[TowerTalk] US Tower Shipping Times
K7LXC@aol.com
K7LXC@aol.com
Wed, 7 Oct 1998 01:25:42 EDT
In a message dated 98-10-06 21:05:20 EDT, N3SL@aol.com writes:
> USTower's estimate was within a week of the actual ship date. HOWEVER, the
> trucking company called my home at 8:30 on a Friday morning and said if the
> tower wasn't off their truck that afternoon, the truck rental was $100/day
> to
> include Sat and Sun! Needless to say, I wasn't ready. For whatever it was
> worth (my blood pressure, at a minimum), I called USTower and expressed my
> "extreme" displeasure.... Naturally, their answer was to the effect they
> didn't control the trucking companies. In their defense (not that they
> need/deserve it), the bill of lading clearly said "Call customer 48 hours
> prior to delivery."
The delivery situation can be controlled. First, get the shipment PRO
number from the company that you're dealing with (US Tower, etc.) and the
shipping company. Call the shipping company dispatcher to schedule/coordinate
the delivery. If they have advance notice, it's easier for them to accomodate
you then if you're on some guy's route that day and the tower's already loaded
on the truck. I've had local freight companies even store them for a week or
two in their yard until you're ready for it. The truck driver's don't read the
special instructions - you need to talk to dispatch to make it work for you.
If you don't coordinate it, then they'll most likely dump it in your
front yard and make your wife/neighbor sign for it and take off. At that
point, any damage has been signed off and you're SOL if there's any problems.
In the case of a crank-up, I coordinate the delivery with a
boomtruck/crane to unload the tower and lift it into place.
Cheers, Steve K7LXC
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