The Steel Guitar Forum

After 3 in a row packages being screwed up by Fedex, I am putting the word out for your protection; use Fedex ground at your own peril! These guys have been my only choice for shipping for over a year. UPS glories in breaking instruments (6 vintage guitars broken in a year, only one paid for) so I refuse to buy instruments where the shipper uses UPS only. I turned to Fedex since they are actually cheaper and were more reliable for a time at getting the packages out.
I recently traded my beloved Sierra 8 string lap for an MSA U12, my first ever PSG! Excitedly awaiting the arrival of my instrument I watched the tracking until, lo and behold, it was on the vehicle for delivery on Saturday. My wife and I cancelled our plans to wait for it's arrival.
The instrument sat in the back of a Fedex home delivery truck all day, hot and being bounced around with the potholes, and was never delivered; the driver made an early evening of it and left the tail end of his deliveries on the truck. That means that my guitar sits in a metal truck in Atlanta, getting heated and cooled until Wednesday when they will attempt delivery again.
This is not the first time, the last one they did this on was a '66 Gibson Firebird and it cost me $300 to get the neck pressed straight again, and it will never be quite right; I took a loss selling it. So use Fedex at your own risk, you've been warned. It doesn't matter how many they get right, multiple times screwing this up and not being willing to correct it is not acceptable. Cut 'em off, boycott is the best means to protest bad service- hit 'em in the wallet.
Nuff sed.

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Rickenbacher T-Logo Bakelite lap steel, Peavey Delta Blues, Proco Rat, Lap Dawg bar

Then I'd have to boycott everyone, as I've had nightmare stories with USPS and UPS both. It's a shame. What to do?

<SMALL>What to do?</SMALL>

The Pony Express

Hey Keith, Similar experience with UPS a couple of weeks ago. I tracked the net and saw it was in KC where I lived and had a destination scan to be delivered the following day. I had been counting down and anxious of getting my Dekley. Anyhow I drove to UPS to see if I could pick it up that evening. They said no. The next day I figured around 4 PM the truck would arrive. There he was and dilevered a small package for my wife. I asked if he had a 70lb box. He said it was due but did'nt make it on the truck. I was furious, stomped in, got on the net and checked tracking. Forgotten and no attempt for redelivery until the following day. I got on the phone and chewed some. I got it an hour later. Chris G

Well if I could have gotten someone to get it for me in a day or so I would have been OK, but they are taking until Wednesday for the holiday, so it sits in the truck, in the sun, for 3 days. That is the real problem here for me, I can be patient if my stuff isn't at risk but 3 days in the heat is not a good idea for any instrument.

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Rickenbacher T-Logo Bakelite lap steel, Peavey Delta Blues, Proco Rat, Lap Dawg bar

you have really got me wondering when that Sierra is going to arrive Keith..how come you have to wait until Wednesday? what about Monday?

Monday is memorial day, Tuesday they are taking off due to working saturday. Only the Home Delivery guys are getting that day.

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Rickenbacher T-Logo Bakelite lap steel, Peavey Delta Blues, Proco Rat, Lap Dawg bar

oh yes, the holiday, i forgot...i'm sure glad i loosened those strings...it'll be ok

UPS is no better,just trade steels with a friend in Ga.when he got it,case was dropped and squaded up.They are shipping the case back and forth to us.thank God the guitar wasn't hurt, it was insured for 1800.00 but now,they don't want to pay for the case it seems.

My question is how is the best way to pack and ship a steel??seems the insurance is no good,it's always our fault something happened.i'm fixing to ship the LDG sho-bud i sold next wk. and got a emmons push pull coming. man i'm on pins and needles now.
farris

I have shipped 4 steels thru the post office USPS,never had any problems so far that way,but if over 70lbs forget it.anyone had anytrouble with the postoffice shipping. farris

I've used all three services for shipping guitars domestically and internationally, without any loss or damage claims. (I attribute that equally to good packing and good luck.) In my experience, if you ask a driver or customer-service rep for packing rules, you'll get a different answer every time. And when you try to find written documentation, the results vary ...

FedEx has a How To Pack brochure that gives the following special requirements:

<I>Stringed Musical Instruments

- Loosen the tension on the strings to remove the stress on the neck of the instrument
- Place the instrument into its case
- Fill any voids under the neck, around the body and on top of the instrument with Bubble Wrap to prevent movement within the case
- Place the instrument in a larger box with a minimum of 3 inches of Bubble Wrap or loose-fill peanuts between the inner and outer boxes if the instrument is in a soft-sided case
-- Wrap hard cases with 3 inches of Bubble Wrap before placing in the outer box. Then fill voids with additional Bubble Wrap.</I>

UPS has several web pages that give packaging guidelines, but I can't find any specific references to packing stringed instruments.

US Postal Service has the most vague, no-brainer packaging tips of them all.<font size="1" color="#8e236b"><p align="center">[This message was edited by Russ Young on 29 May 2005 at 10:30 AM.]</p></FONT>

I have never received or shipped a steel in more than cardboard box.am i wrong? even when receiving from Emmons co.,sho-bud,nashville steel guitars,Marrs music,always in a sleeve cardboard box.now i'm understanding must have 3inches foam around case?? DONT make sense at all to me.I think should be a little more care in handleing.don't throw it like a football.after all a 70lb box should be treated with some respect. farris

I sold a Gibson Super 400 last year for $6500. I needed to ship it from Atlanta to Texas. I chose FedEx. I packed the instrument as if it was going to Mars. I had no problems with FedEx at all. I have repaired musical instruments destroyed by airlines, UPS, PO, FedEx you name it. It is all in the packing.

I bought some guitars in the US the last year and have them shipped by Fedex Int. Priority. All good packed and arrived save at my place. One had a delay in Frankfurt for a day without any special reason.

I shipped a few guitars around in Europe and
used UPS for that. Everytime I traced the shipping and was very happy when they made it in good conditon to their destination.

Packing seems to be a very important fact on it. I packed them as carefull as I could.
Inside the case and always used a cardbox, too.

I also took some p/p with me on the plane and twice they got scratches outside and some springs and clips went off. Even when I put labels on it "handle with care" eg.

Besides packing a big portion of luck is
neccessary as well.

Good luck for your guitars, Farris.

MS

I have found the best method to ship is Greyhound. It is more costly, but the instrument receives minimal handling and is picked up by the new owner directly from the nearest terminal.

Thank you Manfred,i have never had any problem until the last UPS,shippment.looks like they dropped it on a corner and mashed the case. Just don't know which way to go now.Driver picked up the case last wk.and said they probaly won't pay for that,since it was only cardboard box around the case.
He said those cases arent much.sure,they are not and armored case,but well built.
and the price of freight anymore can't afford to build a plywood box. farris

I agree with David. I've shipped items by bus several times, with good results. The box rides down in the belly of the bus, so there's not much lifting and hoisting by the handlers.

Lee, from South Texas

I have had the best luck wrapping the steel's case with 1/2 inch styrofoam sheets like you can get at Home Depot, cutting a case to go around it & leaving a slot for the handle, so the carrier can use the handle to move the box. Works wonders when they can carry a 50-70# case by the handle.

Tom,you are right,but i did that toooo.left the handle out to make it easy on them,I think ups must use a fork lift,so handle didn't help at all.guess dropped the whole pallet it looked like. farris

At www.steelseat.com we use only Fed Ex Ground Shipping. We have had LESS problems with them than UPS or USPS and we settle claims easily because we don't ship through a third party (we take our steelseats directly to the terminal). Just lucky I guess! WC

That is what I had been doing WC. The service started out very gung ho about making sure that things got handled, but they seem to have lost their interest in making sure that people are happy with their service. Once or twice, I can see that but this has been the last few packages with only one successful delivery. UPS is not an option under any circumstances, broken instruments ended that. I guess DHL or USPS are my only options; fortunately I ship lighter stuff most often.

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Rickenbacher T-Logo Bakelite lap steel, Peavey Delta Blues, Proco Rat, Lap Dawg bar

Keith,
you should have hasd it shipped Tuseday AFTER Memorial day.

The idea was that they deliver it BEFORE the holiday, instead of hauling it around over Atlanta potholes all day. And it is coming to me, I didn't ship anything at all...

Keith I understand the direction of delivery.
I just would have thought to maybe have it sent AFTER every body comes back.

Assuming you were in contact with the shipping party...
which makes sense.

Things going out just before long weekends often get slowed.
People split early and staffs are often smaller just before.

Not trying to pig pile on your frustration.
I still have better luck with FedX than ALL others.

Our forumite buddy Damir Besic delivers for FedX and I bet he treats ALL instruments like his own.
And he sure doesn't come from the evil empire!
( ok maybe when he was 5 years old... )<font size="1" color="#8e236b"><p align="center">[This message was edited by David L. Donald on 31 May 2005 at 01:01 PM.]</p></FONT>

Today at work, I happend to be takeing my morning break just as the UPS truck pulled up. He made his deliveries and then prepared for his next stop. From my vantage point I could see him checking #'s and
THROWING packages into a pile in the front of the truck! ACTUALLY THROWING them!!!
I said to myself then...."NEVER AGAIN WILL I USE UPS!!!!!