with them. They have the nastiest claims adjusters but you can prevail with persistence. One of the guitars had a crack at the headstock. The buyer wanted to keep the guitar. He got a repair estimate which enabled me to offer FedEx the opportunity to pay for the instrument or the repair. They very quickly settled on the less expensive option. The other guitar was totally trashed, with a set neck being ripped out of the body. This required constant badgering of a claims adjuster that rides to work on a broom. Eventually they compensated me for the selling price of the guitar and the shipping cost. It's not fun to deal with them. Good luck
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Stephen Cowell · From: Round Rock, Texas, USA

Dan Beller-McKenna · From: Durham, New Hampshire, USA

Packing peanuts? Stephen, a little respect, please. In fact, that's why I haven't ever let my local Fedex store pack things; that's their preferred method.

My downfall, I suspect, was not using a designated speaker box with a dedicated cardboard "ring" piece for the cone end. I used stiff styrofoam insulation board at that end, and various packing around the speaker to keep it from shifting.

For the record, (to my knowledge) this is the first item I've shipped that's ever been damaged.

Joe Naylor · From: Avondale, Arizona, USA

I only use FedEx Ground in the US - I have had 2 clames that happened to be on the same seat - I sent a letter and explained what it took me to rebuild the seat and told them I wanted to be fair - (email photos too) I had an email within 24 hours stating that a check was in the mail and I got exactly what I ask for. I got a follow up email stating that they appreciated me explaining in detail what was need to make the seat back to the original condition - it went on to state that most claimes were you owe me this much money which is an inflated number because they want extra shipping supplies, paid for the time it took to pack and ship -

So my experience is that first - it does not happen often and second they were fair with me.

I still use them several times a week and have not shipped on one of those Brown trucks ever.

Interestingly enough international the US Post Office is best - even Alaska.

My experience

Joe Naylor
www.steelseat.com
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Rich Hlaves · From: Wildomar, California, USA

I had an item I shipped damaged by UPS back a few years. It was so well packed I could not believe it. Must have been hit or crushed by the brown truck.

They refused the claim due to inadiquate packing. I called BS on that but got nowhere.

I wrote a letter to the CEO explaining and in my closing line stated "The tightest ship in the shipping business is taking on water." I got a call the day he received the letter stating my claim would be paid in full. It was.
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Rich Hlaves · From: Wildomar, California, USA

Dang! Sorry.
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Garry Pugh · From: Nashville Indiana

I bought a vintage stereo receiver of a guy on EBAY this past summer. He had Fed Ex pack it and the shipping was very bad. The only packing material used were peanuts and there was not enough of them. It was a miracle but there was not damage.
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David Stilley · From: Santa Cruz, California, USA

I had a Yamaha home entertainment receiver that was about 1 year old and it had a fried motherboard in it, about a $600 amp. So I sent it Fed-X to L.A. from Santa Cruz, about a 450 mile trip. I packed it myself in an over sized cardboard box (heavy) with some sheets of Styrofoam about 2" thick that I found in the dumpster behind Home Depot that were from palates of ceramic plant pots. They were cut and packed all around the amp.

The repairman that got it in L.A. said that there was damage to the back panel of the amp after shipping and he took some pictures of the amp as it was being unpacked to give to Fed-X. They paid for the repair to the back panel and refunded the shipping charges as well without any hassles. It was obviously makeshift packing so I felt that they were very fair about it. I didn't expect the shipping charges to be refunded as well. They were very nice to me on the phone too. I'd use Fed-X anytime, but I've never had any problems with UPS either and I've used them more times than I can count.
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Dan Beller-McKenna · From: Durham, New Hampshire, USA

Just to bring this thread to a (happy) conclusion: Fedex refunded me the declared value plus shipping. No dickering or delay. i suppose this one was passed along quickly because the value was under $100; perhaps they would have put up resistance if it were expensive, who knows. In any case, I was very satisfied with the resolution and, in fact, I'm shipping out another speaker Fedex (with more bullet-proof packaging!!) today.

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