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• The cover, attached by 6 screws, had been ripped off
• The case itself was so bent out of shape the cover couldn't be put back on
• The video card was cracked
• The motherboard was cracked
• The power switch was crushed so I had to hotwire the power supply if I wanted to turn in on.
• I took the processor to the IT department at school and they found out for me that the it was also dead.
• The hard drive was still attached but it had a rattling inside. when I later tried it at school, it had the infamous "click of death". All my data was lost.

My honest guess is that they backed into it with a truck or forklift. But the fun didn't end there. I now had to be re-imbursed for the damages.

I insured the thing for $1000 and so I called to make a claim for the full amount because nothing was salvagable except the memory. I was told to keep the box, all the packing material and the damaged items so they can be documented. A week later someone comes over with a digital camera and takes pictures of the carnage. So far everything is cool.

Three weeks go by and so I call the claims department and asked what's the hold-up. They apologized and said they will send a check immediately for $100 dollars. I said no, it was insured for $1000. They said, UPS only covers $100 unless you purchase additional insurance. I said I did this but they claim to have no record of it.

The over next few days I tried to fax my copy of the receipt but because it's a pretty faded carbon-copy, it always comes out illegible on their end. So I snail mail it to them.

Two weeks go by and I call the claims department to see if they received my receipt. They have not. So, I called the placed I shipped it from in South Carolina and see if they still had their copy. Fortunately they did and I had them fax it to me and to UPS.

Weeks go by and I still hear nothing. I once again call the claims department. Apparently since the amount was different they had to have someone come out and take pictures AGAIN to get my claim moving. The same guy shows up and remembers me and I explain why he's back taking pictures.

Same old tune, weeks go by with utter silence and no check. At this point, I'm in middle of my first semester at grad school so I don't a great deal of time to deal with these people, especially since I have no computer at home which means I'm on campus all the time. Also, I didn't have a cell phone so I can't be reached while I'm at achool.

After many rounds of phone-tag, I eventually get a hold of someone. They politely inform me that the pictures have been lost and they need to send a THIRD person to take pictures. Different person this time and she takes pictures of all the packing material, box, and computer wreakage that is consuming about 1/3 of the floorspace in my tiny apartment during this entire time.

I get a reprive from this for a while as it's now Christmas break. When I get back, I call and eventually talk to a manager-type person. He was polite but I was sorely running out of patience. He said I my claim is still being processed, sorry for the delay, etc. At this point, I'm seriously considering small-claims court.

I finally get my check for $1000, for the item I shipped in mid-August 2000, the first week of February 2001.

Is it a shock to know that I now ship things using FedEx?

ETA: I forgot to mention this. Several times they tried to claim that this was the result of poor or improper packing which they are not liable for. I always replied that if this box was hit hard enough to go through 5 inches of padding and still have enough force to rip out 6 screws and bend the steel case then there was no padding in the world that could have protected it.

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"Tis too much proved that with devotion's visage and pious action we do sugar o'er the devil himself." - Hamlet

Posts: 344 | From: Pittsburgh, PA | Registered: Jun 2006  |  IP: Logged | 

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Originally posted by Troberg:
Never write "Computer" in the content field. Way too often, it gets stolen. Write something boring, but technically correct, such as "Components" or "Electronic parts".

Trust me, I've lost some stuff that way, and we've lost even more at work.

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Yes, but everyone knows you Swedes are all thieves anyway.

Ok, fine

Seriously though, I've lost a computer that way and I also agree with Griffin that no shipper is perfect. Lonely Mountain could most likely ship something with UPS every day from now on and not have a single problem ever again.

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"Show me a sane man and I will cure him for you."
- C. G. Jung

Posts: 243 | From: Marina del Rey, CA | Registered: May 2005  |  IP: Logged | 

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Yes, but everyone knows you Swedes are all thieves anyway.

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Nope, just the ones who work in the postal service (but all of them). At least our mail men don't bring a gun to work and gun down their collegues...


Sorry, but that was to easy to pass up.

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/Troberg

Posts: 4360 | From: Borlänge, Sweden | Registered: Nov 2005  |  IP: Logged |