darwinyarwin - Posted - 01/23/2014:  10:06:22

This is the last time I will EVER use USPS to send anything valuable of mine! I now officially HATE these idiots! This fine banjo was bubble wrapped, stored securely in its hard case (no string tension) and then placed in a shipping box made for guitars and surrounded by foam peanuts. They still managed to break it. I guess I'm the idiot for relying on them!

Anyway ... take heed. (A word to the wise)

robmc - Posted - 01/23/2014:  10:13:51

Sorry to hear of your unfortunate incident. Hope you can get some type of compensation from the USPS ?

chuckv97 - Posted - 01/23/2014:  10:17:44

Groan !  I feel for you ,man.

pickNgrin - Posted - 01/23/2014:  10:17:46

Sorry about your banjo. Any shipping outfit (USPS, FedEx, UPS) is going to drop boxes, run over them with a forklift, etc. It is the nature of the business. The only real difference (if any) is how they handle claims. I hope that part of it goes well for you.

jswkingsfield - Posted - 01/23/2014:  10:35:13

Aieee, that indeed is a sorry sight, we feel badly for you (and the innocent banjo). 

 

mrphysics55 - Posted - 01/23/2014:  10:57:09

Sorry darwin

This is the main reason why I don't allow returns on banjos that I sell.

I cannot control these shipping incidents or the packing abilities of the person making the return.

MrP

buckholler - Posted - 01/23/2014:  10:57:26

Hope you had it insured. Keep the packaging cause they'll want to see it. I always take pictures of the item packed up to show it was properly packed. It may not help but it can't hurt. Was the packaging damaged at all? If it is, always take pictures before you open it up. If your home and its dropped off and you see damage on the package, bring it to the handlers attention so they can note it on their delivery paperwork. (Its all moot point now, but good info for later use for any carrier you use.) Was it labeled as a "musical instrument", "fragile", and "Stack on top." I do this to my packages to help guide the handlers. It doesn't always work but it helps when their's a claim and I can point to the labels, when the claim person is looking at it and the package is crushed.

Sucks. But from my experience USPS is the better of all the carriers. But they all damage items.

CliffK - Posted - 01/23/2014:  11:21:14

What a bummer. When I bought a banjo that was shipped the seller insisted on removing the neck and packing it outside of the case in a separate box within the larger box. He insisted that even with good packing and strings loose necks get broken when shipped attached to the rim. It seemed like over-kill to me at the time, but he may be right about removing the neck for shipping.

bornold - Posted - 01/23/2014:  11:22:44

Sorry for your loss

charliea - Posted - 01/23/2014:  11:34:12

Been there, done that. Sucks. Food for thought: these days, most guitar manufacturers ship with the strings at full tension. They believe it's safer for the neck.

Merc70 - Posted - 01/23/2014:  11:54:10

Seems like a couple of blocks of wood under the neck at the midpoint and at the peghead would help a lot.  My guess is somebody just dropped it hard flat on its back.  Or ran over it.

darwinyarwin - Posted - 01/23/2014:  12:37:09

quote:

---

Originally posted by buckholler

Hope you had it insured. Keep the packaging cause they'll want to see it. I always take pictures of the item packed up to show it was properly packed. It may not help but it can't hurt. Was the packaging damaged at all? If it is, always take pictures before you open it up. If your home and its dropped off and you see damage on the package, bring it to the handlers attention so they can note it on their delivery paperwork. (Its all moot point now, but good info for later use for any carrier you use.) Was it labeled as a "musical instrument", "fragile", and "Stack on top." I do this to my packages to help guide the handlers. It doesn't always work but it helps when their's a claim and I can point to the labels, when the claim person is looking at it and the package is crushed.



Sucks. But from my experience USPS is the better of all the carriers. But they all damage items.

---

Thanks, Scott. We took all those pictures, and reported it immediately. It was very well packed and marked Fragile. Yes, it was insured and we're busy today assembling the pics and documentation and filing the claim. My wife's experience and my own has had the result of 3 damaged instruments via the Post Office, and zero from the Parcel Guys.That's different from your experience, I guess. I am still so pissed this afternoon that I really do mean not to use USPS ever again to ship anything like this.

CoolBlue80 - Posted - 01/23/2014:  12:43:31

Had the same thing happen, my wife, girlfriend at the time bought a 2500.00 Gibson Mastertone for my birthday from musicians friend, had it shipped to me in Texas via UPS, box was left on my front porch for who knows how long while I was at work, box was all tore up, neck was broke in the same place. We just returned it for a full refund, about 3 years later we bought a RK-80 with an off skew neck and messed up truss rod for 1000.00 off Craigslist, did not notice until a few weeks later, had to trade that and 300.00 to boot for an RK-35 at guitar center, I finally have a good banjo, a 1300.00 RK-35!!!!  But I know how you feel. It sucks.

Edited by - CoolBlue80 on 01/23/2014 12:46:32

Mike Casey - Posted - 01/23/2014:  13:11:08

I'll wager most banjo breaks are at the heel joint or maybe at the headstock. That has been my experience including a recent one. If you are able to or have the shipper do this, remove the neck from the pot and pack it separately inside a heavy cardboard or PVC tube, wrapping it carefully in bubble wrap before sliding it into the tube. When you have securely packed the neck place it beside the instrument case with the pot tightly secureld inside. The likelyhood of a neck being broken will be reduced considerably because you have removed the cause,,, a leverage point, under tension in a weak area of the banjo. Sure the neck will snap if it is dropped or slammed or jostled hard. I heard that Gruhn won't ship a banjo with the neck attached. That may not be true, but I wouldn't doubt the wisdom behind removing the neck from the pot for shipping... and carrying on an airplane in need be. If you get stuck at the airport and they won't let you carry it on then remove the neck, and check the case. You can carry the neck on.

beegee - Posted - 01/23/2014:  13:20:03

On the bright side, it wasn't a pre-war Mastertone or a Deering Tenbrooks.....

The break looks repairable, but I'm beginning to think that shipping banjos with the necks dismounted makes a lot of sense.

Arthur Hatfield - Posted - 01/23/2014:  14:17:09

Thats terrible but dont feel any safer with UPS or Fed Ex because they are no better and none of them will hardly pay an insurance claim and if they do and its not a big one its more trouble to get it than its worth. 

Old Hickory - Posted - 01/23/2014:  14:29:46

Was this a sale or a purchase? Were you the shipper or receiver? Who packed the banjo? Who chose USPS?  I can't figure out the story or who did what -- other than USPS breaking the neck.

If they pay the claim in full, they can take the banjo, since they would have paid for it.  So repairing it may be moot.

Edited by - Old Hickory on 01/23/2014 14:29:56

Kirk Jacobs - Posted - 01/23/2014:  14:50:19

quote:

---

Originally posted by Arthur Hatfield

Thats terrible but dont feel any safer with UPS or Fed Ex because they are no better and none of them will hardly pay an insurance claim and if they do and its not a big one its more trouble to get it than its worth. 

---

I don't know but it sounds like you might have sent one or two using the other companies. 

texas5string - Posted - 01/23/2014:  15:33:43

Good luck getting any money out of them. They are the absolute worst at paying claims (in my experience).

Kurt Kemp - Posted - 01/23/2014:  17:02:11

I feel for you. Few weeks ago they destroyed a prewar Kalamazoo of mine. I filled a claim, attached pictures and proof of insurance to the claim online and 5 days later had a check in my mailbox. No trouble at all.

That was the first time I ever had to do that and it was painless. Sounds like it may not be so painless the next time maybe.

the-fish - Posted - 01/23/2014:  18:03:40

I had a 500 claim with usps a few years back and still can't believe how quickly and professionally they took care of me. Guess I lucked out

NCjones - Posted - 01/23/2014:  18:07:24

quote:

---

Originally posted by buckholler

 Was it labeled as a "musical instrument", "fragile", and "Stack on top."

---

Wouldn't make a damned bit of difference.  Have you seen inside a USPS or UPS or FEDEX sorting facility ever?   It's all automated with no human intervention unless the conveyor goes to emergency shutdown.  The only thing that machine reads is the barcode of the destination batch, then when it goes down the assembly line a pneumatic ram fires out from the side of the belt and literally "punches" the package off the belt when it gets to the right sorting bin.  These pneumatic rams are designed to move a package that weights up to 75 pounds, so you can be sure they beat the hell outta a 14 pound banjo.   It's literally like launching your banjo off an aircraft carrier, 0 to 300 MPH in 2 seconds.



You can write anything you want on the package and it won't matter.  And USPS and UPS and FEDEX and DHL all use basically the same sorting system, so one isn't any better than the other, you just take your chance.  Sorta like going to Vegas and picking your casino.  You're gonna get screwed at all of them, so which one you pick has little relevance.  :)

 

banjoronny - Posted - 01/24/2014:  05:01:16

quote:

---

Originally posted by Mike Casey

I'll wager most banjo breaks are at the heel joint or maybe at the headstock. That has been my experience including a recent one. If you are able to or have the shipper do this, remove the neck from the pot and pack it separately inside a heavy cardboard or PVC tube, wrapping it carefully in bubble wrap before sliding it into the tube. When you have securely packed the neck place it beside the instrument case with the pot tightly secureld inside. The likelyhood of a neck being broken will be reduced considerably because you have removed the cause,,, a leverage point, under tension in a weak area of the banjo. Sure the neck will snap if it is dropped or slammed or jostled hard. I heard that Gruhn won't ship a banjo with the neck attached. That may not be true, but I wouldn't doubt the wisdom behind removing the neck from the pot for shipping... and carrying on an airplane in need be. If you get stuck at the airport and they won't let you carry it on then remove the neck, and check the case. You can carry the neck on.

---

I purchased a banjo from Gruhn and the banjo shipped in two pieces. The safer way IMO.

pickNgrin - Posted - 01/24/2014:  05:31:28

quote:

---

Originally posted by banjoronny

I purchased a banjo from Gruhn and the banjo shipped in two pieces. The safer way IMO.

---

Good idea. The banjo can either start in two pieces, or end up in two pieces.

warpdrive - Posted - 01/24/2014:  06:03:46

I was a private contractor for airborne Express(what you know now as DHL) for 14 years, and basically what NCjones said is true, and your really just rolling the dice and taking your chances! I had a really good custom banjo, built by shorty(jim yarboro )of gun barell city tx, did a lot of tradeing over the yrs with jim, shipped many a banjo back and forth from different parts where I lived to his place, and only had one incident. I had a neck broke out of one of his banjos, luckily we had several thousand dollars insurance on it, and ups paid the price of having a new neck built(that was all that was damaged)! I always shipped with ups, even contracting against them, I knew they were better, but still, accidents happen, my policy is always insure for more than the value, and if it means that much to you, then take the time to just go and pick up or deliver it yourself!

mike gregory - Posted - 01/24/2014:  06:07:02

quote:

---

Originally posted by pickNgrin

quote:

---

Originally posted by banjoronny

I purchased a banjo from Gruhn and the banjo shipped in two pieces. The safer way IMO.

---

Good idea. The banjo can either start in two pieces, or end up in two pieces.

---

I shall quote this bit of wisdom to ANYONE who wants a banjo shipped.

Although I have never had a banjo broken in shipping.

Edited by - mike gregory on 01/24/2014 06:08:18

RandyZ - Posted - 01/24/2014:  06:22:06

tom

that picture is heartbreaking......i sent a painting once (usps) that was done on masonite. it was for a state duck stamp contest. they received the paint broken in half. it was securely packed too. turns out it was in the running to be at least 2nd place. to display it, they pieced it together which looked like hell. it ended up tied for 5th. i was so bummed. i had it fully insured for what i thought it was worth. when i went to claim on it.....they said: ' how do you know its worth this much?' your warnings are valid, ive been there. never again~

Helix - Posted - 01/25/2014:  01:14:04

I never use peanuts anymore, they shift, we get a hole in the corner where it was dragged down the dock , then the peanuts fly, it's a scam to pay UPS to pack for you.

I use a Styrofoam zippered banjo case, I do not resell, just charge the customer, I'm the only one who buys cases back @ 50%.

I've shipped this way more than 50 times successfully with UPS and USPS, USPS is cheaper and faster these days.

My banjos are carried by the handle because they LOOK like banjos, not double boxed throwing challenges.

Sven57 - Posted - 01/25/2014:  04:21:04

As a wise sage said earlier, all the carriers have damaged and lost plenty of instruments, including many packed well.   Claims satisfaction is what makes the difference.  I've worked cases in conjunction with USPS, FedEx, and UPS investigators and heard stories that would curl your hair (including crushed $50k fiddles). 

Years ago I sold a Gibson Super 400 to a fella who first sent me an empty Calton case to return the guitar in.   Even more extreme was a guy from New Zealand who bought an older Les Paul and met in Chicago to hand it off (although he made the excuse to be in town for a convention).

On the flip side, I've seen some ridiculously poorly packed instruments, often from folks on eBay who had no experience with shipping instruments.