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US postal service blows goats

pocketchange said:
IMO... none of the transportation M O N S T E R S are worth squat. All of them are publicly owned with a bottom line that has no interest EXCEPT for the almighty DOLLAR.
My last shipping disaster took SIX trips across this country and arrived with the interior on my amp destroyed.
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Wow, and here I thought I was the only person who'd experienced this. Not as bad as you did though - I ordered my first stand-alone DVD player from Buy.com... the thing shipped from California to Western NY via UPS. It made it to Buffalo - which is about 50-60 miles from where I live. I was anxious to receive it (I always am with new toys!) so I checked the tracking daily. Usually, what should happen is that it's shipped from Buffalo to Batavia, and then loaded onto the delivery truck. However, in this case, it sat in Buffalo a day or two, and then suddenly was shipped BACK to California.


I was pissed since it was already now beyond the number of business days allowed, so I called both Buy.com AND UPS to complain. UPS wouldn't do jack, and Buy.com would NOT ship a replacement unit to me until it was received back in stock there, even though the tracking info that UPS provided clearly showed it was returning to their warehouse.

So I had to wait another week until the thing got back to California - and then rather than ship a new unit, the SAME player was shipped out to me AGAIN! I had already told them that I wanted a different unit - not one that had bounced across the country twice. So after a two and a half week delay, the player showed up at my door in a battered box, as you would expect for any package that had logged nearly 12,000 miles of ground transport. I noticed a fair amount of pixelation, and also some of my DVDS wouldn't load without an 'error message' - signs that the transport was roached. So I told Buy.com where they could stick it and shipped it back to them on their nickle for a full refund. That was 4 years ago, and absolutely the last time I would ever purchase anything from Buy.com.

Unfortunately, UPS and FedEx are a virtual monopoly, so I've had to employ their services many times since. :grumpy:
 
I really hated reading your account of the 465M, bobgary. My sympathies for your loss.

I contacted the seller last Friday and he said typically 2 weeks to ship as he has done it many times for similar units.
Never, he said, had a damaged one reported to him.
Certainly hope he's right about mine.
 
Recently, I began using DHL instead of UPS, and I must say that they do a great job! They are about 8 - 10 dollars cheaper on ground service, and they also automatically insure the item up to $100.

From San Antonio to Colorado Springs, it was 2 days ground for delivery! (And for a 36lb box, I only paid about $14.00)
 
I just bought some items and the seller sent it USPS Parcel Select. I got a tracking number emailed to me. When I click on the link I get a UPS style tracking service. It says the package was picked up Louisiville and then sent to a sortation center (USPS's word not, not mine) in Grove City, OH. It's now in a sortation center in LA. Here is a link. What I don't understand is why have such detailed tracking for such slow shipping when Priority has very limited tracking? As anyone else heard of USPS parcel select?
 
Spursfan said:
Recently, I began using DHL instead of UPS, and I must say that they do a great job! They are about 8 - 10 dollars cheaper on ground service, and they also automatically insure the item up to $100.

From San Antonio to Colorado Springs, it was 2 days ground for delivery! (And for a 36lb box, I only paid about $14.00)
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I know what you mean. A few months ago I had my brother send me a pair of klipsch heresy's and he used DHL. He sent them on a Friday from S. Florida and the first packaged arrived on the following Monday in Las Vegas. Because I was worried that the other package was lost, I called DHL to find out what happened to the other box. They told me it would arrive the next day, which it did. I asked the DHL lady how could ground shipping be so fast and she told me that DHL has no ground shipping and everything goes on a plane whether you paid for it not. That was my only major shipment using DHL - it's fast.
 
Now that's funny

VinylHanger said:
Every time I see this post pop up, I wish I was a goat with a package to mail. :D
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It took me a while to get the joke as I forgot the title of this thread. Good one VinylHanger.
 
I do hope your 465M arrives in good condition. I just got a 465M last week, eBay purchase. Shipped via DHL. And when unpacked was damaged The scope didn't have a faceplate, as many scopes on eBay seem to have that part missing. The seller made a good attempt at packing, but there just wasn't enough protection all the way around, and especially in front. Really, a scope needs to have at least 5" of padding all the way around, and then maybe even double boxed, with some more padding between the inner and outer box
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Received the scope today. Box corners were soft, but he packed using shredded paper from magazines.
It also came with the face cover which I didn't see he included in the original auction ad.
So I'm happy about that. Needs protection when not in use.
Glad he didn't use peanuts. No dbl boxing though.
This came USPS parcel post and took 3 weeks to the day.

I checked almost daily after a week or so and same message on their site.
"your package was submitted for mailing in Glenallen AK on July 25, 2005 blah, blah.
Really not tracking at all.
Haven't tested it yet, but looks pretty damn good.
 
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The alternative when you ship to Canada is to pay the UPS charges at the border, $50 minimum, in other words highway robbery. USPS when it comes across the border is $5 for a handling fee.

Yes USPS is not quick, it sometimes takes two weeks for tubes to get here, but they have arrived safely and the price was right. UPS offers great deals south of the border, for the person on the other side, they get scr$w%d. UPS was better when I had a preamp shipped north of the border. If it is small, it goes USPS because it costs less and if well packed get here, slow but steady.
 
One thing USPS is getting right is the flat rate, priority mail, boxes. $7.70. Anywhere in US. Period.
If you can get the anchor from the Titanic in the box, its $7.70. And I've never had one take more than 5 days anywhere.
DHL, on the other hand got to a College Campus where I was hosting a convention with an award that I criically needed, got within 500 FEET of where I was, Couldn't find the Hall we were in (The Name was only on the front if 3 FOOT TALL LETTERS!), So the driver just sent the package back. I found out later he had gotten a ticket from a Campus Cop for illegal parking. Guess he didn't think to ASK WHERE HE NEEDED TO GO!!! That's my experience with DHL, Dumb, Hapless, Lazy Delivery.
Just my experience.
V
 
If you've read the fine print on the back of the FedEx ground form, chances are you will not ship an item having a value in excess of $100 and FedEx limits it's liability to $500 on Collectables/Electronics (not in original packaging) shipped Express. I've never used DHL and would probably choose UPS over FedEx/DHL although they can be cruel to even the best packaged item. I've shipped over 3000 items using USPS and despite the fact they don't offer tracking and on occasion misplace a shipment (up to a month), it pretty consistantly gets there and in good condition. This of course is dependant on good packaging.
 
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