I just had an awful experience - shipping some equipment to a buyer and assured by a well know shipping service that their packing would be safe and secure.  The item was shipped in 3 boxes, all of which arrived badly damaged.  So badly damaged even the delivery man exclaimed it was the worst he has seen.  The item was gouged and scratched and packing expenses were high but we were assured the item would be well packed and transported.  Anyone else had this issue and if so how was it resolved (claims).  I will no longer use this particular provider again (not wanting to be negative or inflammatory I am witholding the name of the company).  It is a shame that a company that specializes in packing and shipping has little accountability and no pride in the job it does. They assume as the guys wear cute shorts it excuses them from doing their job properly!   The buyer paid shipping costs so my rant is not fiscally based, just appalled at the poor service.

Dawn

 

Comments

SallyE (not verified)

Ya, I had the same experience a few years ago.  I shipped a $2K musical instrument using the company with the guys in cute shorts.   They stuck a fork lift through one of the boxes!   Now, how difficult is it to know you shouldn't do that?   It was insured and they gave me (my buyer) $500 back and then assumed that the instrument was theirs because they had paid $500 for it - and then they wanted to come get it!   We told them the $500 was to fix it, and they could pound sand about ever getting the instrument.  

That is just one experience - I could tell you about 4 or 5 others.   Now I never use them when anyone else is available, even it the other guys cost more.

Dawn McCarthy

I feel the same way, if shipping is your job then all you have to think about is doing your job reasonably well.  Even though my displeasure is a drop in the ocean I will not purchase anything that is shipped via that company.  Accidents happen but poor execution and stupidity is unacceptable.  What happened to taking pride in the work you do and the service you provide!

Dawn

bloominloom.com

ReedGuy

I only had one bad experience and it wasn't a courier, it was the postal service. It was well crated picture in a wooden frame that was packed with foam. They basically destroyed it, it had to have been ran over or thrown several feet from up high to be busted up as it was. They paid for it and claimed it as thier own. Fine by me, it was not original except the hand made frame of butternut (a native walnut). Butternut is now an endangered species because of an introduced canker disease.

Michael White

If it is the same company with brown uniforms I just hear that they made over 1 Billion dollars in profit. Taking about making money a other international shipping company wanted to charge me $114.44 to have 1 KIlo (2.2) of silk samples shipped from India to Georgia, USA. It only cost my India supplier $16 to ship the samples using his account. Why so high add ons like fuel charges, special handleing and anything else they wanted to add on.Years ago when I ran a VCR/Camcorder repair service. I use to get highend equipment. After brown destroyed a couple of $5000 machines I stated using a metal packing case. It was cheaper for me to send my customer a shipping case then it was to put up with all the paperwork and BS trying to get paid for lossed equipment. Besides some of the machines were no longer being made.

I  learned now to pack something with out it getting destroyed. I just shipped a 56 inch sectional beam from GA to  CA in a wooden box I made. It got there yesterday.

 

 

laurafry

Shipping charges are going upwards every year.  And people outside the US generally pay a lot more for things like postage - like me trying to ship my publications into the US.  Americans just don't realize how much other countries are paying for things like gas and postage.  :(  Right now I'm paying nearly $5.50 for a gallon - it was even more expensive in the UK and Sweden in May.  I really hope feasible alternative forms of energy become available.  Soon!

cheers,

Laura

ReedGuy

It depends Laura. Some outfits can ship a small box of items for $6, but if I was to ship it, it might be $22 bucks. There is no set rate because there are behind the scene deals.

Used to be that shipping of tools (wood working) from Lee Valley was through Canada Post, now they come UPS. This happened right after that strike a couple years ago.

Dawn McCarthy

We (buyer & self) didn't mind the cost so much but paid for them to pack it and it was so poorly done.  We (misguided as we were) assumed that a professional packing job was worth paying for as it would ensure the item would arrive safely.  The box fell apart during ship, was "re-wrapped" and the items inside just thrown in with some peanuts.  Fortunately the damage although severe was more cosmetic, totally preventable.  I am appalled!

Dawn

bloominloom.com

laurafry

Yes, you would think that if it was done professionally it would meet a level of quality that would prevent damage. :( Cheers Laura

Michael White

So much for my great packing job, picture above, just got this from my customer:

 

Hi Michael--

Bad news: when I took the end off the crate this morning, I discovered some damage to the warp beam. It appears that UPS dropped the box--hard-- and sheared off the half-inch steel spindle that comes out of the center of the ratchet (labeled #45) to secure the warp beam to the loom. Needless to say, the warp beam is completely unusable in this state and I"m heartily p!ssed at those bumbling idiots at UPS. How do you want to handle this? Do you want me to file a claim with UPS, or do you want to initiate the claim process from your end? Also, can this simply be fixed by replacing the ratchet & spindle, or am I going to have to ship the warp beam back to you?Thanks for your help in this matter. Dawn

Dawn McCarthy

Oh no Michael, other than transporting things by ourselves seems that shipping couriers have us by the......... Maybe we should all go into the shipping business.  Disgusting isn't it!

Dawn

 

dtjacobson

That huge crate in Michael's post, above, is currently in my dining room, awaiting word from UPS regarding a damage claim inspection. Great--I now have to rely on some adjuster who doesn't understand anything about looms & weaving to get out here & tell me that they broke a piece of equipment. Meanwhile, I'm either forced to hand wind...on a warping board...a huge warp, or wait until I can get the parts to fix the warp beam. Either way, my weaving schedule for the rest of the year is shot, and the downtime is costing me money.

debmcclintock

Good insurance is always the way to go. When I got my AVL WDL a couple of years ago it was delivered with a metal shaft piercing it. I took photos and sent it to AVL. I did not know if it was a loom part gone wild or not. Turned out it was not a part of the loom but a bonus from Brown. Fortunatly only the box was pierced and all was well! Brown wasn't interested in reuniting the pipe with its owner.

SallyE (not verified)

You know, you gotta wonder what happens behind the scenes once you give them the package.  Something fragile placed on a truck under something heavy I could almost understand, but a metal pipe run through a package, a wooden crate dropped on one end, a forklift stuck through a box. . . . that I just don't get!    What kind of material handling are they doing?   Do they feed it into some sort of machine that can't handle the different sizes, or are actual people doing these things?

I ordered a coffee machine and it was clearly marked with my house number - 16.   They guy apparently couldn't read, so he made it up and delivered it to number 57.   I walked up and down the street looking at porches until I found a puzzled women looking at my box trying to figure out why she had it.   And that is when they deliver to the right street - which doesn't always happen.   Sometimes they simply drop it off in town where ever they feel like dropping it off!

 

Michael White

or wrong road. I have shipped 10-20 packages of yarn each week. I now ask my customers for their phone number so the driver can call the customer when they cannot find the right address. I have had the shipping company call me asking for directions. Guys I am just the shipper, I don't have a clue where  where my customers live. You know when I ship two boxes to the same address and only one gets delivered and the customers calls the shipping company and is told there was only one package only to deliver the other one the next day; there is a problem. The problem is "size" with the increase in online business the shipping companies are shipping over a million packages everyday, during the Christmas "rush" this volume will double.

Michael White

http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/trending-now/video-shows-fedex-worker-behaving-badly-162206307.html?vp=1

Here's a glimpse into midtown Manhattan, the concrete jungle where dreams are made. There is nothing you can't do, even if you probably shouldn't be doing it.

Chances are, if you are a professional package deliverer, you probably shouldn't be tossing cargo into the back of your truck as if you're quickly separating laundry. This FedEx worker, caught on tape by YouTube user banstaman and popularized on Gothamist, isn't winning an award for her handling skills anytime soon. She definitely knows how to throw a box or 10 at once, though.

The video was filmed on East 44th Street in New York this past Wednesday. It shows the FedEx worker loading boxes into the back of her truck, presumably to be delivered. Maybe she is trying to reduce her time spent on the street. Maybe she hates her job and is just trying to have a little fun, even if it's at the expense of your mom's framed photo. Maybe, despite FedEx's statement about its disappointment in the video, this is a more common practice among all delivery services than we think.

Maybe. But regardless, this is yet another example of how, when you're in public, you never know when you're being filmed. Also, buy the extra bubble wrap next time.

FedEx released a statement, which is quoted below.

"On behalf of all FedEx team members world-wide, I want to tell you that we were very disappointed to see the recent online video. FedEx sets high performance standards for our team members, which is why our customers trust us to pick up and deliver almost 10 million packages a day around the globe. I want you to know that this situation is completely unacceptable to us and this driver is no longer working for FedEx."

mneligh

Shipping services are a mixed lot.  We live on a rural road.  Some delivery people (UPS, USPS & Fed Ex) bring packages to the door, some deliver to a neighbor, but more often than not, packages are left lying on the road, regardless of weather.  When we moved here, we ended up taking the mover to court because so many things were damaged or lost.

On the other hand, the shipper who brought my second loom here, after backing his truck over pasture, helped me take down an electric fence so he could get near the house after we discovered he was afraid he couldn't turn or back his semi in the yard after passing through the yard gate.

For years we hand an excellent UPS guy that knew the dogs by name and carried dog biscuits, but he disappeared and we have had mixed luck ever since.

It's even scarier when we ship horses.  Most haulers are are good, caring sorts, but we have also sent horses that arrived in bad shape, having been beaten in transit, or denied water after 24 hours or more on the trailer.  It's one reason we're almost out of the horse breeding business.

For breakable fiber arts equipment, it would almost be worthwhile to organize a network of understanding fiber arts folks that could store and forward items to the next person in the network.  It wouldn't move things rapidly, but it might move them securely.  My truck won't go far, but I could hold things in a barn in case of rain on an open truck or trailer.  I don't know how payment for haulers would work, but there are creative minds out there.

sandra.eberhar…

I have had similar incidents (I came home one day and  found my package of fleece  jackets and socks in the back yard with the dogs (the guy had left in on the back porch, which is very obviously open to the fenced in back yard and used by the dogs; it has water bowls on it).  Zeke had chewed on corner of the box off and was trying to pull a jacket out of it.   I ship maple syrup to my brother in Seattle  from Michigan, and I ship delicate instruments out for calibration.   The secret is double  boxing.   Pack i well in one box, then  put that in a second box with at least 1" space that you can  pack with newspaper.  I never use peanuts, they don't do anything.

cottageweaver (not verified)

Years ago, a delivery driver came to the door and apologized because my very large box was torn open at the top. He said that the 'mop heads' looked like they were all there, though. I had to think for a minute about the mop heads - that would be my pounds of wool tunagarn shipped from Sweden! Most of the time, our drivers get it right, though. The UPS driver comes down our very long gravel lane to deliver our boxes. If we're not home, he puts them inside the storm door or on the covered porch.

ReedGuy

The only issue with UPS I have ever had is the driver has to come from 100 miles away, so if you work all day that package goes back and forth if it comes from the US and fuel surcharge, brokerage and GST is collected not because of the back and forth, but because it originated in the US. We have no pickup place near by. The business on the other end sending the package doesn't know we are charged extra shipping up here once it crossing the 'snow line'.

Artistry

Bigwhitesofadog, Thanks for the excellent advice about double boxing. I ship to my family in Canada many fragile things and although nothing has been broken ( yet!) I worry and now a lot after hearing all these stories! Thanks for bringing this to my attention with your stories! I'm a double boxer for life! And taking out Insurance!

SallyE (not verified)

I also do glass casting, and people who ship glass ALWAYS double box, with a lot of packaging around the inside box.  But, even that won't protect against a metal pipe stuck through a box, or a forklift prong stuck through.   The musical instrument I shipped was very well packed, and that fork lift went through 4 layers of cardboard to damage the instrument.  But it was insured, so they lost money on that shipment!

Artistry

Apology extended to SallyE, the above sounds like a pun, which was not my intent! I intended that there are circumstances , that no matter how well packed ,are beyond one's control. I hope I didn't offend.

SallyE (not verified)

I didn't even get the pun until you "pointed" it out!   No offense taken!

 

Jang

I'm trying to ship a 21" portable floor loom. I've called ups as that seems to be the only source that will box and ship? Do you have other ideas? I'm also being told that the loom dimensions almost exceed their limit so it might not have enough padding inside. Estimates are also running $250-300! This can't be right, can it?? I also don't have a way to make a crate so will need to have boxed. I welcome any suggestions to get this shipped safely and economically.

MMs-and-OOs-Ha…

One service that gets overlooked but has worked for me is Greyhound. For the price they can get something heavy to you very easily. I've bought stuff off of EBay and had it shipped from Seattle to San Diego. They do have size limits and you have to pack it yourself. You need to get to a Greyhound station that has the shipping service. I don't know about the insurance. Greyhound has reserved parking and loaned me a handtruck to move my package. It was big, a partially disassembled lounge chair.

jlread (not verified)

Had a flyshuttle beater shipped to me by FedEx from Ohio...they had the BEST price and the package [a big one] arrived in perfect condition....my vote goes to them...I also use USPS on a regular basis and have had no issues

jlread (not verified)

Big Brown is a Big Rip-off with packing....Do it yourself...find a place to get it weighed [after packing], then go online and search for the best cost to ship. YOU can do this...lots of us here on Weavo have shipped looms and loom parts and have done the packing ourselves.....lots of bubble wrap, plastic grocery bags and cardboard boxes from recycle...and GOOD tape....almost forgot....take the loom apart...!!!!!!

sandra.eberhar…

I have used R&L several times and found them to have one of the lowest bids, partly because they have a lot of trucks with lift gates, which you want.  Their drivers are professional and comunicative, and I recommend them highly.  The last time I had a large package shipped freight by the brown shorts (no choice in the matter), he refused to back the truck into the driveway, which is an easy thing to do.  I had to unload on the road, which is difficult and dangerous.

pammersw

Shipping network -

Mneligh, a group of treadle sewing machine collectors/users does this (TreadleOn). They call it Pony Express. A machine inches it's way across the country from member to member, tagging along on vacations and business trips. Usually most of the journey is planned before the purchase is made. The buyer usually does the final leg, driving up to a half day or so to meet the previous courier.  It's all volunteer, as the couriers are going that way already. It's pretty efficient in the east, but can take a long time if you're in the mountainous west! 

Sara von Tresckow

Looms and other bulky goods are much easier to ship when partially or completely taken apart (labelled well for assembly later). I did ship a treadle sewing machine in three cartons from Wisconsin to BC (Seattle for pickup) using Greyhound - worked very well. We just needed to pack it ourselves.

There are really NO services out there for private persons wishing to ship bulky odd items. And unfortunately, many looms do not come apart well or easily. That is one reason that the European looms are relatively easy to ship - they knock down into a pile of sticks with side pieces - and sometimes even the sidepieces are able to come apart. The less "air" in the shipped object, the better it ships - if there is a hollow space in the package, it invites shipping damage.

We ship our smaller Swedish looms FedEx and they have been reasonably good - providing that we have the cartons ready for pickup.

kerstinfroberg

someone said to me (extemporating, here): "you rugged Scandis, you just slap together some planks, and you are ready to weave"

Fifteen years ago, my answer would have been Huh? Today, I know I am from the fortunate Scandi crowd: yes, EXACTLY! The more I read about your (read N Am) looms, the more I appreciate our "slapped together planks"... :-D

Kerstin, who once strapped a loom to the top of the car, drove home and had it assembled in 30 mins... just because it was a "generic" Scandi loom

RTweave

Has anyone had any problems recently with customer service at Interweave store?  I really like the products that Interweave offer and would be very sad to turn my back on them, but I have been waiting 3 weeks now for an answer to my problem with an order and am starting to feel they will never sort it out. 

RTweave

Has anyone had any problems recently with customer service at Interweave store?  I really like the products that Interweave offer and would be very sad to turn my back on them, but I have been waiting 3 weeks now for an answer to my problem with an order and am starting to feel they will never sort it out. 

ReedGuy

I like those "slapped" together looms (remember I didn't say it) to. I had to move mine to the other house this spring and I had "a pile of sticks" and "planks" that mostly fit the RAV4, even the 8-1/2 foot beater race. I don't know why but your descriptions often strike me funny. :)

sandra.eberhar…

looms that can be broken down into a pile of sticks are alot (!!!!) cheaper to ship freight because you can use the freight code for construction materials, which is one of the cheapest rates.  If you can't break it down. it ships as furniture , which is much, much more expensive.  I have paid $250-$350 to have quite large (400# to 700#) looms shipped to me.  When I wanted to sell my Baby Wolf, I didn't want to take it apart (it could come apart, but go back together????), it would cost ~$800.

Calico_Raven

As someone who used to do custom packing and shipping, you must pack it to withstand a drop from at least 8'  as all major shippers run convayor belt system that run on the ceiling. most people don't want to pay for the double boxing and wrapping that get the packages to where it's going saftly. we always had them sign a release if they refused to pack it properly. and yes looms are tough to pack they are bulky and fragile. the claims proscess can lead you to pull out your hair. hope it turns out well.

Calico_Raven

As someone who used to do custom packing and shipping, you must pack it to withstand a drop from at least 8'  as all major shippers run convayor belt system that run on the ceiling. most people don't want to pay for the double boxing and wrapping that get the packages to where it's going saftly. we always had them sign a release if they refused to pack it properly. and yes looms are tough to pack they are bulky and fragile. the claims proscess can lead you to pull out your hair. hope it turns out well.

Calico_Raven

As someone who used to do custom packing and shipping, you must pack it to withstand a drop from at least 8'  as all major shippers run convayor belt system that run on the ceiling. most people don't want to pay for the double boxing and wrapping that get the packages to where it's going saftly. we always had them sign a release if they refused to pack it properly. and yes looms are tough to pack they are bulky and fragile. the claims proscess can lead you to pull out your hair. hope it turns out well.

Jang

I appreciate all the responses! Since I was at the mercy of a non weaving family member to haul this loom from place to place to find the best options to box and ship to me, I spent the extra couple of dollars to have ups box it up and ship. Since they guaranteed safe delivery if they wrapped and boxed, figured it was just worth it in the long run to have peace of mind and not stress out someone else. I hear it's already sitting in my office and can't wait to get to work tomorrow :)