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Which method of shipping is best?

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  • #623281

    Romeodanny wrote:

    frozendragon wrote:

    I use Fedex and never had a problem….one or two things have gotten broken…but were paid for right away by Fedex….

    here they are NOT allowed to throw or handle anything roughly…but a few people on the forum have said their fedex guy has tossed packages…so apparently it happens everywhere…

    They aren’t supposed to here either. I’ve seen all sorts of stuff. But, I guess, the reason I hate UPS is when I had my buisness sometimes my supplies would come in by them. They were the rudest bunch of morons! The UPS person that delivers to my home though is very nice. But, I’m never home during the day. UPS gives you three days, if you can’t get it in three days it goes back to the seller. (Sometimes they just end up where ever unclaimed packages go.)

    But, I know a person who works for Canadapost. She says never put fragile on the box. Or do not bend. If they see that they will try their best to destroy them. See the union is very good. They never get in trouble. If they do it’s just a slap on the wrist.

    CRAP! And here I was asking all the sellers to put FRAGILE on the boxes…that really sucks if that is true πŸ˜•

    #623282
    Travistie
    Participant

      Dragon Master wrote:

      UPS will not deliver to my complex unless I sign for what they bring and I’m NEVER home when the try to deliver, they say they have too many packages stolen in condo complexes. I prefer to have things sent USPS signature required so I have to go to the post office to get them in person [/color]

      I prefer USPS as well. UPS either just leaves stuff at my door, or they’ll come back the next day. But I’m at work when they try to deliver, and I live in an apartment complex. I don’t trust half the people in my building not to swipe something off my doorstep. Also, I’ve received quite a few packages that were badly damaged by them. I mean these boxes looked like they were used for kickball or something! So I never have anything fragile delivered by UPS anymore. I especially don’t want to take any chances with Windstones! I always request USPS Priority Mail. My mail lady always leaves my packages at the leasing office for me to pick up. Never a problem so far. *knocks on wood*

      #623283
      Jennifer
      Keymaster

        Here, FedEx dumps and runs. I’ve had some very expensive packages destroyed by them- luckily each time the company I ordered from had an agreement with FedEx that they HAD to deliver it and ring the bell (which they didn’t) so I got my destroyed items replaced for free on FedEx’s dollar.

        Here, my UPS guys is really great. He helps me carry all my shipments from Windstone inside and everything. The UPS guy I had at my last residence would toss things on the porch.

        The moral of the story- you will get good and bad with each service, depending on your individual carrier, hub, the people running it, etc.

        However!!
        I will always choose UPS or FedEx over USPS when shipping valuable, breakable items. Why? With UPS and FedEx it’s MUCH MUCH easier to get an insurance claim filled! With the USPS you have to fight them tooth and nail, and sometimes wait 3-6 months for anything to happen.

        Volunteer mod- I'm here to help! Email me for the best response: nambroth at gmail.com
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        #623284

        Romeodanny wrote:

        Every shipping company has their faults. It comes down to packing. If they aren’t packed right then it’ll get broken no matter what.

        This is absolutely the bottom line.

        I only differentiate between the shipping companies based on their service. I prefer a parcel service such as UPS for the excellent tracking. And because the incremental fee per pound is less than with the Postal Service. And the first $100 insurance is automatic.

        DROGO wrote:

        CRAP! And here I was asking all the sellers to put FRAGILE on the boxes…that really sucks if that is true πŸ˜•

        Interestingly, if you check the UPS contract you will find that the if you are shipping something fragile, the maximum insured value is $500.00. For a package containing glass (including ceramics and chinaware) the maximum is $50.00, though I’ve never had a claim denied on the grounds that a Windstone sculpture, even a candle-lamp, counts as ‘glass or ceramics’).

        The contract also states that:

        UPS wrote:

        Any article susceptible to damage by ordinary handling must be adequately protected by proper packing and must be marked or bear appropriate labels.

        Note that this is “damage by NORMAL handling”. By putting “Fragile” on a package you are basically admitting that the contents are unusually fragile. This may cause problems if the sculpture arrives broken, because they will inspect the packaging thoroughly and critically. When you look at the UPS Packaging guidelines, you will realise how few parcels you receive actually comply with the guidelines.

        I have only ever had one claim for damage denied. That was when a steel rod had penetrated the box of an Emperor Dragon and chipped a scale off the base. The steel rod probably only stopped when it did because it hit the Dragon, so even if the rod had entered a couple of inches higher it would still have damaged the Dragon, but the point at which the Dragon was damaged was not quite two inches from the edge of the box. Therefore the Dragon was not packaged correctly; therefore no payment.

        #623285
        .
        Participant

          It’s best to ask the receiver what method they want. As mentioned before, packing is everything – regardless of carrier.

          I like USPS (US postal) because it is more convenient for me to mail from my work site. I have never had a package get lost as long as I insure it, but their “tracking”, well, is non-existent and sucks. Never waste money on it. From what I have heard it takes longer and is harder to file a claim if something gets broken. Also, their “overnight” shipping for the 2 packages I have sent never got there overnight. I have found recently that they are much more expensive for sending Windstones than UPS.

          I like UPS, but I prefer to go the UPS store, which might be more expensive, I don’t know. I love their tracking and as mentioned above they seem to be cheaper for Windstones. Example, I sent a double boxed lap dragon USPS with insurance it was $25.50, I sent one via UPS and it was around $15 with insurance. Also, be aware that sometimes, the clerks try to get you to buy extra packaging if they find out something is fragile. I fell for it once, but never again. If you double box like Windstone does you shouldn’t have any worries.

          Fed-Ex. Hmm… well, I never sent anything through them, but I have received 2 packages from them. The delivery person (both times) mis-delivered my packages to another house quite a ways away (since they transposed the numbers for the address). Their turn around time for fixing the problem was around 2 days plus. (If it is after normal delivery hours – forget it.) I ended up just going over the other address and picking it up myself. No one ever followed up. For this reason alone, I think they are not worth the price. For some areas though, they might be the best carrier.

          It just depends on the service (for any carrier) where you live. I’m sorry we couldn’t give a definitive carrier to use all the time and for every place.

          #623286
          Purplecat
          Participant

            I think it all boils down to the people who deal with your package…Each shipping company/method has good, caring individuals who treat packages with care and lazy, inconsiderate people who are careless…to me it’s more important to package in preparation for anything, and then cross your fingers. UPS and USPS are who I use, although I’ve had good and bad experiences with each.

            #623287
            .
            Participant

              The Castle [Dave wrote:

              “]

              DROGO wrote:

              CRAP! And here I was asking all the sellers to put FRAGILE on the boxes…that really sucks if that is true πŸ˜•

              Interestingly, if you check the UPS contract you will find that the if you are shipping something fragile, the maximum insured value is $500.00. For a package containing glass (including ceramics and chinaware) the maximum is $50.00, though I’ve never had a claim denied on the grounds that a Windstone sculpture, even a candle-lamp, counts as ‘glass or ceramics’).

              This is interesting. I once shipped a Windstone with the UPS Store and insured for $1500 and they had no problem with it. They just said that it would need to be signed for due to the value. I now wonder if they were lying. That was the same store that talked me into getting extra packaging so that the sculp was triple boxed. I hate being taken advantage of.

              #623288

              SilverArrow wrote:

              The Castle [Dave wrote:

              “]if you are shipping something fragile, the maximum insured value is $500.00.

              This is interesting. I once shipped a Windstone with the UPS Store and insured for $1500 and they had no problem with it. They just said that it would need to be signed for due to the value. I now wonder if they were lying. That was the same store that talked me into getting extra packaging so that the sculp was triple boxed. I hate being taken advantage of.

              You did right insuring for $1500. If the package got lost, you’d get the $1500 (or replacement cost if less). If the statue got broken, you would point out that it’s made of stone and the package must have been horribly mis-handled. They’d inspect the packaging and if it was adequate, chances are good that they’d pay up.

              The absolute worst that could happen is that the Dragon got smashed and you only get $500.00. The extra insurance to send at $1500.00 rather than $500.00 is only $5.50. The difference between $500.00 and $1500.00 is… well, a fair bit. I could do a lot of arguing when that much money is at stake.

              But another reason to insure your $1500 statue for $1500 is that it has gets a “High Value” barcode and you can be pretty sure it’s going to get handled with better than normal care by at least the pickup and delivery drivers. That’s worth $5.50 right there.

              #623289
              Skigod377
              Participant

                I think everyone plays kickball with my G)(#&ddang packages πŸ‘Ώ I really think there is no ideal way to ship. There are dirtbag employees in every area. I have even had problems with proffesional packers. πŸ™„

                #623290

                I use to say that UPS would be first because if something did get broken they are easier to file the claim. But I now use Fedex because it is cheaper than USPS and UPS to ship it and they insure it for $500 right off the bat. I hate filling out the extra forms at the post office. I like the lady at the UPS store and that is another reason UPS would run in second. Plus now, the mailman is too lazy to put my packages in the truck and try to deliver it. He just puts a card in the mailbox saying that the post office has a package and I can’t get it until the next day. The UPS guy knows where to put my packages, but I don’t like the fact that Fedex just puts the boxes on the porch where everyone can see it.

                #623291
                .
                Participant

                  The Castle [Dave wrote:

                  “]

                  SilverArrow wrote:

                  The Castle [Dave wrote:

                  “]if you are shipping something fragile, the maximum insured value is $500.00.

                  This is interesting. I once shipped a Windstone with the UPS Store and insured for $1500 and they had no problem with it. They just said that it would need to be signed for due to the value. I now wonder if they were lying. That was the same store that talked me into getting extra packaging so that the sculp was triple boxed. I hate being taken advantage of.

                  You did right insuring for $1500. If the package got lost, you’d get the $1500 (or replacement cost if less). If the statue got broken, you would point out that it’s made of stone and the package must have been horribly mis-handled. They’d inspect the packaging and if it was adequate, chances are good that they’d pay up.

                  The absolute worst that could happen is that the Dragon got smashed and you only get $500.00. The extra insurance to send at $1500.00 rather than $500.00 is only $5.50. The difference between $500.00 and $1500.00 is… well, a fair bit. I could do a lot of arguing when that much money is at stake.

                  But another reason to insure your $1500 statue for $1500 is that it has gets a “High Value” barcode and you can be pretty sure it’s going to get handled with better than normal care by at least the pickup and delivery drivers. That’s worth $5.50 right there.

                  Oh. That would make sense. πŸ˜‰

                  #623292

                  So I guess based on what you guys are saying I shouldn’t have them stamp FRAGILE on the boxes πŸ˜•

                  It’s funny because before joining the forum I never thought about damage during shipping, now thats all I think about before getting the item πŸ˜•

                  The very first Windstone that I ever got years ago, a brown male, I got from ebay,arrived fine, wrapped in newspaper. I guess I got REALLY REALLY lucky!
                  It takes much of the fun away winning the item, to worry how it gets here so much….anyone on here like me on that or am I just mental? πŸ˜€

                  #623293
                  Jasmine
                  Participant

                    I’ve had problems with both USPS and UPS so I don’t really have a preference. I work from home and my mail gets delivered twice a day (I have no idea why). Usually the parcels get delivered in the morning and my regular morning mailperson knows I’m 99% of the time at home, so they’ll always come to my door. I don’t like the people that deliver in the afternoon though. They seem to like to cram anything that will fit into my box (supermailboxes at the end of our walkway). I’ve had books (a children’s hardcover) folded in half, bills crammed into the corner. I once had to leave a note to say that I couldn’t get the box that was stuffed in there out…

                    Well, I don’t have a problem with UPS itself…it’s just that the delivery guy is creepy. The whole time we’re talking, he stares at me breasts, never looks me in the eyes. And he keeps telling me that I need a nice man to keep me company…Ewwwwww

                    #623294

                    DROGO wrote:

                    So I guess based on what you guys are saying I shouldn’t have them stamp FRAGILE on the boxes πŸ˜•

                    It’s funny because before joining the forum I never thought about damage during shipping, now thats all I think about before getting the item πŸ˜•

                    The very first Windstone that I ever got years ago, a brown male, I got from ebay,arrived fine, wrapped in newspaper. I guess I got REALLY REALLY lucky!
                    It takes much of the fun away winning the item, to worry how it gets here so much….anyone on here like me on that or am I just mental? πŸ˜€
                    Yeah, it does take the fun out of winning a item if you worry about it tooo much. And you were really, really lucky that brown dragon didn’t get broken.

                    And Jasmine, I would of found out the UPS supervisor or called customer service and tell them how that guy is making you feel.

                    #623295
                    Jasmine
                    Participant

                      Huh, I never even thought of that. I hate to complain because he does his job fine, he just makes me feel uncomfortable 😳 …I’ll give him one more try, then if it doesn’t get better, I’ll call.

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