|
|
Joined:
December 2003
Posts: 13996
Location: Upper Left USA | Well so far this year I am batting 2 for 3 as far as damaged shipments.
Redwood's Deacon came in with flying colors. Of course I immediately ripped its neck off and made it a 12 string.
Then the Post Collector Parlor showed up with finish cracks eminating from the Bridge.
And today, the Academy Wideneck Slothead arrived.
Academy Album
I do appreciate the recent post on the Carrack ammendment... I'll be referencing it a lot with UPS and USPS... |
|
| |
|
Joined:
September 2006
Posts: 10777
Location: Keepin' It Weird in Portland, OR | Those Academy pics are enough to make me cry! :(
That crack on the Parlor ain't too good neither. |
|
| |
|
Joined:
December 2006
Posts: 6268
Location: Florida Central Gulf Coast | Day-um Mike, that hurts just to look at that Academy, especially considering that's one git I'd love to acquire.
Your pics will certainly aid you in the claim. Have your Tums handy...
Good luck! |
|
| |
|
Joined:
December 2004
Posts: 4394
Location: East Tennessee | Ouch!!!
What part of "Fragile" and "Do Not Drop" do these people not understand? :mad:
I feel for you Woody. |
|
| |
|
Joined:
December 2003
Posts: 13996
Location: Upper Left USA | I didn't miss the irony of that shot. |
|
| |
|
Joined:
June 2006
Posts: 7307
Location: South of most, North of few | Mike, that makes me sick. The parlor can be repaired easily by the factory, but that Academy,....what a shame. |
|
| |
|
Joined:
September 2003
Posts: 9301
Location: south east Michigan | I don't know what to say Woody.
Maybe we should all start collecting bowling balls. |
|
| |
|
Joined:
November 2003
Posts: 11039
Location: Earth·SolarSystem·LocalInterstellarCloud·Local Bub | That Blows. |
|
| |
|
Joined:
December 2004
Posts: 4394
Location: East Tennessee | Mike,
I would be all over those people like a bad haircut.  |
|
| |
|
Joined:
April 2004
Posts: 13303
Location: Latitude 39.56819, Longitude -105.080066 | Looks to me like it was shipped without a case.
What can you expect when there is no protection.
I wouldn't blame the carrier, I would blame the seller/shipper. |
|
| |
|
Joined:
March 2006
Posts: 1634
Location: Chehalis, Washington | I've had both...got an elite T without a case that was imploded in the top. Seller took that one back. The other one had the bowl cracked in the side even through the case, so it can be a combination of either bad packing or just abusive drivers. So far I have not had an issue with USPS in shipping a guitar, including several international, and other than the one brilliant guy who send a guitar with no case and VERY little filler, no trouble with FedEx either. I won't EVER ship UPS again, for a lot of reasons... |
|
| |
|
Joined:
December 2001
Posts: 10583
Location: NJ | wow
thought this thread was about an old girlfriend...
I have shipped guitars with and without cases.
very few problems
but that box was not dropped it was CRUSHED |
|
| |
|
Joined:
March 2005
Posts: 2791
Location: Atlanta, GA. | I feel for you Mike, but I gotta say,
I REALLY don't like it when someone addresses a guitar shipping box like it was an envelope!
I'd rather see the box stood up and addressed vertically across the top with BIG BOLD arrows pointing UP!!!
It may tend to make the shipping idiots realize that's they way it should be stacked/packed/racked.
I dunno... I'm just thankful it worked OK when I shipped #45 out to Moody. |
|
| |
|
Joined:
August 2006
Posts: 3145
Location: Marlton, NJ | This is why I'm DRIVING Jerome's guitar to the MS. I've never had any problems shipping, but it's not mine and I don't want to risk it. |
|
| |
|
Joined:
March 2005
Posts: 5567
Location: Blue Ridge Mountains | Mike, I am so sorry...I do feel your pain...as I have been there...
Man, that's just wrong... |
|
| |
|
Joined:
March 2008
Posts: 179
Location: Central Florida | If you've ever wondered why I like to drive to pick up guitars...
My serious condolences, Woody. It's so far beyond disappointment when something like this happens.
Woody, is that actually a rock or something imbedded in the cardboard?
Otto
. |
|
| |
|
Joined:
October 2007
Posts: 2711
Location: Vernon CT | Man, That really sucks!!! I agree with Stephent
Seller and Shipper are to blame!
My "condolences". |
|
| |
|
Joined:
June 2006
Posts: 7307
Location: South of most, North of few | Al is correct, that wasn't dropped. But, wasn't the guitar in the box upside down to begin with, as far as all the labels are showing. I would never ship a guitar and put the labels on so they are read with the headstock down. |
|
| |
|
Joined:
September 2006
Posts: 10777
Location: Keepin' It Weird in Portland, OR | C'mon Folks, It Don't Matter... Top/Bottom/Left/Right/East/West...
They smashed the box! Don't matter if it was a Guitar or a Painting or Wicker Baskets...
Whatever was in that box woulda been smashed, even with the required two inches of padding.
It sez 'Fragile' and 'Insured'... It doesn't have to say "Please, Please, Don't Destroy My Package!" |
|
| |
|
Joined:
May 2008
Posts: 4996
Location: Phoenix AZ | I know this is water under the bridge and folks will have their own opinions and experiences. But why-o-freaking-why would the seller ever ship a guitar via the post office. Why trust one of the most inname, mismanaged, and non-customer centric operations of the US gov't with your musical instrument. The PO does not have to deliver any level of service or quality to obtain their funding from big brother DC. All they need to do is turn the lights on in the morning and turn them off at night.
No disrespect to any postal workers here, I know you guys are just doing your jobs. I know 15-18 UPS/FedEx workers personally and I can tell you, it's just like a real company - their asses are on the line every day and if they fu*k up there is serious consequences, as there should be.
I'm sorry Woody, not your problem obviously, and I'm doing nothing to help here. It just really pisses me off that people keep feeding this screwed up gov't operation with their business and trust and get shit on time and time again. I wouldn't trust these idiots to lick the stamp, much less get the package there in one piece.
Toby
PS - That's gonna be a SOB of a repair. If you end up not fixing it and want to sell it let me know. I'm getting ready to install a Takamine CoolTube in my Academy. These are rare an valuable guitars so I might want to do a "test case" before I start hacking into mine. |
|
| |
|
Joined:
November 2006
Posts: 3969
| Damn, that knotted my stomach when I saw those pics. So sorry yoy have to go thru this, Mike. Best of luck resolving it quickly. |
|
| |
|
Joined:
April 2004
Posts: 13303
Location: Latitude 39.56819, Longitude -105.080066 | Actually the Post Office is self supporting and its survival is based on efficiency, rate increases and amount of mail delivered. They do not receive any funding from big brother DC. This is one of the reasons that they are considering dropping one day of service and only delivering 5 days a week. |
|
| |
|
Joined:
November 2003
Posts: 11039
Location: Earth·SolarSystem·LocalInterstellarCloud·Local Bub | Stephen is generally <> correct here...
I know more about the USPS than I ought to....
and ... it's astounding the number of pieces of post and parcel they handle every day. I'd be willing to bet that their damage/loss ratio is lower than FedEx and UPS. They something on order of 40 times the volume of UPS.
One reason they are looked upon as Govt. run is because they have been granted a monopoly on first class mail was to insure that even the "least profitable" rural areas would receive service.
Think if the post office was like cell service carriers you're fucked if you live in sparsely populated ares.
anyway.... |
|
| |
|
Joined:
May 2008
Posts: 4996
Location: Phoenix AZ | Then go right ahead and use them to ship your guitars. I dare you. |
|
| |
|
Joined:
November 2003
Posts: 11039
Location: Earth·SolarSystem·LocalInterstellarCloud·Local Bub | I've used them once for domestic guitar shipping and a number of times for international guitar shipping. Never had and issue...
I'm not bad mouthing UPS/FedEx I use their services and they both perform well...
(however, FedEx, did loose a $4000.00 piece of equipment the size of a large golf bag AND would NOT make restitution... which is the only problem I've ever had with any of them)....
Shit like that is going to happen. More often than not, it is the fault of the person doing a poor job of packing but, sometimes not... |
|
| |
|
Joined:
May 2008
Posts: 4996
Location: Phoenix AZ | Agree. I still hate the post office. |
|
| |
|
Joined:
April 2004
Posts: 13303
Location: Latitude 39.56819, Longitude -105.080066 | Although I have had excellent service shipping guitars through USPS I do agree and I hate UPS.
Seems like FedEx is really the only way to go and I always ask for FedEx whenever I think I might have a choice |
|
| |
|
Joined:
December 2003
Posts: 13996
Location: Upper Left USA | My cost was $200 including shipping but I was really looking forward to having this model of guitar.
Yes, it was poorly packed.
Yes, if it was a shipment of Ping-Pong balls the box was still crushed.
Hopefully my getting screwed on this one will make it better from here on out - statistically speaking.
I prefer and use FedEx domestically and I truly believe that Packing Popcorn should be outlawed. It is useless. |
|
| |
|
Joined:
August 2008
Posts: 121
Location: Maine | Originally posted by stephent28:
"Actually the Post Office is self supporting and its survival is based on efficiency............" Gotta say, if that's the hurdle that needs to be cleared, they should have been extinct a long time ago! |
|
| |
|
Joined:
December 2004
Posts: 4394
Location: East Tennessee | Mike,
Is this in any way repairable?
I know you're pretty handy with guitars. |
|
| |
|
Joined:
September 2003
Posts: 9301
Location: south east Michigan | Woody is good.
Damn good.
But I don't know if he is that good.
Especially when this is such a rare and obsolete item.
I'm still bummed-out for ya Mike. |
|
| |
|
Joined:
January 2006
Posts: 5881
Location: Colorado Rocky Mountains | Nobody has ever complained of the condition of an EVH Frankenstrat after shipment via UPS. |
|
| |
|
Joined:
December 2003
Posts: 13996
Location: Upper Left USA | Thanks Brad, we'll see.
The hardest part for me not being able to start the repairs right away. The body is fine and the neck is a bolt on so I should be able to rebind it.
Professor - reminds me of the time I got rear ended by an 80's model TR7.
I was driving a "72" Ford 1/2 Ton Pickup previously owned the County Road Dept. It was that Butterscotch Safety Yellow in about three different tones and had Diamond Plate bumpers in pre-dimpled condition.
The front of the TR7 was a total waste and I still couldn't see a difference in the before/after of my truck. |
|
| |
Damaged Goods...