Instrument damaged in shipping how to handle

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Piecomics

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Hi, I had an instrument arrive damaged from Ireland. I did not notice until I got it home and the shipping materials were discarded. I contacted the seller who said he would follow up with the shipping company. I believe he is dealing with me in good faith but the shipping company made it clear they view it as the sellers responsibility. I’m just unsure of what to do. It happened Friday so it’s not like it’s been a long time but I’m sitting on a broken instrument right now and don’t want to wind up feeling/getting ripped off.

Thanks for any and all advice.
Ben
 
Piecomics said:
Hi, I had an instrument arrive damaged from Ireland. I did not notice until I got it home and the shipping materials were discarded. I contacted the seller who said he would follow up with the shipping company. I believe he is dealing with me in good faith but the shipping company made it clear they view it as the sellers responsibility. I’m just unsure of what to do. It happened Friday so it’s not like it’s been a long time but I’m sitting on a broken instrument right now and don’t want to wind up feeling/getting ripped off.

Thanks for any and all advice.
Ben
Click to expand...

When I send instruments overseas they are fully insured. NZ post tell me that in the event of a damage claim it is up to the buyer to instigate a claim.
 
My experience in America has been UPS and FedEx specifically say that claims can only be made by the seller.

This is Michael Kohan in Los Angeles, Beverly West near the Beverly Center
9 tenor cutaway ukes, 5 acoustic bass ukes, 11 solid body bass ukes, 9 mini electric bass guitars (Total: 34)

• Donate to The Ukulele Kids Club, they provide ukuleles to children in hospital music therapy programs. www.theukc.org
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If there is any way you can get the shipping boxes, do so. And take pictures of the outside and inside. The shippers will want to see if the box was damaged or if it was well padded and protected, if possible. They may want a statement about whether there was any noticeable damage to the exterior of the box when you accepted the package.

Take extensive photos of the instrument. Send the seller detailed description of the damage the instrument sustained. The seller will need proof of damage for the shipper.

Arrange to send it back, if that is the seller's preference, for a full refund of the price and shipping costs.

Hopefully, the seller is honest and will make it good.
 
That's always my fear. Either something I receive or something I send will arrive damaged, and no one will want to take responsibility. Everything I send is insured. I should take pictures of how the item was packed and how the final package looked before being sent. When I receive a package, I should take pictures of the outside and inside. Fortunately, I've never had a problem.
 
At least in the US, the insurance is the responsibility of the shipper. The receiver can initiate a claim, but the shipper bought the insurance and any insurance payout goes to him. Unfortunately, discarding the shipping material was a bad call. The shipping service will likely want to examine how the shipment was packed in order to determine if they are liable. The few times I filed a claim for damage, the shipping company always asked to examine the packing materials.

Insurance claims can take a while; I would expect at least a couple of weeks and possibly more for the claim to be fully processed. Insurance companies are never in a big hurry to pay.
 
It should be the shippers responsibility to pack it well and insure it unless you have some other agreement. As Rich mentioned, the insurance companies always want to see the box and packing material, typically they will say it wasn't protected well enough, for example they always say that newspaper is not an adequate packing material and deny the claim.
 
I received a damaged uke and the issue was shipping in the cold weather and it developed some cracks due to being in a postal van. The buyer and I worked it out. I had the cracks repaired and am OK living with a blemished 40 year old instrument. The seller paid for the repair which was very reasonable. There was good will on both sides. We both had lots of photos.
My lesson is not to ship instruments in the cold season.
We are a community and community accommodation is pat of that as accidents happen. Yes in the US the shipper must claim.
 
DPO said:
When I send instruments overseas they are fully insured. NZ post tell me that in the event of a damage claim it is up to the buyer to instigate a claim.
Click to expand...

Updated info.
NZ post have informed me that the Buyer will lodge the initial claim for a damaged delvery as they will have evidence /photos etc of the damage, after that NZ post will liase with both parties to effect a satisfactory outcome.
Every item I send is fully insured, and after ten years or so I have never had to lodge an insurance claim for loss or damage.
 
Piecomics said:
Hi, I had an instrument arrive damaged from Ireland. I did not notice until I got it home and the shipping materials were discarded. I contacted the seller who said he would follow up with the shipping company. I believe he is dealing with me in good faith but the shipping company made it clear they view it as the sellers responsibility. I’m just unsure of what to do. It happened Friday so it’s not like it’s been a long time but I’m sitting on a broken instrument right now and don’t want to wind up feeling/getting ripped off.

Thanks for any and all advice.
Ben
Click to expand...

I think not having the packing materials can nix payout from an insurance claim. If there was no insurance, it's easier because you can contact your cc or paypal. But if insurance asks to check packing materials, and you can't, there's nothing to say you didn't damage it yourself after removing it from packaging and you may have to eat the loss. If the reason for the reimbursement problem was caused by your discarding the packaging, I cannot imagine why the seller would want to or should eat the loss.
 
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