UPS and The UPS Store Completely Destroyed Package and Refused Insurance Claim No Accountability Atlanta, Georgia

 this is about the longest rebutt I've seen

First of all most, but not everyone, understand that there has to be packaging guidelines. Most anyone would agree that you can't take a ten year old defunct laptop and insure it for $2000, then put in a claim that it's not working after it is delivered. Likewise, a person shouldn't be able to go to a thrift store and buy an old eight serving set of chipped dishes for $25, pack it in a used box with a whole Sunday newspaper for padding (any paper is horrible packing material), insure it for $500, then collect on a claim when it arrives smashed.

Is it safe to assume everyone agrees so far? I think so.

Now, to prevent a claim free-for-all, there are packaging guidelines. These guidelines are similar with all corporations in the industry. If those packaging guidelines are not met, damage claims will not be approved. The intended logic is that the industry standards for packaging was not met and therefore was the fault of the damage. Three inadequately packed similar shipments do not mean all three will have damage, or does it mean they were packaged properly if only one suffers damage. It merely indicates packaging that increases the likelihood of damage incident ratios that are unacceptable to the industry. Disagree? Refer back to the first paragraph. Without these guidelines, claims and subsequent shipping cost would sky rocket and fraud would run rampant.

This is where the disagreement may begin: No one disputes that each box wasn't "carefully packed". 'Carefully' and 'proper' often vary and are victim of opinion. That, again, is where the packaging guidelines are used. These guidelines include such details as: Distance between item and corrugate wall; type of padding used; rating/original condition of container; weight vs. fragility of contents; etc. Too complicated? Didn't read any carrier packing guidelines easily found on the web and don't ever intend to? Those guidelines come down to one simple test: Can the package withstand a 30" drop. If not, it is prone to potential damage for which a claim most likely will not be approved by any carrier.

The box in the picture appears to be one previously used for another purpose. It also appears that it was compressed, indicating inadequate internal fill or material. How that used box was determined as "weighted for an 80lbs maximum" ('maximum' is the key word) was speculative, if not possible at all. Numbers on the rating seal indicate edge crush resistance when new and have nothing to do with weight capacity. For fifty pounds, that rating should be 275ECT. With it being 50 pound of glass, the shipment should have either been double boxed or split into lighter weight shipments. Was there a minimum of 2-3" of space between the vases and the sides of the box? Were the vases in their own individual boxes? If not, were the vases filled with peanuts or bubble wrap so as to prevent them from becoming the internal support structure of the heavy shipment? Was each vase wrapped in atleast two layers of 1/2" bubble? And even if they were, FIFTY POUNDS??

At fifty pounds, the bubbles on the plastic wrap will pop under the weight, protecting the glass with only a plastic sheet. With inadequate padding, a vase would easily break. When a vase breaks, the collapsed space (if there was no fill in it) caused movement inside the box. The large box, since it was large and heavy, also will sit on the bottom of other packages. With the space developing inside, the cardboard can handle little pressure on the outside without compressing. Internal contents will also shift and may promote further breakage.

Regardless of where the fault lies, the delay of one of three boxes was caused by this phenomenon. Accountabilty is as much a responsibility of the packaging person as it is with the shipper. That independently owned UPS Store operates the same as your local homeowners or car insurance agent. They neither packaged the shipment nor shipped it. Most problems are resolved to the satisfaction of the customer but, obviously, there are cases that will not be. The information they gather is not a UPS Store's decision, but they get the joy of being on the receiving end of frustrated customers.

I operate a facility that ships with all available carriers, including FedEx and USPS. I've been in business for over a decade. If those vases were packed here and similar shipped every single week, we would not have had a single broken vase...ever. There is a reason for that. We merely package to the shipping guidelines. Glassware takes significant time and materials. If a customer wants to do it safely themselves, just pack it the same. If still confused, ask that UPS Store for a copy of the claim denial. It the same as the copy that would have come from FedEx. The form defines where the guidelines were not met. It will also give suggestions as to how to meet those guidelines, which should be applied for any carrier chosen for future shipping.