The Good 'Ol UPS Destruction Service

[K6IC]

When UPS Ground first started accepting shipments up to 150 Lbs,  there was a Driver AND a Helper on the truck (at least in our area).  This was not too hard on the humans, and easy on the shipped item.  Later the Helper was elinimated.  It was up to the driver to do it all.

A few years ago bought 4 large power inverters.  Each weighed 147 or 148 Lbs in its package.  The UPS truck pulled up,  driver rolled up the back door,  and pushed the box out of the back of the truck.  Bingo,  on pesky lifting of heavy freight,  onto the hand truck and the job was done.  The inverters seem to have been packaged to accommodate this delivery technology,  as they seem to work,  still.

I expect that this is the usual technique in dealing with 75 + Lb packages.  And the drop to the pavement is not MORE THAN THREE FEET,  after all.  What's the worry?  Any problems,  it has to be a packing problem !

But,  agree,  it is astonishing to me that so many items shipped by individuals are SSSO0OOOOOO  POORLY packed.  Often seems to be no concept of the Laws of Physics  on the part of the shipper.

Altho,  I am not a Physicst either -- too hard to spell.    Vic

[K5WLF]

I think you just gotta be smarter than the shipping personnel are clumsy (or downright vicious).

We recently shipped a 6" refractor telescope from our observatory in TX to a scope manufacturer in AZ for some machining to mount a new CCD imager. We covered it in a couple garbage bags, hung it  horizontally by wires in a plywood "coffin" we built for it and sprayed expansion foam until it came about half way up the diameter of the scope. We let that foam set and then topped off the remaining area in the box with foam. After the top layer of foam set, we sliced it even with the top of the coffin and screwed the lid down. Stenciled "FRAGILE" all over it.

The scope guru did his machining magic and sent it back the same way. It's back riding on the side of our 32" Ritchey-Chretien, still perfectly collimated after riding FedEx both ways.

It may be of interest that the scope guy recommends only FedEx, since he's had problems with UPS.

ldb
K5WLF

[KC4VWU]

Well... It's been a month now; as of tomorrow, 3 weeks since I sent the info to UPS. Nothing heard from them or the seller. I emailed UPS requesting information, but of course they will not release it to me. So, it looks like I've learned a very costly lesson. No more buys that I can't see firsthand, and no more business with UPS. Father's Day present just turned into major Father's Day project. This may take quite a while.

Phil

[Opcom]

fedex has not broken anything yet but there is always a frst time.

usps has delivered ball-shaped cartons with destroyed audio amplifiers inside. the cartons were rectangular when handed over.

ups will lie cheat and steal to avoid paying you your just claim no matter how you packed it. They are the worst and have a terrible reputation for trying to cheat customers and make it as hard as possible to file and collect claims.

I had a heck of a time packing all that gear individually or however, leenyars and tunas, from the last estate for a couple guys up in yankeeland. I was very afraid it would be smashed, but I got to say, just using your head and not trying to skimp on smallish box sizes, and using bubble wrap, not those dang peanuts which shift and flow everywhere. Also, if something like a wad of cables or the like has to go, it can be put in a "pizza box" type of carton. that is a shallow one, but wide and long. This then helps the packing if it is on the side or top. Cardboard tubing- -yes.. also, cutting cardboard strips out of old boxes and folding them into triangles, then tape. - make your own knob-tube or even front-panel-keeper. On each side of the carton, a 5x5" FRAGILE sticker, up-arrows, and on top, a "DELICATE INSTRUMENTS" sticker. I ought to buy some tip-n-tells.

haha btw guys can I have the 8122 pleaaase?