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[Bob Bruner WB4TAJ]

There is always a great deal of complaining about various shipping services.
An experience I recently had at work may shed some light on the problems
people have and lead toward more realistic expectations.

I work for a large metro TV station and we recently had to ship a video tape
recorder to a firm to help them develop some custom software for us.  We are
not shippers, we are engineers, so we stuck the thing into the box and
packing we had originally received it in and gave it to UPS.  It arrived at
the other end, the man did his tests, wrote his proms, and put the machine
back into the same box and sent it back to us, also via UPS.  It arrived with
the front panel caved in, a couple of corners smashed, and other assorted
impact damage.  We filed a claim for damage with UPS and in due course the
claims manager for the Midwest and the head of security for the Midwest
showed up.  Later I realized such an august delegation was sent because they
were not sure why we declared the replacement cost of the machine was over
$50,000.00, when their concept of a 'VCR' was more like $119.00.  Anyway,
they come into engineering where the victim sat, and the claims manager says
that she thinks the machine was probably inadequately packed.  We pointed out
that we shipped it in the same container used by the manufacturer, and she
said, 'well that was a single use shipper.'  (It was a heavy cardboard box
with that expanding foam, that blows up to form fit the object in the box.)
After a little give and take and a tour of our facility, they made an offer
to have the manufacturer make repairs.  While she was there the claims
manager explained some things about UPS and similar shippers.  UPS, she says,
is a "bulk" shipper.  They have only one class of service, and it does not
include special handling of any kind for anything.  Stickers that say
"Fragile," or "Electronic Equipment," or "Ancient Ancestral Bones," or any
similar declarations on the outside of the carton are meaningless to them.
Much of their handling is automated.  There is no provision for hand
processing or any other kind of "gentle" handling.  Some of their handling
subjects packages to many G's of force.  If you give them something to ship,
it is their understanding that you have packed it adequately to withstand the
rigors of their processing system.  If you did, and they break it, they will
pay for it to be replaced or repaired.  But If, in their sole judgment, the
packing was not adequate for bulk shipment, then you are out of luck.
This is something that I never understood before.  If some folks are having
trouble with shipments they might consider that they either need to pack more
carefully, or use a shipper that provides the special handling they seek.
And if you do have bad luck with a shipment, don't be reluctant to file a
claim.  We found these people were willing to listen to what we had to say
and understand our point of view and assume a reasonable responsibility for
their work.  Though she did say that our packing method was about even
between paying the claim and not paying the claim.  In our case she was
willing to come far enough our way to save use several thousand dollars in
repair costs.
BTW, the UPS people said that an item such as we were shipping (one of these
things weighs over 90 pounds in dry clothes) should have been packed in foam,
in a heavy cardboard box, packed in a wooden crate.  That is the way they
packed it for shipment back to the manufacturer and it made the trip both
ways without a scratch.

When you opt for a low cost shipper like UPS, understand what you are paying
for.

Bob Bruner
WB4TAJ/9

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