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View Full Version : UPS guy dropped cpc plate on concrete



R.D.
03-15-07, 13:54
As the title says the a$$ hole ups guy drops my ceramic plate on the cement stoop so hard that I heard it inside the house. Before I had a chance to say WTF he is in the truck and down the block. It was wrapped in bubble wrap and a cardboard box. I inspected the plate and there is no obvious damage but it is covered in nylon. Should I be concerned?

Dave L.
03-15-07, 15:54
Shake it, as long as it doesnt jingle like a broken light bulb on the inside you should be good...but as always I know there is someone on this site who can probably answer better than me.

R.D.
03-15-07, 16:30
Shake it, as long as it doesnt jingle like a broken light bulb on the inside you should be good...

Thats good. When I inspected it there was no jingle. I also tapped it with my knuckle all over and it sounded the same everywhere I tapped.

LukeMacGillie
03-15-07, 16:56
Since we are talking life saving equipment here, file a claim, at the very least UPS should pay for an X-ray to ensure that the plates are not broken.

Snake RAH
03-15-07, 18:39
Since we are talking life saving equipment here, file a claim, at the very least UPS should pay for an X-ray to ensure that the plates are not broken.

+1

If he dropped it on your porch, who knows where else he or someone there may have dropped it.

KevinB
03-15-07, 21:46
Ditto to Luke

All Hard Plates should be regularily X Ray'd if they are for operational usage.

Cesiumsponge
03-15-07, 22:20
I believe the ballistic nylon liners on the outside binds the guts tight so it doesn't spall against you . I would flex it around to see if it's fractured at all, because the wrapping shouldn't be loose enough for parts to jingle like a bell if it was fractured signifigantly (to my knowledge). If it's fractured, you'd be able to hear it grind at the crack when you try to flex and bend it

X-ray or some similar method of inspection would probably be best to inspect it since people don't buy these as decorations, but to be used.

R.D.
03-16-07, 12:40
Thanks for all the info. Went to UPS today and they said since there is no obvious damage and the box was not labeled fragile do not drop that I am basically SOL from their end. Ill look into getting it x-rayed myself.

LukeMacGillie
03-16-07, 14:29
Too bad on the UPS deal:mad:

On my last gig, plates were just laying in a big pile and you picked the ones you wanted. I was concerned so I brought them up NOTB and Quietshootr hooked me up. He had a Vet friend that xrayed them for free.

Cold Zero
03-16-07, 17:28
r.d., i am sorry to read about what happened. however, i am not surprised that u.p.s. looked for a way out of doing the right thing about the insurance. the post office is the same way. it defeats the whole purpose of paying for the insurance. it provides a false sense of comfort. first the driver ran, then u.p.s. ran from it's obligation to do the right thing.

as a result, many times i no longer bother with buying the insurance. many times it does no good anyway.

for your own safety and peace of mind, i would get it x rayed. m.h.o.

good luck.

TimW
03-16-07, 18:37
r.d., i am sorry to read about what happened. however, i am not surprised that u.p.s. looked for a way out of doing the right thing about the insurance. the post office is the same way. it defeats the whole purpose of paying for the insurance. it provides a false sense of comfort. first the driver ran, then u.p.s. ran from it's obligation to do the right thing.

as a result, many times i no longer bother with buying the insurance. many times it does no good anyway.

for your own safety and peace of mind, i would get it x rayed. m.h.o.

good luck.

Shouldn't the shipper have labeled the package as "fragile"?

Cold Zero
03-16-07, 18:44
tim;

of course you are right. when they say shipping and handeling. i guess the handeling part, is properly protecting the item, like with bubble wrap or styrofoam pellets and the like and then properly/professionally marking the outside fragile, hazardous, etc. or in this case, do not drop.

even with the proper stickers, i think the driver would have dropped it anyway.

dam clumsy u.p.s. driver.:mad:

TimW
03-16-07, 19:45
tim;
even with the proper stickers, i think the driver would have dropped it anyway.


I think then the addressee would have a claim. If it was insured and marked fragile, and the UPS driver chucked it onto the porch, then it was negligent on the UPS driver. If the shipper didn't label it, how is the driver to know?

SOWT
03-17-07, 09:34
Thanks for all the info. Went to UPS today and they said since there is no obvious damage and the box was not labeled fragile do not drop that I am basically SOL from their end. Ill look into getting it x-rayed myself.

I'd contact the seller, and let them know UPS dropped it and is claiming it's the sellers fault for not marking the box fragile. I doubt they will replace the plates, but they might start marking the boxes in the future (or stop using UPS).

R.D.
03-17-07, 11:12
I did leave a message with Botach tactical. I am going to talk to them about the labeling of the package. I am also going to suggested that they use more than a bubblewrap envelope to protect it inside of the box. I am waiting to hear back from a friend of mine who is a vet tech about x-raying the plate.
I guess in a way I am lucky since I at least know it was dropped. I could have gotten home latter to just find it laying on the porch and thought it was ok.

KevinB
03-18-07, 11:52
DocGKR will know more than I one this -- but I don't beleive you can tell a hairline crack in the plate by feel.

LoneWolfUSMC
03-24-07, 10:26
Take it to the local ER. Smile and bat your eyes at the X-ray tech (if she's a she) and hopefully you can get a free x-ray out of it.

Cesiumsponge
03-24-07, 14:55
I did leave a message with Botach tactical. I am going to talk to them about the labeling of the package.


Uhoh. I had bad luck with Botach before in the past as far as customer support/service. I've seen several horror threads before too so I wasn't the only one. Good luck with that, I hope you can get them to do something about it.

R.D.
03-24-07, 16:04
Yeah I have heard about their poor customer service but at $150 for a new level III/IV cpc plate I could not pass it up. I have left x2 msgs with no call back yet. I am not expecting them do do anything about my particular situation but maybe I can help to keep this from happening again. FWIW I have ordered from them at least 4 other times without incident not that they are anyway near my first choice.
I have not been able to get it X-rayd yet either. My friend the vet tech has been no help. Since I live near a large metro area I am going to call an industrial / commercial x-ray business as there are a few in my general area.

TimW
03-25-07, 15:39
Yeah I have heard about their poor customer service but at $150 for a new level III/IV cpc plate I could not pass it up. I have left x2 msgs with no call back yet. I am not expecting them do do anything about my particular situation but maybe I can help to keep this from happening again. FWIW I have ordered from them at least 4 other times without incident not that they are anyway near my first choice.
I have not been able to get it X-rayd yet either. My friend the vet tech has been no help. Since I live near a large metro area I am going to call an industrial / commercial x-ray business as there are a few in my general area.

So, you saved about $50-$100 dollars per plate with a company that couldn't be bothered to even put a "fragile" sticker on the box. Now, you are left with an item which you don't know whether it's been damaged or not.

While another company's shipment might have endured the same fate, the chance of having a "fragile" notification on it would go a long way in getting a claim taken care of, and demonstrates at least a modicum of care from that company to do what it can to ensure a live-saving product is delivered intact.

Was all this worry, hassle and doubt worth that $50-$100 savings?

I just thought of a possible new slogan for Botach: "Save a buck...trust your luck."
(note: the only transaction I had with Botach was a good one, even though they screwed up the order in my favor, it was still screwed up. I haven't dealt with them since.)

R.D.
03-25-07, 18:27
TIM I do not regret the purchase, Was it worth the trouble, I can't say now. I saw a plate for $150 Shipped when the cheapest I could find it elsewhere was $240. I'll probably loose all of the money I saved as I'll have to pay at this point to have it x-rayd but it was an impulse buy while browsing on line stores. I have wanted to try a ceramic triple curve plate for a while(I have steel plates now)and had some disposable income. I do not have a pressing need for it as I am just a lowly civy So likely the most action the plate will see is a training class where plates are required. I'll deal with getting it x-rayd and in the end if it is ok I"ll feel that much better about trusting the plate. If it is cracked/broken then it obviously was not worth the trouble and I'll live with my mistake.
When I make a purchase that was contemplated before hand I buy from a reputable dealer(Triad,G&R,BCM,Tactical Response gear,ATS..), if it costs more I save longer. This time I bought from Botach. The problem that happened was not directly their fault .I knew their sketchy history and took my chances. Oh well live and learn. BTW Tim I like the motto you proposed for them it seems to be fitting.

bradb55
03-26-07, 21:41
Just because it doesn't say fragile on the box doesn't mean drop kick delivery. I would still try to file a claim with ups. I'll check with a fellow firefighter who owns his own ups store to see if there is someone up top to talk to. At lease have them pay for the Xray.

TimW
03-26-07, 22:48
Just because it doesn't say fragile on the box doesn't mean drop kick delivery. I would still try to file a claim with ups. I'll check with a fellow firefighter who owns his own ups store to see if there is someone up top to talk to. At lease have them pay for the Xray.

I agree...however I would argue that it's more Botach's responsibility than UPS, for knowingly putting something fragile in an unmarked box. While some things might be breakable, I think it's a reasonable expectation that a sender indicate, in some fashion, that the contents might be fragile.

cmdr249
03-26-07, 23:44
Contact a local tech college or someplace that does X-ray technician training and see if they'd be willing to X-ray it as a project for the "educational" value of the project and to use it as a demonstration.

It may be a cheap and viable alternative if you can't contact a Vet-tec.

It may also include the hassle of "do you know someone" but it's worth a try if you have a contact.

Good luck.

Gibbles
04-06-07, 01:15
Botach won't do crap, your lucky you actually got the package.
The last time I bought from botach they forgot to bill me and forgot to ship the package... even though they sent me a tracking number, and now I get emails asking for my credit card info... :confused: they are one big joke. They have good prices, and I have lucked out a few times but I'll never deal with that pain in the ass again.
They are weird as hell, I have had them tell me they were shipping it out at this moment and a few weeks later nothing not even a tracking number, another time they told me they were replacing an item with another item and when I got it they just dropped it from the shipment, no item no replacement. (that led to the other orders trying to get the damn replacement)
If you have to order from them be sure to check the review check box, I had them jump on an order quick after giving them a bad review, maybe yahoo gets up their ass about it?

panzerr
04-06-07, 03:36
RD -if your plate is anything like the G.I. issue plates it'll be fine. They can take a bit of a drop. Since yours was boxed and in bubble wraped I would bet it is gtg.

FYI here is a quick check an SF guy taught me:

Grab it by two opposite corners and try to 'twist' it, and then repeat with the other two corners. Don't be afraid to put a little elbow grease into it. If you hear any crackling your plate is busted.