quote:

Absolutely. Something could have been set on top of it, which is why "Do Not Stack" was painted on the crate. They could have dropped it, which is why "Fragile" was painted on the crate. They could have also set it up on its end, side, or upside down causing the door to put the pressure on the handle against the crate which is why "This side up" with an arrow were painted on the crate.

How many languages did you use?

(Swahili, Itliano, Francais, Mexicano and Espanolio, Nirobian, etc?)

quote:

i think I would either of included insurance in the price or required proof of insurance prior to shipping it.

I couldn't do either one. I couldn't insure it because I wasn't the one shipping it. I also have no ownership interest in it.

Same with the proof of insurance. Once he paid for it it's his. I can not place any restrictions on what he does with his private property.

All I can do, and did, was tell him how we usually do things suggesting he do the same.

quote:

How many languages did you use?

(Swahili, Itliano, Francais, Mexicano and Espanolio, Nirobian, etc?)

I have found that people don't read those things anyway. For all I know the damage was done as it was sliding around in a cargo container as it crossed the ocean. I'm sure nobody did anything on purpose, but since nobody was with it or conducted any sort of periodic inspection, we have no idea how it happened.

And absent the threats, I would have gladly had the broken piece replaced at my cost. I just wasn't going to pay for their damage out of my pocket.

I don't know how the paint damage would be rectified. I'm assuming there aren't many high end body shops near where this door ended up.

quote:

Originally posted by a1abdj:

quote:

How many languages did you use?

(Swahili, Itliano, Francais, Mexicano and Espanolio, Nirobian, etc?)

I have found that people don't read those things anyway. For all I know the damage was done as it was sliding around in a cargo container as it crossed the ocean. I'm sure nobody did anything on purpose, but since nobody was with it or conducted any sort of periodic inspection, we have no idea how it happened.

You see, you forgot to put it in a language which sailors can understand.

"Hey fucktard - this end up, like your ass when you're sleeping."

You could of made it a prerequisite while you still owned it, right?

quote:

You could of made it a prerequisite while you still owned it, right?

I stopped owning it once he purchased it for restoration way back at the very beginning. At that point I have custody of it and am responsible for anything that happens to it. It would be covered under one of my "property of others" policies that I carry.

On that same token the shipper assumes responsibility once they take custody. The problem is that their responsibility is very limited (this is true with any product you ship) unless you buy supplemental protection.

This is why when a regular shipment is made not much attention is paid to anything. When a high value item is shipped insured everybody wants photos and to physically inspect everything prior to them loading it on their truck.

quote:

Originally posted by LS1 GTO:

quote:

Originally posted by a1abdj:

quote:

How many languages did you use?

(Swahili, Itliano, Francais, Mexicano and Espanolio, Nirobian, etc?)

I have found that people don't read those things anyway. For all I know the damage was done as it was sliding around in a cargo container as it crossed the ocean. I'm sure nobody did anything on purpose, but since nobody was with it or conducted any sort of periodic inspection, we have no idea how it happened.

You see, you forgot to put it in a language which sailors can understand.

"Hey fucktard - this end up, like your ass when you're sleeping."

Wait. I thought sailors signified something important, or even true, with, “Now this is no shit!”

a1abdj- this is when I guess you have learnt a lesson. That is, never do business or ship to folks in Africa or to anyone in the Indian sub-continent. That is because in those societies, people are out to scam you for every penny. Dont ship anything to Namibia or any other shithole country.
I am an immigrant from India, and I refuse to ship items to friends and relatives back in India. Bitches want me to ship Levis jeans, bottles of Old Spice after-shave, and other stupid stuff to them.. But I bet they will try to scam me out of my money everytime.

sidss1,
Not doubting you at all, but that's quite an indictment.

quote:

Originally posted by bald1:
sidss1,
Not doubting you at all, but that's quite an indictment.

Well, maybe not an indictment, but merely an example of Benjamin Franklin’s cat who, having jumped on a hot stove, no longer jumps on cold ones either.

quote:

Originally posted by a1abdj:

quote:

The photo/video documentation, accelerometers, and seals might be a future good practice if you decide to ship something like this in the future.

When I ship something I make sure it's insured. This includes when I ship it for a customer. In this particular case, mostly due to it being exported, the customer took care of everything. I simply restored the door and crated it.

All shipping arrangements, payment, and insurance (or in this case lack of) was arranged by the buyer. Lucky for me I take photos of everything, so I can prove its condition prior to his guys roughing it up. I don't know why he wouldn't insure it. It was going half way across the US, all the way across the Atlantic, and then up into Africa. If something was going to get torn up this was the trip it was going to happen on. Trucks, boats, and Africans. What could go wrong?

Sounds like you have the photos covered, but I wanted to emphasize the accelerometer.

Check out these ShockWatch® 2 impact indicators which are single use, go/no-go devices that determine if your crate has been dropped during transit or in storage. uline.com sells them for a little under $3 each when you buy a carton of 50 and another $.10 for the companion labels and alert tape.

They also make TiltWatch XTR which is single-use tip indicator used to monitor goods that must remain upright. Uline.com sells them by the carton of 100 and they're like $1.35 each and they sell companion stickers that end up $0.35 each.

We occasionally use these in oil & gas projects where we're buying goods from all over the globe and having them shipped to our projects (many are in the 3rd world).

Tough situation. Damned if you do, damned if you don't.

I see your side, and I see his side. He is pissed that it arrived damage. You know it was fine when it left your business. 6 months in limbo in various ships, warehouses, and its amazing the damn thing even arrived.

quote:

Originally posted by bubbatime:
Tough situation. Damned if you do, damned if you don't.

I see your side, and I see his side. He is pissed that it arrived damage. You know it was fine when it left your business. 6 months in limbo in various ships, warehouses, and its amazing the damn thing even arrived.

I fail to see his side at all. The fault here seems to lie completely with himself and the shipper.

quote:

Originally posted by bald1:
sidss1,
Not doubting you at all, but that's quite an indictment.

I’ve got a friend from Pakistan that says the same thing. He said getting anything delivered in that part of the world is a gamble with horrible odds.

The best part of this thread is I now know about both Shockwatch and Tiltwatch stick on devices. Very cool. Not sure I'll ever use them of course....

Neither would likely have helped the OP since they'd have never been acknowledged from halfway around the world, no matter what they indicated.

quote:

Originally posted by LS1 GTO:

quote:

Absolutely. Something could have been set on top of it, which is why "Do Not Stack" was painted on the crate. They could have dropped it, which is why "Fragile" was painted on the crate. They could have also set it up on its end, side, or upside down causing the door to put the pressure on the handle against the crate which is why "This side up" with an arrow were painted on the crate.

How many languages did you use?

(Swahili, Itliano, Francais, Mexicano and Espanolio, Nirobian, etc?)

Clearly he using Italiano, everyone knows Fra-gilly, duh!

Tell the guy if he can track down the Nigerian prince that owes you millions he can take the repair money out and send you the rest. I think that's a fair deal.

quote:

that is because in those societies, people are out to scam you for every penny.

I think you may be onto something, but it involves a different geographical region.

I believe this gentleman is from the UK and the Namibia address is some sort of hunting lodge. He has an address here in the US too.

Washington DC. Another part of this world where the inhabitants are out to scam us for every penny.

quote:

Originally posted by Leemur:

quote:

Originally posted by bald1:
sidss1,
Not doubting you at all, but that's quite an indictment.

I’ve got a friend from Pakistan that says the same thing. He said getting anything delivered in that part of the world is a gamble with horrible odds.

Leemur- your friend from Pakistan is 100% correct. Anything sent via USPS is immediately stolen by the Indian Customs guys, or the Indian POstal Service guys, whoever gets to the package first. Anything sent via FedEx or UPS, is likely going to be stolen by the Indian Customs guys. Heck, according to the data published by the Indian Parliament, they said that about 60 to 70% of packages or shipments or bigger items ( such as the equipment shipped to Namibia) is stolen by Indian Customs or the Indian POstal service guys.

So the wealthy african prince that keeps sending me emails decided to keep his fortune and you're the one that sold him the vault that changed his mind?!

Shucks I missed the boat.

quote:

Originally posted by Georgeair:
The best part of this thread is I now know about both Shockwatch and Tiltwatch stick on devices. Very cool. Not sure I'll ever use them of course....

Neither would likely have helped the OP since they'd have never been acknowledged from halfway around the world, no matter what they indicated.

We used to use these all the time, and you're correct... most shippers ignore them. We'd just end up having to send a tech out to inspect the equipment at the arrival point, but at least we could usually bill the client for it.