Sharing a cautionary tale: I recently shipped a Power Plant 15 using UPS Ground. I insured the package. In transit, the bolt holding the transformer in place sheared off, leaving the transformer loose to bang around inside. Not good. When I filed my insurance claim with UPS, it was denied because the outer box (I was using all the original PS Audio packaging) was only rated for 30 pounds. UPS tells me that they only consider the rating of the outer box, so the fact that it was double boxed was irrelevant.
Worth keeping in mind when considering shipping a heavy Power Plant, and whether or not insurance is worth paying for.
It has been my opinion that PS Audio product packaging is inadequate for the rigors of today’s shipping environment. I’ve had more than one PS Audio product barely survive shipping in original packaging that was new. Far, far too many manufacturers skimp on packaging. About the only brand I’ve purchased whose packaging seems up to snuff has been Luxman. Triple boxes and lots of proper closed cell foam liner material.
Akro is right though, UPS would find a way to deny responsibility for damage one way or another.
A sheared off bolt sounds like UPS doing what it does best, subjecting your package to a high shock environment. Unless the damage was due to puncturing a hole through the carton, which isn’t necessary to shear the mounting bolt of a heavy component like a large transformer (shearing a bolt due to shock is an inertial effect), they’re blowing smoke. The package handling systems of UPS and FedEx are atrocious, and I’m betting everyone on the forum has witnessed one of their gorillas dropping a package out the back end of the truck onto the pavement. Doesn’t matter how many Fragile, Handle with Care stickers are on the carton.
When I shipped my dac in on the trade deal…UPS said that the insurance would only cover a lost box because the original outer box from 2014 or so did not meet the current standards for the package weight. Its the number in the “box type” circle.
Having a Lux 509X, IME Luxman packaging is the gold standard when considering cardboad boxes. Crates, well that’s another story, seems Gryphon has a leg up in that arena.
I had a discussion with a FedEx employee a couple of months ago. Here’s what I learned… If you pack it and it gets damaged they will deny your claim because you packed it! So, the insurance is only useful in case they loose it, which is extremely unlikely.
It may be unlikely but it happens. FedEx Express lost one of our crated shipments with over $100,000 in art. They never gave us an inkling of what happened. That was a total loss as FedEx won’t insure Fine Art shipments for over $500. They also drove a forklift blade through two shipments of sculptures that were worth similar money. All told, we’ve lost close to $250,000 retail in uncompensated shipments due to FedEx’s sloppy work. We usually try to use specialized Fine Art shippers but they require a much longer lead time to schedule and deliver. So when time is of the essence, FedEx or UPS is the alternative plan.
