[AMPS] Shipping Amps

[Phil Clements]

At 10:42 PM 4/15/97 -0400, you wrote:
>
>I have had absolutely NO luck shipping amplifiers. 
>
>The only amps that I have purchased that have worked have been ones that I
>had shipped by motor freight on a pallet.  
>
>From now on my amps are for local pick up only.  This is WAY too much grief.
>
I can certainly feel your pain, Bill! At least FedEx has paid off very well
and very promptly for the damages, and reimbursed me for the freight charges.
The last two Alpha 77SX's I shipped (they don't travel well at all) resulted
almost $1000 in damages. (Boxes not damaged and intact) I shipped a pair of
4-1000A 's to Japan and they had to buy the guy a new pair.

There is a very good reason for this. You speak very wisely when you suggest
motor freight and crate/pallet. I have been around the air freight business
for over 30 years. None of the companies are any better or worse than any
other. What happens is that when going through the sorting process the
packages travel through literally miles of conveyer belts. Unfortunately
the process involves multi-level transitions during the package's travel
through the sort. The belts move at fairly high speed, over 4-5 mph. When
a box reaches an upgrade or downgrade, it often tumbles at great speed
until it reaches the next level or is hit by another piece of freight.
I see 1000's of computers and monitors do this nightly...I have often 
wondered what the loss ratio is!

If I ever sell my amp I will deliver it or have the buyer pick it up.
Parts are very hard to get in small quantities even if the insurance
is paying the tab!

(((73)))
Phil, K5PC


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