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I've noticed that folks have crowed a bit about how great FEDEX is for shipping tubas. I'm just curious. Am I the only person who has had nothing but bad experiences with most all of the popular domestic shipping companies such as FEDEX, DHL, and UPS?

I just received a shipment of bells via FEDEX. The day before, a 'quality control' person called me to say that they had a shipment for me and the carton had been damaged at their facility. They wanted to know if I still wanted the shipment. Duh! They didn't really know if the contents were damaged or not because thay didn't have a clue what was inside. I told them to bring the package on out but to inform the driver that he/she was to stay at my shop while I opened and inspected the contents.

The driver showed up the next day and informed me that they had 'repackaged' the contents. Inside the carton were seven tuba bells. Three were smashed beyond recognition. Two other were badly damaged but probably repairable, and to others didn't appear to have any damage. The only recourse I had was to reject the entire shipment. I was not allowed to file the claim even though I had already paid for the shipment. It had to be returned to the sender for disposition.

The bottom line, folks.... if you choose to use a domestic shipper like FEDEX, UPS, or any other others... it's going to be your loss if the guy on the other end does not follow through.

Put anything you value on a bus. End of rant.

Now.... you tell me who you have found to be the worst and the best for shipping tubas. How have claims been handled?

bloke wrote:.... ...You have to tape up a ball of those air-filled packing pillows, and stuff this "air ball" down into the throat of the bell ....

Wouldn't have helped in this case. The seven bells were nested together and basiclly formed a solid mass of brass. The packaging was totally destroyed to the point that FEDEX had to replace the carton. The flare on three of the bells were reversed about 3" and creased so badly that staightening was out of the question. Damage this severe could only have been the result of a drop of at least 30'!

Idiots!

bloke wrote:

TubaTinker wrote:Damage this severe could only have been the result of a drop of at least 30'!

Idiots!

If I had to bet, I would bet that you won't see a dime.

You are correct. It's not my problem. I refused the shipment.

Good for you Mr.Tinker !! Refusing the damaged shipment is alway your best bet . I worked as a shipping/recieving clerk for two different compaines . If you refuse the shipment many times what happens is the shipping company will either try to return the damaged freight or will call the sender to report the damage . Either way the shipping company gets stuck with it and has to pay a claim . If you hold on to it or don't see it until after you have signed for it you may never see any repayment .

I have seen shipping companys .. ie. Wilson Trucking,Overnight. etc ..... have to eat whole rolls of vinyl flooring , half pallet of computer printers , large commercial A/C compressors because it was refused at my loading dock . It works the same for UPS,FEDEX,USPS..etc . .

With a LOT of trepidation, I sent a tuba (VMI 2103) inside an MTS case via DHL ground from Chicago to Kansas. It arrived at destination within 48 hours with no problems and the cost was under $100.

Per a discussion with customer service, I wrapped the case with two lavyers of bubble wrap. Inside the case, I stuffed the bell with plastic bags containg packing peanuts and circled the bell with several layers of foam. I also wrapped the valve section and the bottom bow.

The pick-up driver (who had a high-school tuba-playing son) told me that the fact that the tuba was NOT in a box would probably lead to more careful handling. "They won't put that on any conveyors". Apparently he was correct. BTW, DHL did a residential pick-up, which many carriers would not do.

I've heard no complaints in the three weeks since the tuba was received.

Alex F wrote:.... Per a discussion with customer service, I wrapped the case with two lavyers of bubble wrap. Inside the case, I stuffed the bell with plastic bags containg packing peanuts and circled the bell with several layers of foam. I also wrapped the valve section and the bottom bow......

Sounds like a nice packing job. However, it still would not have survived a 30 foot drop onto the tarmac!