Frustrated gentle rant

[Dood]

[quote name='Dandelion' timestamp='1380705818' post='2229124']
It is ridiculous that we have to worry about a courier damaging an item. If they cannot get an reasonably packed item from A to B without damaging it then what use are they?

I find it strange that[b] I[/b] have to insure an item against [b]their[/b] incompetence.

Insurance should not be required if they did there job correctly.

The more frequently they damage the items in their custody = The more we feel that we have to purchase insurance = More profit for the company.


That isn't a service, that is extortion, and that is ilegal.
[/quote]

Agree x1000!

[chris_b]

[quote name='karlfer' timestamp='1380656463' post='2228624']
....Quite a few of the basses I am very attracted to are collection only....
[/quote]

Think up a reason to go there. Have a day out while you're picking up a bass.

My wife came along when I picked up my cabs from BassDirect, so we fitted in a trip to Ann Hathaway's Cottage and a few other local places of interest.

[MB1]

chris_b'


Think up a reason to go there. Have a day out while you're picking up a bass.

My wife came along when I picked up my cabs from BassDirect, so we fitted in a trip to Ann Hathaway's Cottage

MB1.
Was she in?

[Jus Lukin]

-

Edited February 19, 2022 by Jus Lukin

[RAY AGAINST THE MACHINE]

I've always been wary of posting basses(well it'd be courier). I wouldn't want the receiver giving me abuse about it not being what they wanted etc.

On the other side of the coin, I had two basses I won on eBay sent perfectly from Germany

[Conan]

[quote name='mikegatward' timestamp='1380709218' post='2229195']
How about a new section on BC where we could advertise our travels/willingness to transport something.[/quote]
I like that idea! Instead of paying a courier, we could have a relay chain of Basschatters ferrying stuff across the country for petrol money as they go off on their travels! It could work.... The musical instrument's equivalent of hitch-hiking perhaps?

Slightly more seriously perhaps, I've never had a problem shipping or receiving gear via courier. And that includes probably about a dozen basses, a couple of guitars, combos, effects and even an Ampeg head! That said, it was over £70 to have my Spector shipped from the Midlands with (grrrr) their insurance.

[RachAllenBand]

We do Collection Only, not out of laziness. We prefer the buyer see the item for themself, and we've had too many things get damaged by couriers, including a major antique that was irreplaceable. If we could trust delivery services, it'd be a different story. Besides, my husband loves his guitars too much to risk them being damaged. At least he agrees to travel to meet a buyer halfway if their distance is too great. So some of us have our own reasons for specifying Collection Only. Our items still sell, regardless.

[paulconnolly]

Suppose you work Mon - Fri. You could take a train from Wigan on Saturday morning to Cardiff and back the same day with 1 change of train for £80 (Swansea = £87, Stirling £84). What's the cost of a courier and the risk of it being damaged in transit? Plus you get a nice day out and you get to see, touch and possibly play the bass before you hand over the readies. If you decide after all you don't want it then ok you've spent £80 but haven't got the hassle of packaging up and sending back a bass you don't want, and trying to get your money back. Let the train take the strain.

[RachAllenBand]

[quote name='paulconnolly' timestamp='1380735895' post='2229801']
Suppose you work Mon - Fri. You could take a train from Wigan on Saturday morning to Cardiff and back the same day with 1 change of train for £80 (Swansea = £87, Stirling £84). What's the cost of a courier and the risk of it being damaged in transit? Plus you get a nice day out and you get to see, touch and possibly play the bass before you hand over the readies. If you decide after all you don't want it then ok you've spent £80 but haven't got the hassle of packaging up and sending back a bass you don't want, and trying to get your money back. Let the train take the strain.
[/quote]
+1

[SpaceChick]

[quote name='Conan' timestamp='1380723917' post='2229568']

I like that idea! Instead of paying a courier, we could have a relay chain of Basschatters ferrying stuff across the country for petrol money as they go off on their travels! It could work.... The musical instrument's equivalent of hitch-hiking perhaps?

[/quote]

We do this in the chicken world, to ensure we can safely transport hens.... You can't send live chickens by couriers

We call it a chickens train and it works really well.

I've been part of several chicken trains over the years!

[ras52]

[quote name='SpaceChick' timestamp='1380738521' post='2229866']
We do this in the chicken world, to ensure we can safely transport hens.... You can't send live chickens by couriers

We call it a chickens train and it works really well.

I've been part of several chicken trains over the years!
[/quote]

So if I ordered a chicken and an egg, which would come first?

[paulconnolly]

[color=#282828][font=helvetica, arial, sans-serif]chickens train[/font][/color]

[color=#282828][font=helvetica, arial, sans-serif] :lol:Top song by The Ozark Mountain Daredevils [/font][/color][color=#282828][font=helvetica, arial, sans-serif] [/font][/color][color=#282828][font=helvetica, arial, sans-serif] [/font][/color]

[Geek99]

[quote name='Count Bassy' timestamp='1380661708' post='2228751']

Yes I do that, but then you don't see the ones that are outside the radius and willing to ship. Would be nice if there was a filter to eliminate collection only items.
[/quote]
Why don't you email them and suggest it ? They aren't psychic

[oggiesnr]

From the sellers point of view, if you collect it then I have the payment, you have agreed it's condition and there's no question of you changing your mind and saying it's not as described, or it's damaged (and taking a screwdriver to the finish) it never arrived ("sorry not my signature") and you raising a complaint with paypal who stop the payment and then not being a*****d to return the goods in a timely (and well packed) manner.

Should I ever sell another expensive instrument it will only be done in person and if that rules people out that's my problem.

Steve

[ead]

I delivered a mid priced bass to Leicester (from near Preston) in person as the buyer was not very mobile. Made a day of it, took my golf bats so not all bad. Yes it cost me a bit more in fuel that a £25 courier, but the seller got to see the bass was as described and there were no issues regarding damage in transit.

Quite agree with all the above re insurance etc etc. Very frustrating.

[Cameronj279]

I'm always wary of shipping a bass. Only done it once and despite packing it very well (if anything I went to excess!) There was an issue in transit that somehow managed to knock the jack out of place I think. I would always rather do it in person even if buying. Went to manchester (500 mile round trip) a month or so back to buy a bass.

[Conan]

[quote name='ead' timestamp='1380784264' post='2230396']
I delivered a mid priced bass to Leicester (from near Preston) in person as the buyer was not very mobile. Made a day of it, took my golf bats so not all bad. Yes it cost me a bit more in fuel that a £25 courier, but the seller got to see the bass was as described and there were no issues regarding damage in transit.
[/quote]

But on the downside (potentially), what if the other person then decided that they didn't want the item? You would be out of pocket by quite a tidy amount. Not too bad if you've had a nice day out I suppose, but sometimes that can involve quite a lot of personal hassle... Just sayin'.

[karlfer]

Um, wonder how all these American, Mexican, Japanese, Korean basses get to Britain. Must be a service station in the middle of the Atlantic.
As a seller, I expect to put my back into it and thus offer courier and spend the time boxing up.
As a buyer, I will now travel up to 100 miles 9previously a lot further than that).
As a buyer I don't want to spend a day doing it BECAUSE THE SELLER CAN'T BE ARSED!!!!!!!!!!!!!
If properly packaged in a hard case there should very rarely be a problem, so stop making excuses, it's because you can't be arsed.
Fair enough, gear tart that I am I will always find a new toy to play with, just won't be yours.

[Conan]

[quote name='karlfer' timestamp='1380789111' post='2230465']
As a seller, I expect to put my back into it and thus offer courier and spend the time boxing up.
[/quote]

Yep. Me too. It's not that hard really. Just keep a few spare cardboard boxes in the loft until you need them. Keep the bubble wrap and packing materials from stuff that you buy new or pick them up when you see them lying around.

I don't understand why some people make such hard work of this. If you really want a sale (in these tough times) it makes sense!

[tauzero]

[quote name='Jus Lukin' timestamp='1380709829' post='2229209']
The insurance thing has long been a bugbear of mine, too. Surely the post is the responsibility of the courier while it is in their care? If they lose or wreck it shouldn't they have to pay for its repair or replacement anyway? How can it possibly be legal for them to charge their own insurance on top of a service which should include the safe delivery of posted items? I already paid them to deliver an item to an address, which in my mind includes not damaging or losing it- if they don't do so they have failed to provide that service and should take responsibility for the situation.
[/quote]

Look at it from a different perspective. It's inevitable that some items will get lost or damaged, and the courier firm will have to recompense the customer, which will have to be allowed for in what other cusomers are charged. Having some sort of sliding scale depending on the value of the item means that people sending cheap parcels aren't subsidising those sending expensive ones, which are a higher risk for the courier.

[BetaFunk]

I am always critical of those sellers that specify 'collection only'. Having just been informed that the courier i used to send a Bass Guitar on Tuesday has somehow managed to lose it and it doesn't look like either i or the buyer is likely to see it again i can understand why people are hesitant to post guitars.

I'll still use couriers, just not this one again!

[ambient]

There's always the risk (especially if Paypal are involved), of the item not arriving in one piece, and the buyer claiming. The seller has then lost their bass, plus the money.

[BetaFunk]

[quote name='ambient' timestamp='1380888415' post='2231936']
There's always the risk (especially if Paypal are involved), of the item not arriving in one piece, and the buyer claiming. The seller has then lost their bass, plus the money.
[/quote]
I've never had a problem with anything i've sent being damaged. Although i've heard plenty of horror stories i always pack guitars in two boxes if it hasn't got a case and have never had a problem.

The only problem i've had is that things go 'missing' and that is by far the biggest risk of all. As i've learned also you can forget the tracking info they give you sometimes because it often has no relevance to where the parcel actually is which is particularly worrying.

[CamdenRob]

Received my new 83 Jazz yesterday in a mint original case... Bass was packaged in the hard case and then an extra outer cardboard box filled with packing and all sealed up in fragile tape.

Fedex have somehow managed to crack the plastic all the way around one of the corners of the hard case from front to back so a section of it has fallen off and bent all the metal so the last clip doesn't close properly... This was a solid case and I'm not sure I could actually cause this type of damage if I tried. It must have been dropped from a considerable height or perhaps had something dropped on it.

I could claim it on the posters insurance but they are not going to find me a replacement are they?

I am never shipping anything again and only buying in person.

Fortunately the bass was fine... more by luck than any diligent care on behalf of Fedex.

Rob

Edited October 9, 2013 by CamdenRob

[Dandelion]

One wonders how these couriers manage with the real problems in life when despite being provided with appropriate resources, they cannot transport a parcel from A to B, without making a complete arse of it.