Think shipping companies care about your gear as much as you do? Think again
Jul 26, 2016
John Aldred
John Aldred is a photographer with over 25 years of experience in the portrait and commercial worlds. He is based in Scotland and has been an early adopter – and occasional beta tester – of almost every digital imaging technology in that time. As well as his creative visual work, John uses 3D printing, electronics and programming to create his own photography and filmmaking tools and consults for a number of brands across the industry.
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I always thought, perhaps a little naively, that when packages were thrown in my general direction I simply got a crappy delivery guy. As it turns out, this seems to be standard practise if the responses to this Reddit post are anything to go by.
User mlapaglia told DIYP that he ordered a Sony E 35mm f/1.8 OSS Lens through Amazon. Being in something of a rush, he opted for same day delivery through a company called LaserShip. This is what LaserShip thinks of $500 lenses, and it turns out that they’re not the only ones.
Packaged in the usual Amazon box, there were no markings on it that would suggest its contents were fragile. “The lens was well packaged”, mlapaglia told DIYP, “and does not appear to be damaged due to the delivery”. Hopefully this proves to be true in the longer term.
One “bump” like this may not be a big deal, but some comments in response to the post astounded me. It seems that it is not only standard, but it’s practically company policy.
Back when I worked at UPS loading trucks, the way we kept packages secure was to build them into walls of boxes… And you had to beat the shit of the box to make the wall tight and strong enough that it wouldn’t collapse when the truck driver hit the brakes. This is how we were trained by supervisors.
– Reddit user, tranam
Quite a few commenters report having worked or still working for very well known delivery companies. Some of those suggest that this is nothing compared to what happens before the package gets even close to your house. They also don’t seem very apologetic.
Worked at FedEx Express, theres a reason it’s not called FedEx White Glove Gentle.
– Reddit user, cmc2888
He does go on to state that they don’t intentionally damage packages. Of course, they’re not making a conscious effort to be all that careful with them, either.
Reading the entire conversation on Reddit, it gives a strong argument for supporting your local camera shop vs ordering online. Sure, items are still shipped there, but at least if anything suffers damage on the way it’s easier to have replaced or repaired.
Again, call me naive, but I didn’t expect Ace Ventura to be quite so true to life.
I receive quite a lot of packages, a mix of purchases and products sent to me for review. It’s rare that anything arrives completely annihilated, but it has happened a few times.
I assumed they were simply the result of exceptionally rough handling by a small number of employees. In hindsight, it appears it was just inadequate packaging, and the others simply survived better.
If nothing else, it certainly makes me rethink how I package things to ship to others.
Have you ever received a package so visibly damaged that you refused to accept it? Do you regularly see treatment like this of packages intended for you? Have you tried to claim against a delivery company on a broken item? Did it go well? Tell us about your shipping experiences in the comments.
John Aldred
John Aldred is a photographer with over 25 years of experience in the portrait and commercial worlds. He is based in Scotland and has been an early adopter – and occasional beta tester – of almost every digital imaging technology in that time. As well as his creative visual work, John uses 3D printing, electronics and programming to create his own photography and filmmaking tools and consults for a number of brands across the industry.
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12 responses to “Think shipping companies care about your gear as much as you do? Think again”
The same thing happened to me when I ordered a lens through Amazon. Thrown out of the car into the driveway. I wrote a bad review on the Amazon web site and since then everything is gently left on my doorstep.
I’ve always wondered what happens if someone takes your delivery before you, if the parcels are left infront of your door and not directly given to you :?
Come on, I have never seen a UPS, FedEx or USPS employee not in uniform when delivering a package. Whomever this delivery guy is he does not work for one of the big three.
according to the reddit post, it was sent via ‘LaserShip’, a same-day-delivery carrier.
The article implied (via the reddit comments chosen) that it was UPS or Fedex, glad to know as I expected that it was a regional company whose reputation is not great. I wonder how long Amazon will continue doing business with lasership as the complaints mount.
It’s because Amazon Flex pays a flat rate so your incentive is not to deliver quality, it’s to deliver quickly.
I’ve also had bad experiences with LaserShip via same day. And these guys show up driving personal vehicles with nothing to identify them as anything other than strangers standing at your door with your package. I’ve written to Amazon about it before and will no longer take the same day option.
Back in the ’90s, I could go to my local UPS distribution center to pick up packages early, usually the night before they’d go out for local delivery. While standing in the warehouse office, one of the door openings was lined up with the conveyor belts that the trucks unload onto. Basically, boxes would fly out of the back doors of the trucks and smash onto the conveyor belts. It wasn’t one truck, it was every truck, almost every package. I’ve had less damaged goods using the postal service than with UPS. Needless to say, I don’t use UPS for fragile goods, nor do I use same day or other express services.
Is it alowed in the US to just leave a package? Aren’t they required to get it signed? That’s a way to make sure it doesn’t get stolen or delivered to the wrong house.
Same with the trowing. The only thing that is not required to be signed and not be in the mail box is the free newspaper and event that isn’t thrown, and mostly put inside the mail box.
If that is the norm in the US I would always choose to pick it up myself
Any type of signature required service is extra… from $5 (Indirect) to $15+ (Direct) so when you start shipping at scale that is a very large cost compared to the number of claims you get. So, replacing merch generally cheaper depending on what is shipped and how well they package it.
Signing is an optional service. Though I am no REQUIRED to sign for ALL UPS packages because the morons lost one that they said they delivered (to my back porch and they NEVER deliver to my back porch…EVER) and I filed a claim. So now I have to sign. PITA.
“Back when I worked at UPS loading trucks, the way we kept packages secure was to build them into walls of boxes… And you had to beat the shit of the box to make the wall tight and strong enough that it wouldn’t collapse when the truck driver hit the brakes. This is how we were trained by supervisors.” As a current UPS employee myself, I can guarantee you that even though this may have once been the way packages were handled, there’s no way in hell we at my location would get away with treating packages that poorly. I personally load trucks and am told to be careful with packages while making sure I don’t stack too high, force packages into place, etc.