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Posts: 5563
Location: Blue Ridge Mountains | Thanks everyone...I'm not trying to wear everyone out with this...but as musicians/collectors/guitarists who ship on a regular basis, this could happen to anyone...
Second, no hard feeling to Damon...He shipped it in good faith...method of shipping obviously in hindsight was not a good one but it happens...USPS is the problem here...no excuse for taking 2+weeks to get a package from Washington State to Virginia! Period! Absolutly Pitiful!
I've decided to give it one more week...to get through Thanksgiving and see if USPS can find the East Coast...but then....Come Monday... |
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January 2006
Posts: 5881
Location: Colorado Rocky Mountains | Shipping for the next month is probably going to take longer everywhere. |
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April 2004
Posts: 13303
Location: Latitude 39.56819, Longitude -105.080066 | I'm betting percentage wise, UPS is worse at loosing stuff than USPS.
Did I mention how I hate UPS! |
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March 2002
Posts: 15664
Location: SoCal | Originally posted by stephent28:
I'm betting percentage wise, UPS is worse at loosing stuff than USPS.
Did I mention how I hate UPS! No. You wanna tell us about it? |
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Posts: 13303
Location: Latitude 39.56819, Longitude -105.080066 | ding |
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Posts: 5563
Location: Blue Ridge Mountains | Day 16: Zero, Zip. Nada...
:mad: |
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Posts: 9301
Location: south east Michigan | I feel for ya Mike. |
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Posts: 6268
Location: Florida Central Gulf Coast | Even though I have nothing invested in this saga, it sure is wearing on me. Really feel bad for you Mike! |
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Posts: 4413
| What do the USPS have to say for themselves? |
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Posts: 5330
Location: Cicero, NY | "We could be the DMV." |
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Posts: 4389
Location: Capital District, NY, USA Minor Outlying Islands | "We tried to deliver but because you weren't home (when in fact you were, and they never bothered to ring the doorbell) we had to send it back to the sender." |
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March 2005
Posts: 5563
Location: Blue Ridge Mountains | I go to the post office every morning...
small town, very nice folks...
According to Damon, they told him he had to wait 21 days to file a claim...thats Monday...
next open day at PO: Friday...
Thanks for the good wishes all.... |
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February 2005
Posts: 11840
Location: closely held secret | Originally posted by schroeder:
What do the USPS have to say for themselves? "We've got mail!" (yours) |
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January 2006
Posts: 5881
Location: Colorado Rocky Mountains | Johnny Carson . . .
"Hey, they've finally found an answer for what to do with atomic waste. Give it to the Post Office. What they don't lose, they'll destory." |
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March 2005
Posts: 5563
Location: Blue Ridge Mountains | Day 19: Good News/Bad News
Good News: Guitar finally arrived.
Bad News: Looks are deceiving...Shipping box is damaged on the right side where something cut through the side corner half way up the left side of the box...foam peanuts were wedged inthe opening...Bottom of the box is squished from what looks like it being dropped/impact...
Unpacking at the house, noises were heard inside the case; turned out the Triax P/U had come loose from the sound hole and was rattling around inside the guitar: I UNPLUGGED it from the input jack cord and took it out AFTER LOOSENING THE SRINGS WHICH WERE LEFT IN STANDARD TUNING...
After looking at the guitar, I found it had two cracks in the sides: bummer!
Crack #1 is on the left side starting at the waist and continuing in a straight line down around the lower turn for about 7 inches...seems to be a finish crack but is very noticable and can be felt with the finger easily...
Crack #2 begins about one inch from the input jack on the right bottom of the guitar and continues for three inches again in a mostlly straight line...again it seems to be a finish crack...
I think the problem is with the shipping by parcel post which took 19 days and left the guitar exposed to very cold conditions for long periods of time...also it seems the guitar was very roughly treated (i.e. the gash in the box) so perhaps both contributed to the problem...
I will discuss this with Damon...we'll go from there...what a bummer: the bearclaw spruce top on the Tak TN340S is breathtaking...
So what can we learn from this: NEVER SHIP AN INSTRUMENT USPS PARCEL POST (Priotity Mail is fine)! ALWAYS DETUNE THE GUITAR TO LESSEN THE TENSION ON THE BRIDGE AND TOP...AND REMOVE ANYTHING ATTACHED TO THE SOUNDHOLE (IN OVATIONS W/BATTERY BOX SCREWS, REMOVE BATTERY)...
Damon did a fine job in packing: solid box, foam peanuts, extra paper stuffing around the guitar...
It is a shame that a pristene guitar gets treated like this in shipping...bummer! |
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December 2006
Posts: 6268
Location: Florida Central Gulf Coast | After all that sweating and now this...
Sorry to hear it Mike! :( |
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September 2003
Posts: 9301
Location: south east Michigan | I was afraid it was going to turn out this way.
They just had it to long for something bad not to happen.
Sorry Mike.
I hope you took pics of the box before your opened it. |
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January 2002
Posts: 14127
Location: 6 String Ranch | On the cool tubes you're supposed to take out the battery packs before shipping. Same would go for the triaxe pickups.
Sorry it turned out this way.
I'd never trust the post office.
At least with UPS or FedEx if they are going to wreck something, you find out about it real soom. |
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March 2005
Posts: 5563
Location: Blue Ridge Mountains | I called Damon (sorry Bro for the early wake-up) and he's bummed: we're going to get things started w/insurance on Monday...
Brad, I took pic's of everything...
Beal, to be fair, I forgot to remove the battery from the Snake when I shipped it to Damon...of course it was loose when it arrived but no damage was done...
Ok, something positive: I put on a fresh set of Elixir 12-56 Nano 80/20's (after re-gluing the nut in place...it was loose), tuned it up and OH MY GOODNESS...this baby is a cannon: one of the most responsive guitars I have played...It sounds absolutely fabulous...so sweet when it needs to be and boisterous when you lean on it. I know, I know, you guys have been telling me: I'm a slow learner...
What a sound...finish cracks or not: this is a keeper...can't wait to plug it in to hear the Triax...
So, all in all, what an experience...
I'm not holding my breath for USPS claims... |
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April 2004
Posts: 13303
Location: Latitude 39.56819, Longitude -105.080066 | My experience with USPS claims is that they pay you the insurance value and take the item in question. No partial claims.....but hopefully your experience or USPS policies will be different from when I had to file mine 3+ years ago. |
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March 2005
Posts: 5563
Location: Blue Ridge Mountains | Just discovered a third side crack: nearly identical to the first one and in the same location on the opposite side...don't know how I missed it earlier...guess I was helplessly hoping...
3 cracks, loose nut, ...this guitar took a hard fall at sometime during the 19 day treck across the US... |
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December 2006
Posts: 6268
Location: Florida Central Gulf Coast | Originally posted by stephent28:
No partial claims..... On my claim, I was told to obtain a written repair estimate. If the repair cost was over a certain % (they wouldn't tell me the magic number) then they would keep the git and give me insured amount. If under the number, then a partial refund for repair. All this based upon 'approval' of course.
Well the repair cost exceeded the insured amount, but they denied the claim anyways! :mad:
Good luck gents! |
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April 2004
Posts: 13303
Location: Latitude 39.56819, Longitude -105.080066 | I've had to file 3-4 claims with USPS over the last 10 years (only 1 guitar related) and never had one denied or even questioned. They were very prompt in accepting responsibility.
Each time it took about 4-6 weeks to get the money. |
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December 2006
Posts: 6994
Location: Jet City | That would be unfortunate if they took it, cuz it's a sweet sounding guitar. I suppose the $1k would buy another though. Just hang on to the TriAx.
First and last time using USPS for me.
BTW, if it's any consolation at all Mike, the nut on the Snake popped off too. A bit of glue and a day of waiting and all was good again. It's more a design flaw on the headstock though. At least on a regular O (and Tak too) headstock, the strings are pulling the nut to the center of the neck. On the T-bolt headstock, the strings pull it to the treble side which just makes that nut want to unseat itself.
I did use it Wednesday night at open mic to a mid sized crowd actually. It was a hit. |
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March 2005
Posts: 5563
Location: Blue Ridge Mountains | Well, they took it...turned it over yesterday for insurance claims...turns out, the crack on the lower bass side is a wood crack...It's a crying shame....
Damon, you packed it well my friend...but nothing can withstand being dropped from a height tall enough to crush the bottom two inches of the shipping carton upwards...
Now the wait begins...... |
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Shipping Rant
