Hello Fellow TBers,
Just received a bass from a fellow forum member...he's American, I'm Canadian. Cool bass, seller seemed pretty cool, I don't blame him for what ended up turning into a bit of an unpleasant experience; that "honor" is reserved for United Parcel Service (UPS) and the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA.)
Note the date the order was processed - July 17th - and the date of delivery - August 4th. I wouldn't necessarily have a problem with the length of time it took for delivery if not for the fact that it spent SIX days sitting in Richmond, BC, awaiting "clearance"...and if not for the fact that I had at least three phone conversations with UPS, I'm pretty sure it would still be sitting down there. I understand that the CBSA has to check parcels, but come on...
So yesterday we finally seemed to get things cleared up (over the phone) and I was assured that the package would be on its way and arrive today. Updates on the UPS tracking page seem to confirm this, and lo and behold, it shows up this morning. The delivery guy, to his credit, seems pretty sheepish; the box looks like it's been rode hard and put away wet, and then I am hit with the news that, between taxes and UPS' bulls__t "brokerage" fee (whatever that is), I'm paying another $120.45 on top of what I have shelled out for the cost of the bass itself, plus shipping. I give my Visa info, sign the stupid form, and take the bass inside, where I am expecting the worse given how the box looks...sigh of relief, the bass is unscathed...or so I think...I take a closer look and see that the G-string tuning machine is noticeably askew.
I'm pretty incensed at this point. My initial reaction is to race over to the courier depot and file a damages claim, but then I decide to see if I can do it online...sure I can, if I create an online account with UPS. I have a feeling how far I'm going to get trying to file a claim (nowhere, fast), so between the likely futility of it, and the fact that I never intend to give UPS a dime's worth of business again, I simply decide to run over to one of the local shops to see how serious the issue is (thankfully not very) and get them to fix it.
I have previously bought three basses out of the USA, and all of those experiences went a lot better than this one did. Here are the lessons I learned:
1. DO NOT use UPS. Between the apparent carelessness with which the package was handled, the length of time it took for delivery, and the fact that, had I not hounded them over the phone, this bass might be sitting in a warehouse in Richmond for infinity, yeah...just don't.
2. Do research to (hopefully) avoid unpleasant financial surprises. I wish someone could explain how, exactly, our so-called "free trade" agreement with the USA works (or doesn't?) - I mean, it actually seems to vary depending on how, and from whom, you buy. As an example, my last bass purchase prior to this one was from a seller on the east coast of the USA (Rhode Island I think) via eBay. What I paid on that day was clearly spelled out onscreen, the transaction was done through PayPal, and that was the TOTAL PRICE I paid...the bass showed up and I was hit with no extra charges, brokerage fees or whatever. Granted, maybe I paid some of those same things during that transaction, but at least I knew it going in...
3. Insist on a gig bag or hardshell case. The seller was upfront in that he had no case for the bass and would be shipping it (well-packed) in the cardboard box it had come in when he bought it. I went against my better instincts and agreed to this, but if I had it to do over again, I would have paid extra if he would have agreed to track down a hardshell (or well-padded gig bag) in which to ship it (even a beat up "pawn shop special" would have been better than nothing). The condition of the box when the bass arrived was proof of what I have heard for a long time; underpaid courier company employees, by and large, don't really give rat's a$$ how they treat your package...
/Rant
Just received a bass from a fellow forum member...he's American, I'm Canadian. Cool bass, seller seemed pretty cool, I don't blame him for what ended up turning into a bit of an unpleasant experience; that "honor" is reserved for United Parcel Service (UPS) and the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA.)
Note the date the order was processed - July 17th - and the date of delivery - August 4th. I wouldn't necessarily have a problem with the length of time it took for delivery if not for the fact that it spent SIX days sitting in Richmond, BC, awaiting "clearance"...and if not for the fact that I had at least three phone conversations with UPS, I'm pretty sure it would still be sitting down there. I understand that the CBSA has to check parcels, but come on...
So yesterday we finally seemed to get things cleared up (over the phone) and I was assured that the package would be on its way and arrive today. Updates on the UPS tracking page seem to confirm this, and lo and behold, it shows up this morning. The delivery guy, to his credit, seems pretty sheepish; the box looks like it's been rode hard and put away wet, and then I am hit with the news that, between taxes and UPS' bulls__t "brokerage" fee (whatever that is), I'm paying another $120.45 on top of what I have shelled out for the cost of the bass itself, plus shipping. I give my Visa info, sign the stupid form, and take the bass inside, where I am expecting the worse given how the box looks...sigh of relief, the bass is unscathed...or so I think...I take a closer look and see that the G-string tuning machine is noticeably askew.
I'm pretty incensed at this point. My initial reaction is to race over to the courier depot and file a damages claim, but then I decide to see if I can do it online...sure I can, if I create an online account with UPS. I have a feeling how far I'm going to get trying to file a claim (nowhere, fast), so between the likely futility of it, and the fact that I never intend to give UPS a dime's worth of business again, I simply decide to run over to one of the local shops to see how serious the issue is (thankfully not very) and get them to fix it.
I have previously bought three basses out of the USA, and all of those experiences went a lot better than this one did. Here are the lessons I learned:
1. DO NOT use UPS. Between the apparent carelessness with which the package was handled, the length of time it took for delivery, and the fact that, had I not hounded them over the phone, this bass might be sitting in a warehouse in Richmond for infinity, yeah...just don't.
2. Do research to (hopefully) avoid unpleasant financial surprises. I wish someone could explain how, exactly, our so-called "free trade" agreement with the USA works (or doesn't?) - I mean, it actually seems to vary depending on how, and from whom, you buy. As an example, my last bass purchase prior to this one was from a seller on the east coast of the USA (Rhode Island I think) via eBay. What I paid on that day was clearly spelled out onscreen, the transaction was done through PayPal, and that was the TOTAL PRICE I paid...the bass showed up and I was hit with no extra charges, brokerage fees or whatever. Granted, maybe I paid some of those same things during that transaction, but at least I knew it going in...
3. Insist on a gig bag or hardshell case. The seller was upfront in that he had no case for the bass and would be shipping it (well-packed) in the cardboard box it had come in when he bought it. I went against my better instincts and agreed to this, but if I had it to do over again, I would have paid extra if he would have agreed to track down a hardshell (or well-padded gig bag) in which to ship it (even a beat up "pawn shop special" would have been better than nothing). The condition of the box when the bass arrived was proof of what I have heard for a long time; underpaid courier company employees, by and large, don't really give rat's a$$ how they treat your package...
/Rant
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