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The CRPF "Bad Packing" awards

Started by Dan, March 01, 2009, 04:54:43 PM

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Phoniac

Quote from: HarrySmith on January 20, 2011, 08:40:35 AM
I send a similar message about packing a phone before I pay. I also add a line "I will be happy to add $5.00 to cover additional shipping materials and will wait for revised invoice in case larger box is a little more to ship."
I have thought about adding a threat of sorts, "If these instructions are not followed and I receive a damaged phone you will not be getting good feedback" but my wife has convinced me not to so far.

Harry, I agree with your wife on that. Sometimes words can be taken wrong and some will do just the opposite to show you, if you know what I mean.

Dennis Markham

My sympathies Dave on the broken telephone.  It's always a bummer when that happens.  Like DougPav said in one of his posts...they (the phone) made it all these years and then in one act of poor packing, it's destroyed. 

LarryInMichigan

QuoteThe handsets always seem to win that fight

Not always.  With my GPO phone several weeks ago, both parties lost, but the handset suffered the most.

Why does it seem so difficult for people to understand the simple concept that allowing a heavy object (handset) knocking into a fragile object (phone shell) is bad?  It's a good thing that I don't collect light bulbs.


Larry

HarrySmith

Yeah Phoniac, I agree, thats why I have refrained so far. I am working on different wording :)
Harry Smith
ATCA 4434
TCI

"There is no try,
there is only
do or do not"

Wallphone

Here Harry, I'll help you.  -- If this phone gets broken because you didn't follow my simple instructions, I know where you live and I swear I'll --- OK Harry, you can finish it.

HarrySmith

Harry Smith
ATCA 4434
TCI

"There is no try,
there is only
do or do not"

Just4Phones

I send this: 

"Hi.  I bought and have paid for the phone.  Please do me a favor and when packing do not send the phone hung up as these phones are very delicate and it will most likely crack.  Instead please wrap the base and the handset separately as this will help to minimize damage.  The extra effort will be most appreciated.  Not disrespecting your packing ability as you have excellent feedback but if you are not a phone collector you wouldn't realize how fragile these older phones are.  If you would like more money to offset the extra bubble wrap just let me know.  These phones have been around for many years and I am sure neither one of us want to be the one to damage them.  Thanks in advance :)  Joel "

Some people respond with don't worry I will be extra careful and they are and then some choose to ignore it and the phone arrives damaged.  Some STILL send the phone hung up and it makes me so angry.  Angry to the point that I rarely buy any more phones on EBAY unless they are at a really good price and I will gamble that the seller is conscientious in their packing. 

baldopeacock

Quote from: Phoniac on January 19, 2011, 11:11:13 PM
I think eBay should not let ANYONE sell something if they cant get it to you in the same condition it was when the customer bought it. If someone gets more then 2 damaged in shipping claims against him in a year, your out, over, kaput, outta here and never to return.

I agree.  Maybe if enough people who have received destroyed phones griped about it to eBay, they'd do something to tag the category warning sellers that they'll eat the damage and face loss of their selling account.   I've lost count of the horror stories just in this group in the last few months.

Doug Rose

Quote from: baldopeacock on January 20, 2011, 09:45:22 PM
Quote from: Phoniac on January 19, 2011, 11:11:13 PM
I think eBay should not let ANYONE sell something if they cant get it to you in the same condition it was when the customer bought it. If someone gets more then 2 damaged in shipping claims against him in a year, your out, over, kaput, outta here and never to return.

I agree.  Maybe if enough people who have received destroyed phones griped about it to eBay, they'd do something to tag the category warning sellers that they'll eat the damage and face loss of their selling account.   I've lost count of the horror stories just in this group in the last few months.
Guys....I sell on eBay. This "rule" would put all your sellers out of business. Yes...ALL sellers. You are mixing poor packing with damaged phones  by Carrier into one lump issue. USPS Priority Flat Box I have NEVER had a phone damaged. NEVER! FedEx and UPS are a crapshoot, but sometimes necessary because of weight or box size. Don't punish the good guys because there are a few sellers who don't take the time to pack correctly. Most sellers on eBay aim to please. All I can say is, "walk a mile in my (our) shoes.".....Doug
Kidphone

Phoniac

#144
Kidphone, I see your aspect and respect it and I too sell on eBay. But the ones I'm talking about are the ones that just throw the item in a box with the front page of the daily news and send it on it's way. I think we can all tell the difference between ones that where packed well and didn't survive because of a post office football game and the ones the sellers just didn't care and, that's the ones that should be chastised. Usually, the post office wont even honor the insurance if it wasn't packed properly.
There's a lot of good sellers on eBay that know how to pack and there's the ones who don't and there's gotta be something done about it. Even if the seller refunds me, they seldom refund shipping. And I buy heavy vintage and antique fan sometimes that weigh 30-40 lbs packed, that's a lot of money to be loosing just to find out that your seller didn't care enough to pack it well.

This is not intended to be argumentative, it's only MY opinion, and we all know what there like.

Doug Rose

#145
No argument at all, but sometimes the buyer needs an education. I am on both sides of this discussion. Fans are the toughest item by far to package. If the cage and blade are not removed and sent separately the fan WILL be ruined. Where there is uneven weight distribution this should not be taken on by anyone but a professional. Hopefully the buyer of the fan will let the seller know before the auction ends, just what is expected for a safe travel of the fan. 95% of eBay sellers would not be capable of this even if they had the knowledge before hand. Everyone wants their item shipped the cheapest way possible and do NOT want to hear the expense of sending it safely. MOST sellers are not professional packers and do need your guidance. Some will not listen no matter what you tell them.

Buyers....Just don't lump every seller in the same pile. We try very hard to have the item we send arrive in the pictured condition.

Remember....there are some buyers who are not happy no matter what you do of how you do it. .Doug...
Kidphone

Jim Stettler

The worst packing I ever received was 2 500 sets in a box (no packing at all). Amazingly the only damage was to a hollow fingerwheel.
Jim
You live, You learn,
You die, you forget it all.

jsowers

Quote from: Jim S. on January 21, 2011, 12:08:17 PM
The worst packing I ever received was 2 500 sets in a box (no packing at all). Amazingly the only damage was to a hollow fingerwheel.
Jim

Same here, Jim, and it was a standard flat rate box and I wasn't as lucky as you. One of the phone housings cracked. I have the pictures to prove it. It makes me wince every time I see it, like an accident scene. I just packed the blue phone away to avoid the anger and one day I may get back to it. Luckily the phones were cheap. They were valuable, though. Both were soft plastic 591s, which are a little rarer than the average 500 set. This was August, 2007.

I posted the box picture before, but it bears repeating. You can't be too careful in sending packing instructions. I did send them to this seller and they were ignored. I had no idea two 500s could be crammed into a flat rate box like that. I have trouble packing one in properly.
Jonathan

Phoniac

Not trying to take away from the subject here but, eBay sellers that sell fans don't always have the ability to remove the blades of a fan. This is because most Emerson fan blades screw onto the rotor and you need to wedge or stop the rotor from turning in a way that it doesn't damage the motor to take the blade off.

I asked a seller the last time if he'd do this and even called him to give him instructions. But before I could even finish he stated that he was a mechanic and could do it without problems. Well, to make a long story short, he gouge the stator so bad that it ruined it and would no longer run. hence fourth, I never ask them to remove the blades on Emerson's.

brenthyatt

Sorry to hear of your loss. I used to collect vintage Singer sewing machines and Ebay sellers seemed to think that anything cast iron could be packed as haphazardly as an anvil. I lost 2 due to poor packing even after I offered to pay extra for quality packing. My theory is if you can't throw it on a concrete floor from a 10 foot step ladder without damage, it isn't packed well, because that is exactly the care the post office or UPS will give it.  It's a d*mn shame to see a collectible survive the best part of a century, only to be destroyed by careless packing.