QTH.COM Swap Chat

As i understand it UPS has nothing to do with UPS stores other than they are allowed to use the name in some sort of agreement. They are a packaging and shipping center with no business ties with the UPS that brings the package to your door other than offer a pickup point and in some cases mail box delivery place. I certainly can understand your anger and frustration and hope you receive some satisfaction and the receiver of the equipment kept the box and all packing materials for proof. I hope others who have a better understanding of the relationship with UPS delivery and UPS stores will give you a better explanation but shared with you my limited knowledge of it.

I am pretty sure that UPS owns the "UPS STORE BUSINESS" but each store is owned by a franchisee. If they pack it they have a deal where they are responsible for damage. I received a damaged item packed by a UPS Store in Texas. I had to send it back to the shipper in Texas and he took it to the UPS Store. They did pay the claim and they were pretty fair about it.

If you pack it yourself and take it to the UPS Store they are quick to sell you the insurance at double what UPS charges but they sure don't like to back it up. I have found the best way to deal with UPS is to open an on-line account, print your shipping and insurance labels on your computer and then drop it off at any UPS Store. All they do is give it to the driver and in that case you deal with UPS directly in case of any problem. Of course we all know they will do whatever they can to weasel out of a claim.

I believe I have found the best solution of all. I started using FEDEX Ground. They come to my house as many times as needed for $13.00 extra per week and if you ship over $60.00 in a week it drops to $9.00 I would spend more than that just in gas to go to the UPS store. Another thing is the UPS store will only let you drop off packages worth up to $1,000. After that you have to take them to a UPS terminal or else pay $12.00 per day for a driver to pick them up.. I have shipped with FEDEX Ground well over 200 items in the last year and I couldn't be happier. Not one single problem and a lot more inexpensive than UPS.

w9lvm wrote:Never use the UPS Stores! If UPS damages a radio in shipment you have to file a claim at the UPS Store not UPS! How is that for BS? It gets damaged by UPS but you can not file the claim on UPS site!
I had a radio damaged by UPS $250 worth that I sold! I have paid the buyer the $250 damages and now I have to try and get my money back from UPS and we all know UPS does not like to pay for damage!
I will not BUY, SELL OR TRADE using UPS, I will pass any deal if UPS has to be used!

I have been using FedEx for about three years. I always pack it myself and if it arrives damaged they have no choice but to pay the claim. I document each shipment with pictures. The only problem I have had was an email from a guy griping because I used too much packing.
Now to the AL80B amp I bought. I wanted it shipped by FedEx. The guy wanted to use the UPS store. I agreed as long as I could pay when received. The UPS store wrapped the amp with one wrap of bubble wrap, poured a few peanuts in the bottom of the box, placed the amp in the box and poured the box full of peanuts. Needless to say it was junk when received and I refused delivery. The guy ended up in small claims court and got his $. Yes FedEx works for me too. No brown truck here.
73,
Terry N8ERM

Here is the way I see it:

• UPS Stores are good for having your granny's old doll packed, or perhaps a small AM radio.
  UPS Stores are not equipped to properly pack heavy fragile electronics equipment of any kind.
  UPS Stores' employees/owners are not trained to pack heavy fragile electronics equipment.
  UPS, the brown company, no longer processes claims, about two years ago they set up a separate in-house company to do that. That company's survival depends on reducing claims costs. Their approach is to wait you out and make you wade through procedures created for their convenience.
  UPS record of shipping damage speaks for itself. It is saying, "I'm bad."

Why in the world would anyone use a UPS Store or UPS to pack and ship an amp, or any other heavy fragile electronic item?

To answer your last question. I would say mostly because they don't do it very often and don't know any better. Hopefully because of this forum at least a few will know now.

K4ICL wrote:Here is the way I see it:

• UPS Stores are good for having your granny's old doll packed, or perhaps a small AM radio.
  UPS Stores are not equipped to properly pack heavy fragile electronics equipment of any kind.
  UPS Stores' employees/owners are not trained to pack heavy fragile electronics equipment.
  UPS, the brown company, no longer processes claims, about two years ago they set up a separate in-house company to do that. That company's survival depends on reducing claims costs. Their approach is to wait you out and make you wade through procedures created for their convenience.
  UPS record of shipping damage speaks for itself. It is saying, "I'm bad."

Why in the world would anyone use a UPS Store or UPS to pack and ship an amp, or any other heavy fragile electronic item?

UPS Stores are part of UPS since 2001! On the UPS Site they sort of make it sound like going to a UPS Store is like going right to UPS!

The radio I sent was damaged in shipment by UPS to the tune of $250! Their line id if box is not damaged it could not be from them! I guess they figure all boxes must only be dropped on the corners not tossed HARD ON THERE FLAT SIDE! I myself would never send out a damaged radio and I have paid the Amateur I sent the radio to the $250 to repair the radio! Now UPS is telling me if box is not damaged it could not be from them. I have to appeal the claim because they refused to pay! The UPS Store tells me Crawford Insurance does not like to pay to start with and I guess that is The UPS Stores insurance company! I have asked the Chicago Trib Problem Solver to help out just like when there is a Emer. a round USA Amateurs are always there to help out![/u]

1. Do not use The UPS store, pack it yourself using tips on this site.
2. Most important read the feedback forum. If this Ham would have done this as part of his homework his shipping might have not went this way. Been there done that with same results.
73,
Terry N8ERM

the ups stores are franchises. you have no legal claim against ups if they damage your stuff. if the claim is denied, you have to sue the ups store franchisee in small claims court. there is a thread on the yaesu reflector about a denied claim from the ups store. the clerk packed an expensive rig in bubble wrap and tossed it in a box. rig destroyed, CLAIM DENIED.
here is what you will get at a ups store. an hourly slug working part time without benefits who cant wait to get off work to go home. she will pack your $5000 rig by wrapping it in one layer of bubble wrap and charging you $80 for the "quality job". It will be destroyed and ups will not talk with you.

as stated earlier, the ups store is good for receiving mail and sending your next day letter ups express. anything beyond that will find them in over their head and leaving you holding the bag for $5000.
They will satisfy you with the old tom bodette motel 6 commercial. "I'm sorry". you will ask, "what are you going to do about this?" answer... I am authorized to apologize, i'm sorry"
happy hoss trading paul w8jn
ps, you may not find the clerks at fed ex kinkos any better, however, fed ex owns kinkos and if you pay them to pack your rig, they are on the hook. Fed ex damaged my ic-781 that i shipped through fed ex kinkos. i dealt directly with fed ex as the shipper and they paid the claim directly to me, thank you fed ex kinkos

I've used FedEx almost exclusively for the last 10 years. Occassionally I'll ship via the guys in the brown pants but generally they don't get my business. I've only had one claim to file with FedEx and it took them 45 days to resolve the issue.

The biggest thing to getting your claim through is to document it and give them everything they ask for. It's not that difficult and they really have no reason to deny the claim.


FedEx Ground is inexpensive, they'll insure it, I'l pack it 'cause I know it gets done to my satisfaction. They get it there and you can track it almost immediately you take it to a FedEx center ie not Kinko's.



Cheers & 73 de N0SWV Jesse

Use Fedex Ground Home Delivery , 1/2 the cost , 100X safer

Only used UPS because buyer only wanted it shipped UPS but NEVER again will I buy, sell or trade if UPS is part of the deal!

Just prior to this posting I shipped an Icom HF rig to New Jersey utilizing the local UPS Store. The rig was packed by me utilizing bubble wrap, peanuts and double boxed. When the shipment arrived, the receiver noted that the box was damaged. Upon testing the radio, there were several issues caused by the shipping damage. I had to go to the UPS store where I shipped the package from to commence a claim. The rig was returned to that store by UPS. To quickly sum up the events, the UPS Store is NOT UPS it is a franchise operation. They use Crawford Insurance as their underwriter. Crawford refused my claim stating "the package was not packed properly". The following day I went to the UPS store, camera in hand, and refused to take possession of the package. I took several pictures of the damaged box and made it pretty clear that the response from Crawford was unacceptable. I also indicated that their process, misrepresentation as UPS and failure to pay reasonable claims needed to be challenged in a court of law. I then sent the following letter to the UPS Store:

The UPS Store
6841 Virginia PKWY
McKinney, Texas

Reference
File Number: XXXXXXXXXX
Tracking Number: 1Z3A83R203043XXXXX
Reference Number: MMZ9PJ3MXXXXX
Merchandise Shipped: Icom IC-725 Ham Radio Transceiver


I have received and reviewed the May 11th letter from Crawford. I find their refusal of my claim to be totally inappropriate and am appealing the decision. The item WAS PROPERLY packaged when placed into your care for reasonably shipping and delivery. The radio transceiver was wrapped in ½ inch bubble wrap and placed into an inner box which was packed with shipping peanuts providing a minimum of 2” of padding on all sides of the radio. This box was sealed and then placed into a second box which was also packed with shipping peanuts. Both boxes are double wall, 275 pound boxes.

If this packaging is not acceptable to The UPS Store, UPS or Crawford, you need to get out of the shipping and insurance business.

As you have noted, the shipment shows obvious signs of damage when viewed from the outside of the box.

Please process my claim and provide payment in a timely manor.



Crawford then contacted the receiver and posed many questions relative to the shipment, packing and value. I am pleased to inform that I have received a check for the total amount of the insurance.

I recommend that the UPS Store NEVER be used for shipping gear of any value. This experience was painful and uncalled for. I will use Fexed Ground from now on.

73's
Ron...K1HZ...

UPS AND ANYONE AFFILIATED WITH THEM ARE MORONS. They will destroy a package no matter how well it is packed and refuse to pay. I HAVE NEVER NEVER COLLECTED ON A CLAIM FROM THEM. BIGGEST RIP OFF COMPANY ON THE PLANET.

Click here:

http://k4icl.com/howtopack.htm

I hope this might help some who are contemplating shipping their gear.