UPS woes

[Pat Kelly]

We bought a stock exhaust system for Wifes 79 standard from someone on the XS triples list. When the box arrived we opened it and found only the right side in the box, cylinder 2 & 3 headpipes and right muffler (nice looking too). Left pipe and muffler were missing. I contacted the seller and he assured me that all the pipes and clamps were in there. It does appear that the box came open on one end.

We contacted UPS and their solution is to send it back to the seller and get our money back from him. The UPS representative we talked to said she had contacted the 4 hubs the package passed through and there was no 3' chrome muffler or 3' chrome pipe shaped like a 'J'. She said they probably found it laying on the ground and threw it away.

We really need the exhaust and don't want to send it back. That would also leave the seller with an incomplete exhaust system. I do think the seller could have secured that end a little better but UPS could have easily seen an opened box, looked inside, and put them back in. The shipping tag said 37 lbs., the weight of the complete system. With the left side missing it's 24 lbs.

I'm not sure what to do at this point. Send it back and ask for our money? Keep it and search for another left muffler (Yamaha part #1T5-14711)? Or try to get UPS or the seller to get us another muffler? We paid $170.00 shipped which was a good price for the decent condition of the pipes.

I'm open to any feedback about this. The seller seems to be a 'stand-up guy' and after all, he's a fellow tripler.

If anyone has a left muffler in good shape we'd be willing to trade a loud 3 int 1 system for it.

Thanks group...

[Jerry]

Pat:

Generally, the first $100.00 worth of insurance is included with the shipping charges. Value over that must be declared, and shipper must have paid more for the extra coverage. I would contact the shipper - only the shipper can file- and have him/her file an insurance claim. This will at least get you $100.00 to try to find a complete system or parts to complete this one.

Generally the cost of shipping an incomplete system isn't worth shipping it back. I would have the shipper sign the insurance check over to you when he/she gets it. This will not be a speedy process. In 5 years of shipping UPS stuff I've only had one insurance claim, and it took a couple weeks to get the check.

Take photos of the box, label, and keep copies of any paperwork that might have come from UPS. If the driver signed off that the box was damaged on delivery this will help. Request a copy of the delivery record. You could take a photo of the box on a scale to show it weighed less than it did when shipped. Get a photo of what a complete system looks like to point out the missing parts for the motorcycle-challenged people you will come in contact with. Be prepared to repeat the story several times to different people.

Again, most all of this has to come from the shipper's end.
Hopefully the party will be willing to take this up with UPS.

FWIW, UPS states the shipper takes responsibility for properly packing the box, including sealing it. If the package was torn/ripped/mangled then UPS is more likely to take action. If a seam just popped open or some tape came loose then UPS may claim the loss is not their fault. Kind of a gray area, but be prepared for this arguement. Like many companies, UPS is great at projecting high-quality customer care; now you will find out if it is true. I've never had a problem with UPS or the one claim I had to file when a box arrived at a customer location with damage.

[fusionking]

I'll keep all this in mind when I sell on ebay, this don't sound too promising, keep us posted on the progress , Pat

[jayklink]

I used to work for UPS as a loader and sorter when I was in college. I could see that it is likely that a large odd shaped box for pipes would get damaged in shipment. Especially if the shipper didn't pack well.

When I worked for UPS in the late 90's every package was insured for $100, I don't think this has changed. So someone should be able to get at least a 100 bucks back.

I would be surprised if UPS will be able to locate the lost pipes. The hubs are huge and are going non-stop.

Sorry about your pipes, good luck.