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The CRPF "Bad Packing" awards

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

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HarrySmith

WOW! That is a shame. Is that a 50's Mahogany Brown 500?
Harry Smith
ATCA 4434
TCI

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

FABphones

Quote from: Doug Rose on August 03, 2020, 09:39:33 AM
Not a bit of packing....None!

Argh! What is up with these people >:(
Do you add a packing info message? I do, a nice polite one (but you still wouldn't believe some of the narky replies received from some sellers :o )
A collector of  'Monochrome Phones with Sepia Tones'   ...and a Duck!
***********
Vintage Phones - 10% man made, 90% Tribble
*************

Doug Rose

I always send them the info to   "please pack the handset in bubble way from the phone with plenty of packing so the phone doesn't move in the box."

Like you, sometimes I get a "I know how to pack" answer which is fine. I have no idea what this guy was thinking. He ignored me completely and then refunded the phone price only. eBay stepped in and did the right thing.

How do you drop a phone in a box and think....that's good! I knew the minute I picked up the box, my phone was in trouble...Doug
Kidphone

Key2871

Yea, that's real sad.. They should make sellers go to packing school before shipping anything.
KEN

MMikeJBenN27

I've said it before, so I will say it again.  Phones MUST be packed in such a way that they are SURROUNDED by packaging material so that they can't move around and so that the packaging material can absorb impacts.  Above all though, you really should use "Special Handling" and pay the extra $12.00.  In addition to "Fragile" stickers, it will be shipped in it's own bin and will not be thrown or kicked.  It really works.

Mike

artdecobuchwald

#485
So, an Automatic Electric model 34 popped up on Ebay with a "buy it now" price of $29.99.  It had just been listed, so I thought I had better pounce.  It didn't look in terrific condition, maybe a little crack in the front, and no indication of ringer retaining screws from the picture of the bottom.
Anyway, a few days later it showed up on my porch in a flat-rate shipping box with virtually no padding.  It looked like it had been through hell.
I opened it only to find that the shell had been cracked in two from the post office mishandling.  I notified the seller that I was even more disappointed in her lame packaging than I was by the postal abuse.  She gave me a full refund of purchase and shipping price.  I knew all along that this was a good deal, whatever condition the phone... and now it was free!  See attached pics.
Turns out the unit is complete, I hope with a straight line ringer.  How often do decent AE34 shells come available?  Thanks, Adam



LarryInMichigan

I noticed that phone on ebay and was tempted to buy it, but I already have two AE34s, so I passed.  It is an awful shame that it was damaged.  You should be able to put it back together using cyanoacrylate Super Glue.  It does a good job on bakelite and is dirt cheap (It is sold by Dollar Tree).  If you carefully fill the cracks, you can sand and polish the super glue to a shiny finish.

Larry

artdecobuchwald

Thanks Larry, I may very well do that.  I'm a little deflated right now, so it isn't something I'll be jumping into.  In the mean time I'll keep my eyes peeled for a good deal on a shell.   They're out there...  :)

markosjal

Just FYI

I transported a telephone collection from Jalisco Mexico to Oregon USA by car. and want to share a tip for anyone moving/transporting their own phones whether it be for shows or from winter to summer home (as I did in Mexico too) .

At first I used Cat Litter buckets like those in the first pic. Now I have supplemented those with buckets like from Home Depot or Harbor Freight Tools with lids.

I wrap each phone in bubble wrap, with receiver separately wrapped and can normally fit about three phones in each bucket , depending on type. I always put Metal phones on bottom of buckets with more delicate and lightweight phones like Plastic and bakelite on top


I have transported phones this way many times including from Jalisco Mexico to Oregon USA by car, and never broken a single phone

Buckets can be neatly stacked occupying little floor space. Phones will not collect dust!



Phat Phantom's phreaking phone phettish

SUnset2

It was with great trepidation that I opened this bulging box.  Though the handset was wrapped in bubble wrap, it was on top of the phone, and there was not enough padding for the abuses it was likely to receive.  The base of the phone arrived unscathed, however.  I was charged the shipping rate for a large flat rate box, but it was crammed into a medium flat rate box.  Do shippers realize that writing "Fragile" on a box does not get it any special handling?

markosjal

Quote from: SUnset2 on February 06, 2021, 01:41:25 AM
It was with great trepidation that I opened this bulging box.  Though the handset was wrapped in bubble wrap, it was on top of the phone, and there was not enough padding for the abuses it was likely to receive.  The base of the phone arrived unscathed, however.  I was charged the shipping rate for a large flat rate box, but it was crammed into a medium flat rate box.  Do shippers realize that writing "Fragile" on a box does not get it any special handling?

Ouch! That hurts! Can we see the rest of this beauty?
Phat Phantom's phreaking phone phettish

Doug Rose

Quote from: SUnset2 on February 06, 2021, 01:41:25 AM
It was with great trepidation that I opened this bulging box.  Though the handset was wrapped in bubble wrap, it was on top of the phone, and there was not enough padding for the abuses it was likely to receive.  The base of the phone arrived unscathed, however.  I was charged the shipping rate for a large flat rate box, but it was crammed into a medium flat rate box.  Do shippers realize that writing "Fragile" on a box does not get it any special handling?

Paul....that is horrible. Such a great phone. I had an Ivory handset get snapped like that and it glued together and was barely seen with repair.

We have shipped hundreds of 302s in a medium flat with no issues. I know that is not the point. Was there too much packing inside that forced the handset out?

You should get all your money back and hopefully keep the phone.....Doug
Kidphone

zenithchromacolor

Quote from: SUnset2 on February 06, 2021, 01:41:25 AM
It was with great trepidation that I opened this bulging box.  Though the handset was wrapped in bubble wrap, it was on top of the phone, and there was not enough padding for the abuses it was likely to receive.  The base of the phone arrived unscathed, however.  I was charged the shipping rate for a large flat rate box, but it was crammed into a medium flat rate box.  Do shippers realize that writing "Fragile" on a box does not get it any special handling?

That is not the medium flat rate box, it is the regional rate box A, which is smaller than the medium flat rate box and made from a very thin cardboard. It looks like they bought the postage at a Post Office, but you can only buy the regional rate postage online, so maybe it was charged the regular Priority rate (postage price on box is higher than the highest regional rate A cost). That box is certainly not appropriate for a rare phone like that. I like to use the Priority Mail 12x12x8 boxes (not flat rate) for most desk phones.

TelePlay

That was not the first time that box was used and looking at the top it shows the parts did not fit into that box and any blows to the top of the box during shipment were direct blows to the parts stuffed into the box.

Boxes must be large enough to fit all parts with room for padding between the parts and around the sides to act as a cushion from external blows. That box was shipped to cause transit damage.

A medium flat rate box will easily take a 302 or 500 as long as the parts are packed with care, have appropriate protection forf each part and have sufficient padding to absorb external blows and keep the items safe.

SUnset2

They paid the rate for the medium flat rate box, and I paid the rate for the large flat rate box.