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I am sure some of you have had to file claims before with UPS. I shipped a sign and had them pack it. I paid for a 30"x15x10 box, 30"x15x10 "mat", and they sandwiched it between two pieces of cardboard.  :darn: The guy got the sign today and they had bent it in half!  :censored: Hopefully it is relatively easy to get the guy his $ from UPS. I am going to the UPS Store tomorrow.

Here is a before shot that I have and the afters that he sent.

This is the packing job they did. Just two pieces of cardboard with nothing in between but the sign. Not even close to what I paid for (sigh).

I'd then follow up with UPS, and report the store for fraud.  They did not use the materials you were charged for, and don't let them try to deny  your claim with their  " it was packed poorly" claim.
 I had a friend ship a customer's painted Harley gas tank through UPS, it arrived with a hole on the side from a hilo blade. And yes,  it was first denied with the above reason.

I HATE it when a seller uses UPS Pack & Ship to send stuff I won! They almost always overcharge and never pack it as I would like. I have won two items off eBay and the sellers both used UPS Pack & Ship. One was a Vendo Coin Changer - fortunately the handle was the only part broken. I filed a claim and was reimbursed for the damage. The second was a cardboard backed 'Hart' DP scuba diver poster and they packaged it just like your Coke sign and it arrived in the same condition. I won the DP poster for $15 and never filed a claim because of possible value dispute and hassle.
Furthermore - it releases the seller from any wrong-doing and they have an easy way out saying contact UPS. That is what I did on the VCC because the seller just told me to check with UPS because he handed responsibility over to them when he delivered it to them. I didn't leave FB for either of them.  :veryangry:

No offence Dan!

It's guaranteed automaticaly when packed by a UPS store I thought. I have gotten things with thoughtless packing like that. When some stuff gets damaged though, you would rather have had the item than a refund. So irritating to find something that's in great shape, then have some bonehead skimp on packing.  :censored: Good luck and I feel for you.

Definatley go back to the Pack and SHip, you bought a box that was 10" thick, in order for it NOT TO bend, and they packaged it this way!?/ wow.. I'd fight for money back, plus fight to keep the sign as they ruined a piece of history!

I don't think they can use that claim as they packed it. Their "Pack and Ship Promise" says that they will refund the value of the item along with the costs paid for packing materials. Of course I went back to the store today and the manager has to call me back because "she is the one who handles the claims".

No offense.  I went to the store today to try to get the claim started. Actually, I want to follow through with it myself because I included UPS shipping in the buy it now price. So, I actually paid $28.16 to have it packed and shipped.

Exactly. I would have rather kept it than have it ruined like that. It was nice and they don't realize that it isn't easy to replace. They don't just sell them in the grocery store. The thing is, I don't think the buyer is going to be very patient in getting his refund. He says the insurance is between me and the shipper, when actually I bet I will need assistance on his end to complete the claim.

All these companies now are just after the buck, they don't care how they make the money, just send the item the cheapest way possible and they think you will forget any claim because it's such a hassle to get your money back.

Actually, the biggest problem I am having is that the buyer wants the refund "now" and is not really cooperating on the other end. I could have said, "oh well, you deal with UPS", but I didn't. I went back to that store twice today. UPS needs to pick up the packaging and sign from him next week and all I am getting so far is "you paid for the insurance, you deal with it". I paid for insurance up to the sign's value to protect the buyer more than me. But I need the buyer's cooperation to complete the damage claim.

Dan, send all  messages thorugh Ebay so you have a record he received them, and have documentation  if the seller is a pain later on ( not that I don't think he is one now) If he files a neagative against you, you can use the  messages to  have Ebay Revoke it.

As the buyer, it's always fallen on to me to launch the claims, so what you're doing  goes above and beyond your responsibility, and you're a good person for that.

DO NOT refund him the money before he refunds the sign. If he never sends the sign  in to UPS, you have no claim, and you're out.  If he's likes to tell you, "you paid for the insurance, you deal with it"  then you tell him you're calling the shots, and this is how  t's going to be.


Sorry to be so negative, but I'm still cranky from a recent experience with shoddy packaing, a 78 record was packed in crumbled newspaper. I paid for insurance, and the post office laughed and denied the claim as improperly packaged.   
Stand your ground, if he wants you to deal with his claim, he can wait for refund

Right. I always thought the buyer normally handled the claims, especially since he is in posession of the evidence. Seems like you're really trying to work with him too. If the guy's that much of a jerk, he'll probably leave you a neg to boot on Ebay.
   On another note the same exact thing happened to me with a 78. Got a great deal on a record I wanted. I get it and it's in a padded mailing envelope with a ball of newspaper on each side, like it was even going to make it on to the truck in one piece. Seller stiffed me to boot.  :veryangry:

 

Dan I Feel Bad for you on this, If you don't get this resolved I would go to the Papers and do a letter to the editor or even maybe USA today ,they love stories like this  8).

This whole shipping ordeal has turned into a nightmare.  Prices have gone way up and service has hit the bottom.... The post office is just as bad or worse..(in my area).   On another note -  as a buyer, don't you take on some responsibility for the product ?  People think  - that just because I paid for it - i do not have to bother with shipping problems....   

Not to take attention away from Dan's case, but I have just went through similar issues on two different Seeburg Background Music Systems!
Both sellers said they worked perfectly, but when they arrived, they where far from functioning! Fortunately, PayPal was in my favor and reimbursed my money even though the seller disagreed. My second case, still in transit back to the seller, has not made it to a PayPal Claim, I've filed a dispute and I'm in the process of working this out with the seller as he assures me I will get a full refund... He said he'll see why it's not functioning, get it working as it should then allow me to re-purchase if I want it still...
I spoke with UPS and their position seems to be anything fragile will require double boxing for a claim!
I've been very extremely upset with UPS as these items did seem packaged well for shipment.
My first seller has relisted the item describing its non-working issue due to UPS ! ! !

Yeah, it can be a pain, but after my last email where I at some length explained that I am being very fair and that he will have to be patient as there is a process it has to go through, he did email his phone # to me since UPS had asked for it. I know he doesn't want to wait, but will have to.
When I showed the lady at UPS the pics of how they packed it, she said that is how they always pack flat items like that. I told her it wasn't how I was told it would be packed and not how I would've done it. I now have one to send to Canada (even though I wasn't planning on sending it out of the country and now have to check on shipping it out of the US) and will probably pack it myself.
I can't see how they can get out of paying for it since they packed it and are supposedly a "Pack and Ship" promise location.

Since they packed it, I would think they stand behind it? hopefully..
I've shipped a few flat items/signs like that, but I've always wrapped them, then sandwiched them between two pieces of plywood, or for the very rare signs I've built a crate for them, and in 2 ocassions when i was buying new old stock rare signs , I built the crate, sent it to the seller, instructed them on how to package it, and they sent it back to me in MY wooden crate and the it has worked very well.. yes you pay more to ship two ways, but when dealing with signs that are valued over 2k.. it was worth it..
I used to use this photo when I told people how well I packaged things to send to them..
usually got a few laughs, and some snide remarks...

John,

I was wondering who sent me those two darn boys of mine!  I thought it was from the stork.  Can I return them for a full refund?  Ther're a bit bigger now.  I'll even double box them for ya.  :biggrin:

UPS picked up the sign from him today. He emailed and said now he is out the sign and doesn't have his money. He wants his refund today. But I can't do that then I would be out the sign and the money. I need to call UPS and see if the refund goes to him or me.

Update: Well, UPS is sending a refund check to me so that I can refund the buyer for the sign. Of course, two days ago the buyer left me neg feedback because he "had to go through eBay to get a refund for a damaged sign", which isn't true because I said from day one I would refund the $ once the claim was final with UPS. Oh well.

Oh well, my patootie. With the new rules governing feedback, that negative could hurt you later on,
I'd fight it ro get Ebay to remove it, if you kept the emails, you have you were more than fair, and he buyer was a pita ( pain in the ***) and unfairly I may add

And what? You  misplaced the refund check from UPS...

Yes I agree misplaced the UPS check. I'd tell the buyer to stick it you know where.
Joey

That really bites Dan! Sorry the deal went all wrong...sounds like the buyer is a real A-hole!
Is the UPS check payable to you? Do you have the damaged sign too? I'd tell the buyer to stick and say that you have been a patient person and he has been unreasonable, so take a hike...

I'm not  suggesting don't pay him, but hey, you keep forgetting to go get stamps,  it's in the overhead console of the van, and the van is in the shop for a few days,   you're pretty sure you remember where you left the envelope, you think...

And lodge a protest to Ebay to get that negative removed., I've seen nasty comments left for buyers, even though the comments say otherwise..

Yes. The check is payable to me. I got it in the mail today. I was the one who dealt with UPS to get the refund. That was fine by me since they refunded the price of the sign and the packing costs. (In the auction I said I would cover shipping over a certain amount. The guy actually paid the shipping in his original payment and I refunded that money before the sign ever went out because in the ad I said it would be covered. Never even got a "hey thanks" for that either.

Good ? about the damaged sign. I don't know where it went after it was picked up from him.

Yeah, I'm not in a hurry to refund it now and I won't do it through paypal once I do.  I was looking at how to request that the feedback be removed...I guess I just contact eBay? All of my emails I sent through ebay.

Dan,

Ebay Messaging doesn't keep messages very long, so act promptly in getting the negative feedback addressed!
As far as the feedback is concerned, was a "Dispute" filled by the buyer...? If so, then steps need to be taken to ensure a solution' if not, the Dispute escalates to a "Claim" where PayPal will review and determine a result... If this has occurred and you agreed to refund, then you have a little time to refund. With this said, if your messages explain your intentions and this buyer has acted out of order, then I would hope Ebay would remove the negative feedback based on your intentions expressed within the messages.
What I have done was copy/paste all messages between seller/buyer and create a text doc so I could have a record on my computer long after ebay removed messages.
I even went as far as creating a web page for this a seller that didn't refund my $70 in the event someone searched for the ebay seller, windyridgecollectables (http://soda-machines.com/windyridgecollectables.html)

Just my six cents...

Well, they won't remove the feedback. Even though I went through all that trouble getting his money back (which I did refund once the UPS claim was done). They said his feedback didn't break any rules. What sux is I can't leave neg for him.

I'd block this buyer from buying any more of your stuff. There's a blocked buyer's list you can use. Here it is:

http://pages.ebay.com/services/buyandsell/biddermanagement.html (http://pages.ebay.com/services/buyandsell/biddermanagement.html)