Collecting shipping insurance, damaged scope

I recently purchased an FS 102 shipped UPS GROUND. The shipper packaged it very well, wrapped in layers of bubble wrap, put in a padded soft case, wrapped again in bubble wrap then put snug in a wooden crate made for shipping the scope. Well when it got to my door I opened it and thought I was gonna get sick, It had a ding in the top of the tube that scratched the paint. Upon further inspection I got even more sick. The shaft that connects the focusing knobs was BENT, and there is slop in the draw tube. The optics look OK but I'm sure collimation is off and maybe some damage that will only appear once the optics are bench tested. The wooden crate shows signs of serious mishandling, several small chunks of wood missing and one of the corners is seriously splintered. After contacting UPS, they said that the insurance is only payable to the shipper, which is OK by me, but they want to inspect the damage while I still have the scope. I have dated pics of the scope the seller sent me before shipping and it was pristine. The gentleman I bought it from said he will do whatever I wanted which really put me at ease. The insurance inspector is supposed to contact me this week to see the damaged scope. I had some computer equipment trashed by FedEx GROUND and getting the insurance was like pulling teeth. I was wondering if it is the same way with UPS. If UPS opts for repairs rather than full replacement I would be happy to keep the scope and send it to Art at Texas Nautical (he says they can fix anything good as new) Advice from someone who has experience getting insurance $$$ from UPS would be appreciated. In the future I think paying extra to have something shipped by air would be wise since the package gets handled by far fewer people. Knock on wood, I have not yet had a bad experience with either UPS or FedEx air shipments. thanx.

Hate to tell you this, but UPS has an even worse reputation when it comes to insurance claims, which is why I stopped using them. There was a thread here a few months back on this very subject, and advise against using UPS was nearly unanimous.

I have had experience in NOT getting insurance $$$ from UPS. In spite of the shipper's best efforts in getting UPS to pay for a damaged item that was sent to me last year, to the best of my knowledge UPS never did pay up. As a word of caution, UPS will try to claim "insufficient packaging" to begin with. Do not accept this, and advise your shipper to stay on them. My package would have withstood all but a direct nuclear hit (apparently UPS' tender touch is much harsher) and they still claimed insufficient packaging. Oh yeah, when UPS finally gets around to coming and picking it up for "inspection", try your best to repackage it *exactly* the way it was packed when you received it.

I have often wondered why someone doesn't investigate UPS for fraud. I have heard the same story as mine over and over again about UPS selling insurance and then not paying for damages.

Good luck!

Doug
Midway, FL

When I had a computer destroyed in shipping by UPS ground some years ago, they informed me that a 6 foot vertical drop was "within spec" for their automated handling/sorting equipment. They also like to say that if your seller shipped the merchandise in the same packaging that it was sent to them in from the manufacturer, it is "used" and voids insurance. This applies even if the packaging is in mint condition, custom-form fitted, intended for re-use, etc.

I wouldn't trust anything more fragile than bricks to the tender mercies of UPS.

Jim

Guess I'm odd-man-out on collecting. UPS damaged a C5+ I shipped to the West Coast from Ohio, but they paid to have it sent to Celestron to be fixed. No hassle.