Shipping woes?

[TK4261]

My experience with UPS: If it is packaged properly, it usually survives shipped here in the US...would prefer they use FedEx though  :glasses9:

 

[Tipperman]

Four warmoth packages delivered to me. Three via UPS, one  via USPS. All have arrived safely. (Even the USPS!  :toothy12

 

[Torment Leaves Scars]

So I've seen a few rants from other forums complaining about warmoth, but I haven't seen anything from them to sway me.

I am concerned about UPS however and I've heard of a few shipping problems.  I've just spent ALOT of money ordering my parts which are going to take quite some time to make as they are custom builds.

I really would hate to open my boxes only to have horrible gashes or god forbid a broken headstock because of crappy shipping.


Any opinions on this?

No problems with their shipping, only the finish on the body of my guitar.  If they'd spent as much time on the paint as they did boxing my stuff up (probably 5 mins...), it'd probably look pretty good.

My stuff came very nicely packaged.

 

[reluctant-builder]

My experience with UPS: If it is packaged properly, it usually survives shipped here in the US...would prefer they use FedEx though  :glasses9:

Word. FedEx would be better. I've actually dealt with nice humans who work for FedEx as opposed to the grumpy, disagreeable ones who work for UPS.

 

[Slylock Fox]

My experience with UPS: If it is packaged properly, it usually survives shipped here in the US...would prefer they use FedEx though  :glasses9:

Word. FedEx would be better. I've actually dealt with nice humans who work for FedEx as opposed to the grumpy, disagreeable ones who work for UPS.

What was your issue with the paint?

 

[Torment Leaves Scars]

My experience with UPS: If it is packaged properly, it usually survives shipped here in the US...would prefer they use FedEx though  :glasses9:

Word. FedEx would be better. I've actually dealt with nice humans who work for FedEx as opposed to the grumpy, disagreeable ones who work for UPS.

What was your issue with the paint?

More like what wasn't the issue with the paint.  It was a cheap, thin paintjob with numerous, very noticeable flaws.

 

[DLD]

I'm in the middle of my second damaged body on the same order. Great wood and the neck looks awesome, good finish etc. I just can't seem to get mine together. Yes I'm talking to them and to this point they have had excellent customer service... They could pack things a bit better...

I'm in Iceland btw...

 

[AprioriMark]

I'm surprised that you had packing issues.  Having been involved in more orders from W than probably everyone in this thread combined, I've NEVER had issues with their packing/shipping.  You Icelanders must have a guitar-hating postperson somewhere along the way. 

Best of luck getting this resolved.  It's frustrating when a project is derailed by gremlins.

-Mark

 

[AndyG]

The only problem I've ever had with UPS is that their brokerage fees are borderline criminal. 

Anything I've ever had shipped to Canada from the States, and had good 'ol USPS send it; it may have taken a day or 2 longer, but all I ever had to pay was the border duties once I got to the post office to pick it up.

 

[Cagey]

I think some damages may be a local issues. I've heard some real horror stories about all the carriers from different areas. For instance, a buddy of mine in Florida couldn't get a UPS shipment that wasn't molested somehow. Here, they're always perfect. On the other hand, I have a hard time getting a package from the USPS that doesn't look like it's been through an industrial-grade chipper/shredder, assuming I can get the package at all. It must depend on the quality of the employees in that area, or their management.

Same with cable. We have Comcast here, and they're golden. Yet, I hear all sorts of horror stories about them in other areas. At the same time, AT&T is an invitation to rape around here, while others don't have a problem. Go figure.

 

[DLD]

Got it resolved.

I'm a bit upset about how the things were packed. Two layers of cardboard and a thin piece of packaging foam over the tops (the sides however have rolled up foam, peanuts and bracing, but that wasn't enough for the thick heavy tele bridge on the first body). The first time the bridge was moving around inside the package and basically drove itself into the neck join ssplitting the wood. Second time something from outside fell on the box/top of guitar and dented the wood, chipping the finish.

However I am happy with the customer service. I've bought tons of guitars over the years and Warmoth helped me out fast!! No attitude, unlike others I've dealt with. So I highly recommend Warmoth in the end...

 

[Jumble Jumble]

I imagine it's a cost thing to some extent. Is it worth putting $5 of extra packaging cost into 50 body shipments a day (or whatever), at a cost of $250/day, or better just to build a replacement body for $300 for the one out of every 100 packages that gets damaged?

Obviously in that example, option 2 is better to the tune of $100 a day. Not saying that any of those numbers are in anyway relevant to Warmoth, but you see what I'm getting at.

 

[jackthehack]

I've gotten dozens of shipments from Warmoth via UPS without issue. One time I got a semi-mangled box with a neck, but no damage to the neck itself.

 

[Super Turbo Deluxe Custom]

My sample size is 12 with one damaged body, so 8.5%.

That's a 91.5% success rate.  Vegas would take those odds.