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Post by xreganx on May 8, 2014 11:28:28 GMT
So yesterday I was in a great mood. Right now I'm ready to rage on someone. FedEx jammed my Killing Time LP in our metre box and snapped the record. Is there anyway to even get a refund on the shipping cost. The dude left a note on our door saying he left it in the metre box, so I have se proof. But I didn't get insurance on the package. Is there anything I can do? Leigh, you just posted that you want a copy, wanna trade? Haha.  |
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Post by ferry on May 8, 2014 11:58:41 GMT
I have had a bad experience with fed ex. I bought an guitar amp in Italy and let it ship extra secure for €200 extra for safe handling to holland. When it arrived the amp was like thrown from a roof to the floor. Totally damaged. Since I am 'only' the receiver of the package and not the sender (the one who payed fed ex) they did not want to handle with me. It took 6 months before I got my money back. It was a nightmare. Good luck  ? |
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Post by xreganx on May 8, 2014 12:18:47 GMT
I will contact the seller and get him onto it, though I'm not holding my breathe.
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Post by Raven X Army on May 8, 2014 13:19:00 GMT
Fedex is bad but DHL takes the cake. When I bought my Chain silver sleeve from a dude in Germany he requested that I pay for a "special" delivery (with DHL, not Deutsche Post) which was .... wait for it... 60-something euro. Regular EMS, or EMI as they now call it in the US, is like 87623 times cheaper and from non-developing to non-developing country it usually takes 3 or so days. Anyway, I paid the money and the package went to almost every country on the planet. Belgium, Russia, fucking India, can't remember where else to finally, almost a MONTH later arrive at my door. I called them fuckers with a complaint only to hear that that wasn't a guaranteed service so they can't forsee the exact delivery date. Whatever. At least shit didn't get broken. Although I once got a package from Nico with some of the records being out of like 13 or 20 only (or something similar) and someone rolled with the forklift over the box resulting in this:       I somehow managed to replace EVERY record in that box within a month or so. It did cost me a bit though. |
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Post by lordxhumungus on May 8, 2014 14:33:15 GMT
With the exception of my house burning down, this is my biggest fear as a record collector. I am already pretty neurotic without having to worry about this kind of crap. I STALK my mailman. If I can't, then my wife has strict orders to stalk him. She HATES me for this but she REALLY, REALLY HATES him for being completely out of his mind, unpredictable and unreliable. Some days he doesn't even show up at all.
I can't stand FedEx or UPS. I always operated under the assumption that because they are private companies in direct competition with the federal postal service that they would be better. THEY ARE NOT. My very own junkie brother worked for UPS and has told me stories about punting packages and what not. I've actually fired some of my drivers (I work for a car service) for being worthless psychotics only to later see them tearing down the road in their FedEx truck.
I won't even acknowledge DHL.
The USPS is definitely better than the other options. I have had some great mail carriers that were courteous, friendly and understanding. But I've also had ones that would ignore the HUGE WALK-IN PORCH with hand-written note that read "PLEASE PLACE PACKAGES INSIDE" and instead lay them down flat on the outside walk to be rained on until I got home from work. I, too, have had the package with the telltale tire marks across the front with the shattered vinyl inside.
It sucks that we have to trust others with our prized possessions - especially when it can be so expensive. I've never made any kind of claim to get my money back but I can only imagine what kind of ordeal that must be...
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Post by xmichelx on May 8, 2014 15:04:43 GMT
  You're not alone ;-) |
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Post by minoratheart on May 8, 2014 15:17:14 GMT
Getting broken records has to be one of the worst feelings there are. Happened to me only once so far, but of course it was one of the more expensive records I've ever bought. You can't send parcels with Deutsche Post, only letters @poison X Girls. DHL delivers all parcels and packages for Deutsche Post. Most of the parcels I get are delivered by DHL and I can't really say anything bad about them. There are waaaay worse companies in Germany. Attachments:
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Post by lordxhumungus on May 8, 2014 15:28:34 GMT
You can't send parcels with Deutsche Post, only letters @poison X Girls. DHL delivers all parcels and packages for Deutsche Post. Most of the parcels I get are delivered by DHL and I can't really say anything bad about them. There are waaaay worse companies in Germany. Really? I recently bought a Harvest lp from a guy in Germany and told him that I didn't mind the extra cost of safe, fast shipping. He said DHL would be like $25 and take like 2 weeks but Deutsche Post would only be like $8 and take half the time. I chose Deutsche Post and had no complaints. But he definitely sent it Deutsche Post - I still have the box...
P.S. Was that a test press that got ruined? What record is that?
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Post by Raven X Army on May 8, 2014 15:41:58 GMT
You can't send parcels with Deutsche Post, only letters @poison X Girls. DHL delivers all parcels and packages for Deutsche Post. Most of the parcels I get are delivered by DHL and I can't really say anything bad about them. There are waaaay worse companies in Germany. Really? I recently bought a Harvest lp from a guy in Germany and told him that I didn't mind the extra cost of safe, fast shipping. He said DHL would be like $25 and take like 2 weeks but Deutsche Post would only be like $8 and take half the time. I chose Deutsche Post and had no complaints. But he definitely sent it Deutsche Post - I still have the box...
P.S. Was that a test press that got ruined? What record is that?
What lordxh says. I get records from Germany with DP all the time. On few rare occasions that few Germans used DHL (I can't understand why = more expensive and MUCH slower) I was always dissatisfied as it took forever for me to get the shit. D.P. all the way. Fuck 3rd party companies. |
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Post by minoratheart on May 8, 2014 15:42:40 GMT
You're right, you can send records with Deutsche Post but only as a letter ('Großbrief'), which is cheaper but also a little less safe than shipping records in a regular parcel. You usually have less space to put protection like cardboard or bubble wrap in there since the rules of measurements are kinda strict. Well spotted, haha. It was the test pressing for the Anger LP by Dangers. Now there are only 4  |
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Post by Raven X Army on May 8, 2014 15:46:59 GMT
You're right, you can send records with Deutsche Post but only as a letter ('Großbrief'), which is cheaper but also a little less safe than shipping records in a regular parcel. You usually have less space to put protection like cardboard or bubble wrap in there since the rules of measurements are kinda strict. Well spotted, haha. It was the test pressing for the Anger LP by Dangers. Now there are only 4 I always get the stuff in your regular record mailer. Same way as it would get sent from any other country. Maybe it fits under the letter category, I don't know. I just know it's sent via DP. DHL owes me 60 euro. |
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Post by minoratheart on May 8, 2014 15:51:55 GMT
You're right, you can send records with Deutsche Post but only as a letter ('Großbrief'), which is cheaper but also a little less safe than shipping records in a regular parcel. You usually have less space to put protection like cardboard or bubble wrap in there since the rules of measurements are kinda strict. Well spotted, haha. It was the test pressing for the Anger LP by Dangers. Now there are only 4 I always get the stuff in your regular record mailer. Same way as it would get sent from any other country. Maybe it fits under the letter category, I don't know. I just know it's sent via DP. DHL owes me 60 euro. With one or maybe two records in the mailer it usually works, any more and the 'letter' is too big and too heavy. |
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Post by reasontorevelate on May 8, 2014 19:39:55 GMT
This thread should be renamed "Boulevard of Broken Dreams"
Depressing pictures haha, but keep 'em coming.
Oh, and doesn't Nico have a dayjob working a forklift in a rubber factory?
I seem to remember something of that order...
Sorry, I am rambling.
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Post by nico on May 8, 2014 20:28:52 GMT
This thread should be renamed "Boulevard of Broken Dreams" Depressing pictures haha, but keep 'em coming. Oh, and doesn't Nico have a dayjob working a forklift in a rubber factory? I seem to remember something of that order... Sorry, I am rambling. Haha |
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Post by xreganx on May 9, 2014 1:58:03 GMT
Here's an update. Sorry for the length. Just thought I'd share.
Tl;dr fedex are a waste of time.
And I'm just going to preface this by saying I'm usually the most overly polite person to call centre workers. I work in a call centre and have worked in our complaints department for years, so I know what it's like.
So I had a missed call from FedEx this morning. I called them back and got put through to the person handling my case.
FedEx: oh, we already tried to call you about this. (In a pretty rude tone)
Me: yes I know, I'm returning the call.
FedEx: the package was delivered yesterday.
Me: that's correct and it arrived damaged.
FedEx: you have to contact the sender for a refund.
Me: um, okay (I hadn't even asked for a refund yet). What exactly do you mean, will the sender have to contact you to raise a claim. Or do they have to refund me out of their pocket?
FedEx: you have to contact the sender for a refund and they can work it out.
Me: that doesn't really answer my question. Are you saying the seller will have to pay for a refund.
FedEx: we are not able to refund the item.
Me: okay. Now the delivery driver bent my package to fit it in the metre box and left a note saying the package was left in the box. (And this point I was getting really fed up) are you saying he can destroy my property and no matter what fedex are not liable for anything he does?
FedEx: you will have to contact the seller for a refund (at this point I was pissed with her evasive answers)
Me: so no matter how your driver treats my parcel you are not liable, regardless of what proof we have. He can throw it against a wall, crush it, bend it and kick it and you're not going to take accountability for it?
FedEx: please contact the seller for a refund.
Me: this is f'n bs. You're wasting my god damn time. Go f' yourself. And I hang up.
So after all that I'm not going ask for a refund from the seller. He sent it in a cardboard mailer with padding inside. He didn't do anything wrong, so I will still leave him some positive feedback.
As far as FedEx goes, all I was looking for really was an apology or at least some kind of acknowledgment that my item was even damaged. Saying sorry doesn't make them liable. Poor poor customer service. But at least it felt good to yell someone haha.
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Post by xleighdrugfreex on May 9, 2014 6:01:28 GMT
I STALK my mailman. If I can't, then my wife has strict orders to stalk him. She HATES me for this but she REALLY, REALLY HATES him for being completely out of his mind, unpredictable and unreliable. Some days he doesn't even show up at all. ^^^^^^^ hahaha ! I love your work Lord. I don't have a wife but I have 2 other house mates that have experience buying records and merch so we are always on the lookout ! I don't think I have ever had records delivered to me by UPS. And I'm in the same area as Regan. So I'm guessing if I ever get a package from UPS it will be the same rocket scientist delivering it. And he will do something dumb throwing my records 15 feet in the air onto my balcony. Auspost is fairly reliable. They leave packages on my doorstep which I hate. One of these days something WILL go missing. Regan I will keep hunting for another copy of the Brightside. He must have done a job on the package if it was in a mailer with packing what a jerk of a delivery man. |
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Post by lordxhumungus on May 9, 2014 8:20:10 GMT
^^^^^^^ hahaha ! I love your work Lord. Thanks Leigh! And bravo Regan. Well done. Sometimes it just feels nice to rip into someone that's being ignorant. It doesn't get your record back but it helps to let off some steam! |
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Post by reasontorevelate on May 9, 2014 12:13:03 GMT
xreganx: I feel bad for you. Not asking for a refund from seller because he wasn't at fault=awesome decision.
Perhaps it's worth the time and money to send an extensive email to FedEx (ask for an email address of someone "higher up" in the FedEx chain, like a floor manager or whatever they are called) and include pictures of the record, the decent packing and the mailman note. Also tell them this problem is being discussed right now on a public internet forum, and that this is probably not exactly the exposure they would want to have.
I wouldn't give up on this yet.
That's a $40 record, but what if it were $400?
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Post by lordxhumungus on May 9, 2014 14:53:35 GMT
I'm just gonna hijack this thread for a moment to discuss a related issue - something that's been bothering me forever...
Here in the US of A, our beloved federal postal system offers us several options to meet our specific needs - all of which vary in price. The recommended form of shipping for records and such is called Media Mail. It is inexpensive and offers tracking information. It sure sounds like the way to go right? The federal postal system created this specifically for us so why not use it right? WRONG... This has to be the slowest mail in the universe. Don't get me wrong - I've had a lot of these records arrive acceptably but most of the time it looks like my record was actually punted across the country or it took so long to get here I could've walked faster. Please let me know if you disagree but holy hell I HATE MEDIA MAIL!
Now I'm the type of guy that doesn't care about spending an extra $6 - $8 for priority mail. My theory is simple - the less handling time by the post office employees the better. Priority mail takes 2-3 days and media mail can take up to 2 weeks - but if you're lucky and the sender is close by it can take like 4 days. I'm not a gambler. 7" records seem to make it through media mail a lot safer than LP's generally do but come on... who wants to wait that long??? Even just sending it first class can take way less time and always seems to arrive in good condition.
My point is that I understand that people hate paying a lot for shipping but I'll never understand anything being sent through media mail. A couple of extra bucks is all it takes to have piece of mind. I just had to get this off my chest.
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turdburglar
Zip, zang, boom, your'e outta here
Posts: 56
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Post by turdburglar on May 9, 2014 22:41:28 GMT
I'm just gonna hijack this thread for a moment to discuss a related issue - something that's been bothering me forever... Here in the US of A, our beloved federal postal system offers us several options to meet our specific needs - all of which vary in price. The recommended form of shipping for records and such is called Media Mail. It is inexpensive and offers tracking information. It sure sounds like the way to go right? The federal postal system created this specifically for us so why not use it right? WRONG... This has to be the slowest mail in the universe. Don't get me wrong - I've had a lot of these records arrive acceptably but most of the time it looks like my record was actually punted across the country or it took so long to get here I could've walked faster. Please let me know if you disagree but holy hell I HATE MEDIA MAIL! Now I'm the type of guy that doesn't care about spending an extra $6 - $8 for priority mail. My theory is simple - the less handling time by the post office employees the better. Priority mail takes 2-3 days and media mail can take up to 2 weeks - but if you're lucky and the sender is close by it can take like 4 days. I'm not a gambler. 7" records seem to make it through media mail a lot safer than LP's generally do but come on... who wants to wait that long??? Even just sending it first class can take way less time and always seems to arrive in good condition. My point is that I understand that people hate paying a lot for shipping but I'll never understand anything being sent through media mail. A couple of extra bucks is all it takes to have piece of mind. I just had to get this off my chest. Amen. |
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Post by Raven X Army on May 9, 2014 22:43:19 GMT
We have the same system in Japan. There's a separate option for sending anything media, like records, tapes, DVDs, BDs, memory cards, whatever. It's called Yu-mail and it is cheaper than the regular mail and it is just about as fast. I have never noticed the difference. It usually arrives within 24-48h. No tracking though.
What I wanted to talk about is this though:
You mentioned media mail in the US is cheap. It made me think of ebay policy that enforces maximum of $4 on all media items, no matter how many of how heavy in one auction. For you Americans it's only half bad, but for the international sellers, like everybody else, ebay forces us to apply this policy (the $4 max postage) to all US buyers. It is the most fucking annoying shit in the universe. Especially that with each run of auctions I get anything between 1-5 idiots that do not wait for the adjusted invoice and pay right away adding the $4 postage and out of that lot there's always one knobhead that doesn't want to send me the missing postage and insists on me mailing him records for $4 threatening shit feedback.
It happens to me so often that I had to make template emails for
1) a guy who paid including $4 postage asking him to send me the missing cash
2) a guy who insist on paying $4 postage with detailed explanation of ebay's shitty police making me unable to apply correct postage for the US.
Sometimes I have to also explain a concept of "abroad".
Once a dude asked me why the postage was $11 because he had a record sent all the way from across the country for some $3+
I thought once we're moaning and complaining about the post like some old ladies I'll throw this into the mix lol
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Post by lordxhumungus on May 10, 2014 0:51:32 GMT
I thought once we're moaning and complaining about the post like some old ladies I'll throw this into the mix lol I actually discuss my postal woes quite often with my 75 year old neighbor so I can't even deny this.... |
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