What does UPS have against guitars?

[Mr Fuzzy]

I regularly see UPS guys throwing and kicking boxes off the trucks here in NYC.

I once stood there watching a guy throw about 8 boxes off the truck to the ground.
He looked up and saw me watching.
I said, "now I know why everything I get delivered is broken"
His reply.. "yep"

Apparently they don't give a damn. Or they like taking out their frustrations on boxes they deem are too heavy or bulky for them to deliver.

I have been tempted to video these guys and put it on youtube.

[adamg]

Originally Posted by Mr Fuzzy

I have been tempted to video these guys and put it on youtube.

Do it!!

[stratocat63]

They all suck. I've had problems with every one, UPS is particularly bad with their schedules (so many times I now have the number of the local depot, they always ask me how I got it, lol, that's not supposed to be given out but I met a sympathetic driver one day).

I just got a guitar from USPS and the headstock area of the case was damaged (it's a 30 year old case, original to the guitar, that I'd probably have to give up if I make a claim so I may not even try to claim anything).

Actually, DHL, I've never had a problem with and they are fast too, but I've only gotten about three of four things delivered by them.

[playon]

Originally Posted by adamg

Do it!!

+1 Maybe some bad publicity would help force UPS to clean up it's act...

[plygtar]

I learned that UPS also dumps the packages off a conveyor belt during the sorting and loading process from a height of 8+ feet. I had good luck with UPS until 3 mos ago when I shipped an amp. I boxed it and padded it very well. I even put bubble wrap in the amp to protect the tubes and speaker. The UPS Store suggested I double box it to ensure insurance coverage by UPS in the event of shipping damage. UPS still managed to break a tube, disrupt the reverb tank, and mess up the electronics. Now I am leary about shipping anything such as an amp or guitar. IMO the only possible safe way to ship a guitar is well padded in a guitar hardcase and then some and a decent ship carton with plenty of filler and no loose space in the carton. I've also heard people recommend picking the ship day to potentially avoid any extra time the item spends sitting at one of their shipping depots.

[Magnatone1960]

Originally Posted by shawntp

I got to tour the FedEx sort facility...snip...I definitely saw 5 or so large packages tossed 3ft in the air and about 5ft in distance onto the conveyor.

I used to think FedEx was a better quality carrier than UPS but all it takes are some people along the way that don't think about how and what they do on their job affecting something or someone.

I still have an issue with Gibson and their packing. If I was shipping a multi thousand $$ guitar I would certainly give more attention to how it was prepared for shipment. The picture below shows everything that was inside the outer box besides the guitar and case. The piece of cardboard on the left is what they use to "secure" the neck end and it does not withstand some disgruntled package handler having a bad day. Two shipments in two weeks and both had this cardboard brace collapse. I once bought a guitar from an eBay seller and he literally just threw the guitar in the HSC inside pieces of cardboard poorly taped together to form a big enough box with NO packing to fill the empty space in the box. The case did keep the guitar from getting damaged but I sent the guy a less than happy buyer email which he ignored.
I expect a company like Gibson to know better. Especially on a guitar that they are only making available through online dealers at this point.

[84superchamp]

Originally Posted by justonwo

It's their Vintage Original Spec shipping box. Lovingly aged to look the way they did in the old days. The best original bursts came in dented boxes.

heh heh. now THAT'S a gibson explaination.

my last guitar came via USPS, tied to the top of the mail carrier's jeep cherokee. but it made the trip ok.

[Ayrton]

While I believe no shipping is without guilt, UPS is by far the worst in my experience.

[stratmaster48]

How do I ship my guitar w/o problems?

[shawntp]

In a proper case (snug) and then in 1 or two boxes. The reality is every guitar that winds up on every shelve is shipped at some point.

For some reason in my head I get more worried about bolt on necks being rattled around because they get those stress lines around the neck joint (like strats and teles) and you can never be sure if its just stress in the clear coat or if something is up.

I bought a tele on ebay and it arrived with a pretty signifigant stress line in the neck joint and the guy thankfully took a return no problem - that was the last guitar I ever bought without seeing.

[motis1953]

Evidently the same thing that USPS and Fedex have against guitars whatever that is.

[aarondavis]

I've seen the exact same threads with about as many people saying they "hate" said shipper. I've had no real problems with Fedex or UPS. With the volume of packages being shipped to everyone on this forum, I'm sure there are plenty of horror stories. And the people that have these stories are tend to skew the attitude. I would bet if true comparison's were done, that all the major (non-governmental) shippers have similar statistics on damage claims.

And sorry, I don't believe this 26% claim rate posted earlier in the thread. There's no way a company could stay in business with that failure rate...