Missing Tuba and Greyhound package service

[stufarris]

Hello folks,

I purchased a 1932 King BBb bell front tuba from a fellow TubeNeter, which was carefully packed and sent via Greyhound on the 13th of March form North Carolina to Decatur, Illinois. It never arrived, and Greyhound hasn't a clue. It was insured, but hopefully it will turn up. I am posting pictures of it in the hopes that maybe somebody may come across it. Serial number is 152446.

Thanks

Stu Farris

[imperialbari]

Schleppy could tell a story about the patience needed. Apparently Greyhound likes the bell front stuff and keeps just for the joy of it.

[imperialbari]

I am not a techie, but isn’t there some GPS transponding stuff that for a reasonable sum could be put into shipments like this one? As the GPS device could be used again and again, the costs of buying and returning it would possibly come out as a cheap way to peace of mind.

Klaus

[Dan Schultz]

I know that horn and know the seller. In fact... I just met with the previous owner last Friday on my way to NABBA. I'll keep an eye open for it.

Greyhound has always been reliable for me but I once had a shipment take two weeks to arrive here and also had an outbound one delayed for about the same length of time.

Sometimes things get side-tracked but they will eventually end up in Dallas for disposition. It's always good to put complete contact information inside and out in case the bus bills get lost.

Be patient.

[bisontuba]

Greyhound = Patience.....

Mark

[roughrider]

I was saddened to see what has happened to your horn. Best of luck to you in having it returned to you!

[Dan Schultz]

I just noticed that the Greyhound destination is Decatur, Il. That's a part-time agent that is only open limited hours. Your horn may have passed by there several times already and since there was no one there to receive it... it simply goes for another 'ride'.

This is the location listed on Greyhound's website as the agent:
SANDYS MOTEL
1675 E PERSHING RD
Decatur, IL 62526
Hours of Operation:
Station
Monday 9:30 am-11:59 am; 3:00 pm-7:00 pm
Tuesday 9:30 am-11:59 am; 3:00 pm-7:00 pm
Wednesday 9:30 am-11:59 am; 3:00 pm-7:00 pm
Thursday 9:30 am-11:59 am; 3:00 pm-7:00 pm
Friday 9:30 am-11:59 am; 3:00 pm-7:00 pm
Saturday 9:30 am-11:59 am
Sunday Closed
Holiday Closed
Telephone Numbers:
Main: (217) 877-6262
Paging: (214) 655-7049
Baggage:
Greyhound PackageXpress:
Customer Service:
Prepaid Ticket Orders: (214) 655-7085
Travelers Aid: N/A
Charter: (800) 454-2487

[stufarris]

Thanks for everyone's input. I've talked with the agent in Decatur just about twice a day (except when they are closed), and no dice. I've called Greyhound and spoken with several people (after spending probably hours on hold and transfers) trying to find the route the bus would have taken, but no one can give me a route. I was going to call the stations along the way, as was suggessted, but without knowing the specific route, especially if it was a milk route type of trip, there is no way to track it that specifically. I've talked to the stations in Dallas, Chicago, and Atlanta, which is where I was told (and also read here) that wayward packages may end up. I'm still hoping it just got pulled off for some passenger baggage and is sitting in a corner at some bus stop. Maybe the attendants will get tired of tripping over it and will send it on its way.

Thanks again to everyone for your comments and help.

[bort]

I hope Greyhound treats their passengers better! They don't call it "riding the dog" for nothing!

But really, I wonder if some of it has to do with location. There are a ton of buses every day here to NYC, so more opportunities to get a box on board. If in a place with fewer buses (or more stops), maybe that changes the cargo availability...?

[Dan Schultz]

..... I wonder if some of it has to do with location. .....

I've only had one inbound Greyhound shipment go astray... and that was just delayed a week or so.

A LOT does depend on the knowledge of the agent on the shipping end. My agent here in Evansville, Indiana knows how to route a package to get it to the final destination with minimal problems. For example... there are direct buses from here to St. Louis, Louisville, and Nashville twice daily. Knowing which bus to send a shipment out on in order to connect 'down the road' helps a lot. Sometimes the 'first bus out' (as is the case if you ship Priority) is not the best method. The only thing 'Priority' guarantees is that the package will be on the first bus out AT THE FIRST LOCATION. That's not to say that it won't get 'kicked of' at the first stop.

LOTS of the locations listed by GPX are contract stations. Some only have lock-boxes where freight is placed if the location is closed. Those lock-boxes might be large enough to house a tuba! If that's the case... down the road the package goes. And... it will continue to ride around until it 'hits' when the location is staffed.

When you drop off a package at Greyhound... it might be a good idea to ask the agent for the routing. In some cases, it might be better to use a destination location other than the closest one.

[Alex C]

When shipping by Greyhound, it is always better to have it shipped to a nearby major-city terminal rather than to a small town station.

For example, I lived in a small town near Melbourne, Fl after a p-r-o-l-o-n-g-e-d wait for a Melbourne delivery I had future shipments sent to Orlando. It was an hour drive one-way but saved me weeks of waiting, I'm sure.

[stufarris]

An Update:

Great News. The horn arrived in great shape tonight. After reading the posts here, I guess a little over three weeks is not that bad for Greyhound.

Once again, many, many thanks for the sage advice and words of encouragement.

Best Wishes to all

Stu

[Dan Schultz]

An Update:

Great News. The horn arrived in great shape tonight. After reading the posts here, I guess a little over three weeks is not that bad for Greyhound.

Once again, many, many thanks for the sage advice and words of encouragement.

Best Wishes to all

Stu

Three weeks is waaay too long but I'm glad your horn finally arrived.

[bisontuba]

Glad for a Happy Ending....
Mark

[roughrider]

Good For You! Now you can enjoy that gem of a tuba that you bought!

[sloan]

Good For You! Now you can enjoy that gem of a tuba that you bought!

Now might be a good time to reflect on how much you WOULD HAVE paid to avoid all that anxiety.

[Dan Schultz]

.... Now might be a good time to reflect on how much you WOULD HAVE paid to avoid all that anxiety.

He could have paid A LOT more just to have had FEDEX trash a descent horn!

[sloan]

.... Now might be a good time to reflect on how much you WOULD HAVE paid to avoid all that anxiety.

He could have paid A LOT more just to have had FEDEX trash a descent horn!

Who said anything about FedEx?

[ShoelessWes]

I made the horrifying mistake of shipping something greyhound...

The greyhound employee at the receiving station, stole the instrument and pawned it for drug money.

The guy at the pawn shop called the Greyhound Station, because greyhound guy left the sticker on the case. They saw him clearly on the tape stealing the horn.

Thankfully the horn got to the person I sold it to.

I can and never will tell people to use Greyhound. The tracking, ethics, insurance, etc they offer is not up to par. If it works for you, that is great, but your stuff, riding around in the bottom of a greyhound with other people's personal belongings can go horribly wrong.

Think about the types of people you see on a greyhound bus at night. Would you leave your tuba alone, on the concrete, with them, in high crime areas? Because Greyhound does.

[Dan Schultz]

.... Now might be a good time to reflect on how much you WOULD HAVE paid to avoid all that anxiety.

He could have paid A LOT more just to have had FEDEX trash a descent horn!

Who said anything about FedEx?

I did. I would much rather be a little nervous about late delivery than having to sweat out a horn being dead on arrival.