Uncrate and examine your shipped equipment before you sign the acceptance paper!

G

Grizzly Bear

Well-Known Member
I thought I would pass on a big mistake I made that may save someone the problem I was faced with by accepting shipment of a crated band saw without opening the crate and examining the saw before I signed the shipping release form.

I ordered my saw on line for a $500 savings with free shipping. The saw arrived at my house, I had the driver take my saw to my garage for storage until my knife shop was finished. When it was time to un-crate the saw, I discovered that the saw had been dropped, the upper portion of the saw was caved in and the table was broken off. The saw was encased in a white opaque plastic and the flimsy crate was still in tact but was wobbly.

Since I didn't see any broken boards on the crate and couldn't see the saw through the plastic covering the saw, I had no idea that the saw was damaged until I opened it 5 months later. Needless to say, when I called the company that I bought it from, they told me that since I had signed the shipping form (accepting the delivery) and since it had been 5 months since I purchased the saw, I was stuck with a broken $1,500 vertical metal cutting band saw.

Since I got no satisfaction as to compensation for my broken saw (even though it was not my fault and there was no way that I could have known that the saw was damaged by looking at it through the crate and opaque plastic covering), I repaired the saw myself. I was able to repair the saw by buying several parts and Frankensteining it so that it works.

I have learned the hard way to uncrate all shipments and examine the merchandise before signing the shipping acceptance form. Just let the driver stew a while if he doesn't like waiting for you to examine YOUR equipment.

I hope my experience saves someone the headache/heartbreak that I went through.

Good knife making,

Grizzly Bear
 
That stinks- but at east you had the skills to make the most of a bad situation. Thanks for the warning. I've accepted some stuff that way (the driver always seems in a hurry to move on). In the future, I think I need to be less concerned about his schedule and examine the merchandise before signing off on it.
 
Well that stinks! I guess the moral of the story is open the shipment and take a look-see even if you are going to place in on the back burner for a while. Although I have been guilty of the same thing.

I think I would sit down and do a detailed letter about the purchase, and the subsequent problems. May not do a bit of good but waste your time but you never know! Address that letter to Head of Customer Relations/Sales and send it so a signature is required when they get the mail!! There is a good chance whoever you talked to was not top dog on the totem pole, and sometimes reaching the top dog can do things that you just can't accomplish with the dude on the phone!!!
 
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I feel your pain! When I ordered my G0704 mill from Grizzly earlier this year, it showed up with the crate in great conditon. Like you, when I didn't see any damage to the crate, I signed the shipping release.

When I took off one side of the crate, thats when I found the interior pallet (that the mill was bolted too) had broken, dropping the mill on two of its three hand wheels (the ones on the table) and broken two of them off. RATS!!

I started snapping pictures with my phone, and after several emails with all the pics, and a couple of phone calls to Grizzly, they shipped me the parts I needed to repair it. About a month later I got a call from the shipper, asking for the photos I'd sent to Grizzly......which I sent them.

My situation wasn't too painful of an ordeal, but having a new mill, that I basically couldn't even finish uncrating for the better part of two weeks was frustrating. It taught me a lesson..... I had another piece of equipment show up about a month afterward..... the driver got a little ticked off when I refused to sign the shipping forms until I opened the crate, but this one checked out fine, and I only held him up about 20 mins.

Considering the amount of money we pay for these items, I personally don't care anymore whether a delivery driver is delayed a bit or not..... he/she isn't getting any signature from me until the crate is open, and I verify that all is good. :)
 
I've been lucky so far I guess. But after reading this thread, my motto will be "let the driver wait while I open the crate."
 
I'm glad you posted this Grizzly, and you as well Ed. I'm receiving my Grizzly G0704 mill the day after tomorrow. I didn't even think about opening it before I signed. But I definitely will now.

John

Sent from my SM-N910P using Tapatalk
 
Concerning the Grizzly mill...... mine came crated up with two pallets on the bottom..... the larger was on the outside, and had the a smaller pallet with the mill bolted to it, nailed to the larger pallet..... thats why I couldn't see the damage from the outside. Once I saw the inside, it was obvious that the crate had been dropped hard (likely several times).

Don't let the delivery driver rush you!!! Keep in mind that the delivery driver is only required to bring the item to the "curb".... so be preparted/have the equipment to move the crate where you want it. My delivery driver was nice enough to bring the pallet jack with the crate on it down the driveway to the apron of my shop.

Here's a tip: IF you ever sign for a crate/shipment without fully inspecting it (inside and out), before you "sign on the line", jot down this verbage on the same sheet where you sign for the shipment.... "Signed for Pending inspection for damage". I've had several vendors who specifically told me to do that when they've shipped machines to me over the years, and a couple of times it saved me.
 
EdCaffreyMS said:
Concerning the Grizzly mill...... mine came crated up with two pallets on the bottom..... the larger was on the outside, and had the a smaller pallet with the mill bolted to it, nailed to the larger pallet..... thats why I couldn't see the damage from the outside. Once I saw the inside, it was obvious that the crate had been dropped hard (likely several times).

Don't let the delivery driver rush you!!! Keep in mind that the delivery driver is only required to bring the item to the "curb".... so be preparted/have the equipment to move the crate where you want it. My delivery driver was nice enough to bring the pallet jack with the crate on it down the driveway to the apron of my shop.

Here's a tip: IF you ever sign for a crate/shipment without fully inspecting it (inside and out), before you "sign on the line", jot down this verbage on the same sheet where you sign for the shipment.... "Signed for Pending inspection for damage". I've had several vendors who specifically told me to do that when they've shipped machines to me over the years, and a couple of times it saved me.
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Thank you Ed. I will do this as well.

John

Sent from my SM-N910P using Tapatalk
 
My UPS driver asks us to sign for a package. If we see damage, he wont let you open to inspect it, or to see if anything is missing. Says if you open it, its yours. Is this right.
 
Never heard that one before. I have to believe thats a single UPS driver being a butthead. Personally, I won't use UPS for any of my shipping, because of too many bad/painful experiences with them. In my experience UPS has a habit of "changing the rules" to fit whatever best gives them the advantage of a situation. Were it me in that situation, I'd be calling the local UPS hub and asking some questions.

That being said, I don't have any control over what shipper my suppliers use, and most of my supplies arrive via UPS. For the most part, there are only two different drivers that deliver to my shop, and I've come to know them over the years, which I suspect has saved me a lot of grief. :)
 
I've had a couple large items delivered freight and the semi-truck driver was in a huge hurry and grumbled and griped when I wanted to look in the box/crate. He pretty much said he wasn't waiting around. I also had FedEx deliver a wood crated machine to the house, but I didn't have the tools handy to open it, and they pretty much said they weren't waiting either. Not an easy situation.
 
Thats where you just have to put your foot down and not sign for it until you're satisfied...... or just let them go without a signature. If you give in to them rushing you, it just means your gona eat whatever damages are there (if there are any), or at the very least go down a rocky road trying to get things corrected.

Quick little story that caused my change of heart...... TWO burgmaster OB drill presses, shipped via UPS, they were dropped off while I wasn't at the shop, and when I opened them, both were literally destroyed....castings broken, uprights bent, one motor broken off. Eventhough I had placed $2,000 worth of shipping insurance on them, after battling with UPS for 7 months, and going all the way to their corp headquarters, they still refused to pay the claim based on "the shipment was considered accepted because it was delivered to the correct address"......... so after that rodeo, a delivery driver can gumble and gripe all they want..... I don't sign for ANYTHING unless I inspect it.
 
Personally, I won't use UPS for any of my shipping, because of too many bad/painful experiences with them. In my experience UPS has a habit of "changing the rules" to fit whatever best gives them the advantage of a situation. Were it me in that situation, I'd be calling the local UPS hub and asking some questions
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If you ask UPS any direct questions remember when they answer it should begin with "Once upon a time" because you are going to hear a fairy tail. The last time I dealt with UPS they would not get the package out of the truck until i signed for it. Because of that and other bad experiences I will turn a sale down if UPS is the only shipping option.

I'm cranky the driver can let me look at it or take it back drivers choice. If your dealing with a shipping company over damages the phrase "I never signed anything" has a lot of weight behind it.
 
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