What to do? - Item sent to me looking like this..

[spacecho]

Hello Everybody,

I ordered a soundcard online from a well know german retailer - had bought from them in the past and their service has been fine.

It didnt arrive after a few weeks, so i contacted the post office who told me that it never entered the country.

On contacting the seller, i was told that it was sent to my country and now on its way back to Germany - no reason was given as to why this had happened.

They contacted me a week ago saying that it was being sent out from germany (again) i received it yesterday - 5 weeks after ordering.

The external shipping box was intact, this is what i found inside:

I dont think this is right - obviously, the freight company (dhl) damaged the parcel so badly that they thought it was appropriate to send it back to the sender, The sender has then decided to re box it and send it back to me - notice that the box is still sealed - they would have no way of knowing how much external and internal damage the unit has suffered..

To make matters worse, an item (bag of picks) was missing from the order - must have gotten lost when they re boxed everything.
I demanded that they send me a 'new in box, sealed replacement' in exchange for this one.

I have lodged a paypal claim and emailed the seller with photo evidence,

What do you guys think? I would have accepeted the parcel if it was say something that wasn't 'sensitive electronics' but, i planned to use the soundcard for a mobile project and sell it on later (as a barely used item) how am i supposed to sell it in a box like that.?

I'm pretty dissapointed - what i think should have happened was that - they should have sent me a new unit as soon as they got confirmation from dhl that the parcel was damaged and being sent back - then they could have inspected the goods on their return and filed a damages claim with dhl - put the unit in bstock (assuming they checked it and it is okay etc)

I haven't opened the box yet - i just want one that hasn't been through that kind of treatment,

Would you guys accept it in this condition? if not - how should i go in negotiating, as far as getting it sorted out quickly - without 2 months of grovelling?

Cheers

Spacecho

 

[abechap024]

Ouch! Man that sucks. What company in their right mind would Resend a unit in a box like that?? Obviously sounds like DHL is taking responsibility for the damage, did the german retailer pocket the money they were reimbursed (I imagine that had to of gotten SOME sort of compensation) and just resend you the unit?

Man, that sucks. Maybe try to open it? I am cringing just looking at it, I imagine it might be like a box of little pieces of legos that fall out when the box in opened.

What a shipping nightmare! Thank goodness for paypal (one of the times all the red tape is actually worth it) Hopefully it all pans out.

 

[pucho812]

they package stuff pretty well I would open it and see how bad it may or may not be

 

[APEX JR.]

Looks pretty sad...........

I think the problem is that in order to save money they stack packages on each other and if it's not
packed well there is damage... This happen a lot... I've run into this a few times and need to put styroform
and peanuts to help with the packing.

USPS can accept parcels up to 70 lbs, and UPS up to 150 lbs...Stacking on a badly packed parcel
can damage it.

 

[mata_haze]

DO NOT OPEN the package!
send the pictures to the retailer, I am sure they will sort you out.

my 2 cents.

Mattia.

 

[sahib]

YES. DO NOT OPEN THE PACKAGE.

You are entitled to 100% refund including the shipping charges.

Or a replacement.

You filed your paypal claim which is the right thing to do. Next is to mail the pictures to the supplier.

It is supplier's decision to whether leave the package with you or to get it collected at their expense.

 

[millzners]

I once loaded trucks for UPS back in college, I can tell you that the parcel delivery company were likely the ones that repackaged it in order to ship to you.  It was very common to find boxes like that, or that had split open and the procedure was to tape them up or get them back to a form where they would make it to the customer and then let the customer decide what to do.  I don't think I ever remember finding a busted up box and then having the box returned to the sender, but this was years ago and for a different company.

 

[desol]

Yeah, that's pretty rough. Got crunched a bit.

Usually, the hardware is in the middle between two styrofoam pieces. Tough to say what kind of damage is done.
Shame after all that waiting.

 

[bruno2000]

That's the way ALL of our UPS packages look.
Best,
Bruno2000

 

[spacecho]

Just an update to the situation,

The retailer got back to me and they seem to be very helpful in offering a solution,

They maintain that they never got the parcel back, and that somewhere along the line the courier / freight company has damaged the parcel,

This makes sense as the packages this company usually sends out are placed in their own branded boxes, the box this came in is hand made out of old bits of cardboard and covered in different labels, writing, stickers etc..

Unfortunately, i have to now fill out 3 stacks of paparwork, take it to the post office (i dont even know how to find out which one) get them to admit liability (which they probably wont), then get them to fill out a form saying that they take no liability, then send this to the retailer, along with photos of the unit and the shipping container, fill in a form that gives the retailer the right to pursue the freight company..etc... i see a day being wasted here...

The retailer mentioned that if i do all of this, they will be able to issue a new one while this is being sorted.. They also sent a lengthy email explaining what to do.

So it seems i've learnt a few things:

Inspect a parcel before signing (I send my stuff to my mothers shop address, i wasn't there to sign for it)
Make sure you keep all the boxes and not open them if this happens,
When contacting the retailer - make sure you email the right department - or be prepared to wait a week..
If a package hasn't arrived in a week - start phoning, and let the retailer know so they can chase it at their end.

On the positive side - i've ordered heaps of things shipped across the world and this the first time it has hapenned.. Suppose it was my turn..

 

[sahib]

You do not need to do that.

Your contract is with the retailer not with the shipping company. (I thought it was DHL so I don't know whay you have to go to the post office.)

You supply the retailer with the photographs and ask for either a replacement or a refund which you are legally fully entitled to.

They deal with the shipping company as the delivery contract is between them.

Putting yourself in between them is going to give you a headache.

 

[nashkato]

yes , i think sahib is right .
had a similar problem , when a motu interface got damaged .

the seller had to fill out a form saying that he allowes me to take further actions .
otherwise the responsibilty would have been with the sender of the parcel.

this was the only time i got a refund for a damaged parcel , usually , once you notify them about a damage , the first thing they do is neglect any responsibilty , while in the meantime they´re heap of lawyers work out a way not to pay a single dime.
but i got to say , this all only affects second hand and used items .

concerning the inspection of parcels before signing : it was very common with the drivers to simply "throw" the parcel in front of your door and let the colleague on the passenger seat sign for it.
it´s quite a shame that the drivers got a hard and long tour , get payed very little , are under time pressure and therefor don´t give a sh**.

one thing you may hear when dealing with shipping companies is : " We ain´t got a scan of damage on the route , and therefor cant take any responsibilty for the damage "
f*** bastards .

as long as for new items , i usually receive them with some kind of "return form" , especially when it comes to bigger companies.