Dropped Tube amp help

[scotch]

I worked at the airport for a summer cleaning up bathrooms, floors and stuff when I was 17. I shared the same break room as the baggage handlers and they actually took pride in throwing the heaviest boxes/suitcases around.

Those jobs are for shifty meth heads who cannot work at McD due to incompetence, so it's not surprising that someone at UPS dropped a package. Reall sorry for you and a reason I don't trust eBay for breakable stuff anymore.

Baggage handlers & shipping companies can definitely abuse stuff!

The thing is, the same companies are delivering the same amplifiers to retail stores & such without incident. What's the difference? Packaging. Proper packaging would most likely have prevented all of this. Quote from the shipper: "...Lovely. The UPS Store claims they packed it perfectly..." If you're trusting a thousand dollars worth of somewhat fragile merchandise to someone else to handle, you might want to take 5 minutes to make sure they do a proper job.

Probably a good lesson for us all when shipping via a third party.

 

[RCCollins]

Sorry to hear about this. It's always very sad to see a tube amp bite the dust -especially when a bass player who earnestly just wants to go for the increasingly rare all-tube sound.

This makes me feel VERY lucky that the Mesa Boogie Buster wedge combo I just had shipped cross-country arrived in one piece. The UPS guy was bitching about how it the package weighed 110 pounds ... turns out the seller had actually BUILT A FRAME out of solid wood around the amp to prevent damage. It worked! Tubes were a little loose when it arrived, but I wiggled them and it works great - no cosmetic damage either. We had overinsured it and I was ALMOST looking at that as an investment, but now I have an all-tube setup at the practice space AND the home studio (which has a YBA-200 and SWR Triad).

Be sure to stick with tubes when your insurance check comes in. Your sound will blow other players out of the water (almost literally) and you will be VERY happy with your tone...

 

[doktorfeelgood]

Just another horror story about UPS and why NOBODY should ship with them. I have a couple of my own horror stories but I won't go into any detail here. WAY too much typing...lol.
But I'll never ship with them again. I've never tried DHL but I hear good things about them and at the very least I'll use FedEx when I can't use USPS which has been my first choice in the last few years. Even for overseas shipments. These kinds of stories make me REAL nervous shipping anything. )-(

 

[thedude77md]

Whoever shipped that amp with the tubes installed needs to do a little more homework next time..... total noob move!

I hope you get compensated jusballs13 - that's a great amp and it sucks it was packed like that. It should have:
1) had all of the tubes removed, bubble wrapped & shipped separately
2) been packed in a box, and then double boxed (or crated)
3) been properly insured by the shipper

I feel for ya' man... that sucks!!! That's totally improper packaging.

Sorry sir, this "noob" was the shipper and I shipped it this way per the sticky in the amps section in the classifieds- I assume that to be a good reference. Following your rules, I am assuming all tube amps are shipped with the tubes removed?

I have received one amp with tubes removed out of about 10 or so received. The manufacturers don't even remove them to ship. Nor do they crate and double box as you dictated.

The tubes are beside the point though. If it was just the tubes I would have sent Justin the money for new tubes right away and taken up the claim myself. The chassis is bent (and likely a good portion of its guts are harmed in the process). Tubes being in or out that wouldn't have changed.

 

[scotch]

Sorry sir, this "noob" was the shipper and I shipped it this way per the sticky in the amps section in the classifieds- I assume that to be a good reference. Following your rules, I am assuming all tube amps are shipped with the tubes removed?

I have received one amp with tubes removed out of about 10 or so received. The manufacturers don't even remove them to ship. Nor do they crate and double box as you dictated.

The tubes are beside the point though. If it was just the tubes I would have sent Justin the money for new tubes right away and taken up the claim myself. The chassis is bent (and likely a good portion of its guts are harmed in the process). Tubes being in or out that wouldn't have changed.

I'm sorry thedude, not meant as a personal "attack". The point is, I have that amp - it weighs between 80-100 lbs. A thin cardboard box w/ a handful of peanuts isn't really going to do the job, is it? Sure, you left it for the UPS store to handle - but did you watch them pack it up or just trust they knew what they were doing?

To each their own.... Accidents will happen, but based on those packing pics' I can't say I'm surprised at the damage. TB Sticky's are a good resource, but not a substitute for common sense.

Either way it sounds like you have a legitimate claim with the UPS Store. Good luck!

 

[Justin Tuskey]

Yeah Brent informed me that he told the UPS store NOT to use packing peanuts and plastic wrap....and they did. They said they were going to use LOTS of styrofoam and carboard everywhere to cushion, but apparently either they A) forgot, B) didnt care, or C) a different person packed it then the one Brent talked to. So, he was there to tell them kind of how to pack it, and they seemed to tell him that "they can handle it" It is a legitimate claim though, so now we just see how long this process takes.

 

[D.Don]

ALWAYS buy insurance!!

I bought a nice jazz guitar last year and it was shipped UPS. The street address it was shipped to was "723," but some genius typed "123" on the label. "123" on that street doesn't exist, so the driver left it in an alley between 121 and 125. Thank goodness 125 was a business. They saw the truck stop outside, but nothing came into the store. When the truck drove away, the owner came out to investigate. She called UPS to find out what was going on.

Don't just buy insurance...buy MORE than you've paid for it...so that if it does get damaged, you'll be able to replace what was broken, and not just have to find another used one for the same price.

Z

UPS dropped a parcel with no sign off? Isn't that like more or less a nice pre-req. for suing them?

D.Don

 

[deekay911]

Most UPS parcels I received never required a sig, I think its part of the service you request.

I too have many horror stories with UPS, including a bass with a smashed headstock. I will never use these clowns myself, almost all the others (esp Fedex) appear to be miles better.

It all sounds like you will get your compensation, but still it should never have happened. If it was a personal injury case you would have been able to sue for pain and suffering too, and I'm sure you have had plenty of that. My condolences

UPS dropped a parcel with no sign off? Isn't that like more or less a nice pre-req. for suing them?

D.Don

 

[peterbright]

The certainly did a number on it. Hope all works out well.

 

[D.Don]

Most UPS parcels I received never required a sig, I think its part of the service you request.

I too have many horror stories with UPS, including a bass with a smashed headstock. I will never use these clowns myself, almost all the others (esp Fedex) appear to be miles better.

It all sounds like you will get your compensation, but still it should never have happened. If it was a personal injury case you would have been able to sue for pain and suffering too, and I'm sure you have had plenty of that. My condolences

Yeah, they quite suck (UPS) here in France, I got an AKAI sampler shipped some years ago (I am a keyboard player originally) in kind of an urgence, I had to program it before rehearsals and the gig, so I ordered it a few weeks in advance and choose UPS to make sure it got to me in time for the preparations. You can all guess how it ended up, it didnt get smashed, they just "could not find the street" as they said to me on the phone, after 3 days of "not finding the street" I had them leave it at a UPS office midtown and took a taxi myself to pick it up there (this is the short version of the story)...

Never underestimate the power of a city map is all I have to say... and I never use UPS at all anymore, fedex is my first choice too now.

D.Don

 

[i_got_a_mohawk]

On the note of UPS, saw a pretty bad sight yesterday. Was waiting on the bus home, and over the road was a UPS guy loading his van with packages from a shop.

By the sounds of it, the packages were heavy. But, he was lifting them off the trolly, and throwing them down on the floor of the van. Seriously, it would have taken much less effort to place them down

 

[Justin Tuskey]

On the note of UPS, saw a pretty bad sight yesterday. Was waiting on the bus home, and over the road was a UPS guy loading his van with packages from a shop.

By the sounds of it, the packages were heavy. But, he was lifting them off the trolly, and throwing them down on the floor of the van. Seriously, it would have taken much less effort to place them down

Ugh, caught in the act. Actually, yesterday when the UPS guy came to get my amp, we carried it to the back of the truck. He moved a bunch of packages in the back by throwing them and pushing with his legs...then he pretty much through the amp box in....So if it wasnt already messed up...the trip to their "inspection center" isnt going to help at all

 

[deekay911]

I guess there corporate colour is brown for a good reason. Out and out C**P...

 

[The Golden Boy]

I seem to recall that UPS' slogan during the 80s was "Like I Care."

 

[Bass Boy]

I seem to recall that UPS' slogan during the 80s was "Like I Care."

Would the new emoticon work here as well?

"Like I Care "

It would look great on the back of their shirts.

 

[barebones]

Sorry sir, this "noob" was the shipper and I shipped it this way per the sticky in the amps section in the classifieds- I assume that to be a good reference. Following your rules, I am assuming all tube amps are shipped with the tubes removed?

I have received one amp with tubes removed out of about 10 or so received. The manufacturers don't even remove them to ship. Nor do they crate and double box as you dictated.

The tubes are beside the point though. If it was just the tubes I would have sent Justin the money for new tubes right away and taken up the claim myself. The chassis is bent (and likely a good portion of its guts are harmed in the process). Tubes being in or out that wouldn't have changed.

I think you should have removed the transformers first, as well...

Joking, of course.

I, too, have sent and received many an amp with tubes still in place. Never a problem. Funny, never used UPS to do so, though. Hmmm...

In your case, even if the tubes had been removed the amp would have been toast due to poor packing and deliberately destructive handling.

Matt

 

[Pikasoll]

This sucks dude, I feel with you.

I have the same amp, really great, love the tone.

And, a friend from USA had it shipped from Ohio Columbus to Norway, originall packing from fender, the tubes were installed and nothing were damaged. UPS.

But the packaging from fender was briliant.

 

[i_got_a_mohawk]

Ugh, caught in the act. Actually, yesterday when the UPS guy came to get my amp, we carried it to the back of the truck. He moved a bunch of packages in the back by throwing them and pushing with his legs...then he pretty much through the amp box in....So if it wasnt already messed up...the trip to their "inspection center" isnt going to help at all

You know its true . . .


(pity the clip misses the part just after )

"Sounds broken . . ."
"Most likely sir"

 

[oddio]

I feel your pain brother.

I stopped using UPS altogether when they gave the same treatment to a Trace Elliot HexaValve I had purchased. In my case I was fortunate as the shipper (not UPS) issued a full refund immediately. The total loss of such a great amp still bugs me to this day.

 

[Justin Tuskey]

I feel your pain brother.

I stopped using UPS altogether when they gave the same treatment to a Trace Elliot HexaValve I had purchased. In my case I was fortunate as the shipper (not UPS) issued a full refund immediately. The total loss of such a great amp still bugs me to this day.

I hear ya man, I am not so much upset that the amp got abused...although I am dont get me wrong! Its just that what was a really good amp is pretty much waste now. I hate wasting things. I would love to keep the sucker and fiddle and learn how to fix it and etc, but some things just arent feasible....thanks to UPS