Date:         Sat, 6 Jan 2001 12:58:48 +1200
Reply-To:     Andrew Grebneff <andrew.grebneff@STONEBOW.OTAGO.AC.NZ>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         Andrew Grebneff <andrew.grebneff@STONEBOW.OTAGO.AC.NZ>
Subject:      Juli's mirror & UPS & packing material
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"

I agree that vendor problems should be aired in a genteel way, otherwise
they will not improve their service and we members won't know what's going
on. This is particularly the case if the vendor owner shows no interest;
Ron's address is known to us all, and if there's a proble, don't approach
his minions. Ask Ron first (nicely, be reasonable and rational).

I have heard that UPS is colloquially known as Universal Parcel Smashers,
and voiced this concern to a listmember who was using them to send some
items to me. He said that he has used UPS frequently, with no problems.
However he later came back and said that while he was at the UPS depot
handing said items over he saw UPS workers tossing parcels 15 feet into a
truck (that's the figure as I remember it). he said he was a bit worried.

Electric-Life, who uses UPS, told me the reputation is justified.

However they are not the only ones with such scumbag employees. I've seen
NZ Post workers toss parcels into bins, and recently saw on TV news some US
airport workers tossing parcels in the general direction of a big bin (most
parcels seemed to go way up, then crash down onto the ground).

Face it, the shipping industry is full of creeps who enjoy deliberately
destroying others' property. Hopefully poetic justice occurs to at least
some of them, and really EXPENSIVE items they have ordered arrive smashed.

BUT this does not excuse poor packaging by vendors...who know full well
that this goes on. The instrument pod I ordered from Bus Depot arrived
intact, but I couldn't believe the rickety irregularly-shaped cut-down
hybrid box it arrived in, nor the skimpy newspaper "padding" within. It did
the job, but there must have been a lot of good luck packed inside too!

Newspaper is a perfectly good, abeit slightly heavy, packaging medium. Ron
should be using more of it, and CRUMPLING it up fairly well as he packs it
in. Uncrumpled paper will give next to no impact protection. The crumpled
paper should not be packed tight, but give good support to the item.

Personally I have not had any parcels arrive with destroyed contents, nor
parcels I have sent. Yet. I send/receive specimen seashells, which are VERY
fragile. Generally here I have used paper towels, but now tend to use small
ziploc bags with minimal foam chips and bubblewrap above & below, as do the
shell dealers. paper towelling can greatly increase shipping costs due to
its mass.


Andrew Grebneff
Dunedin, New Zealand
VW & mollusc nut
1984 VW Caravelle (currently SVX engine; waiting for a Porsche trans)
1985 Mitsubishi Galant Sigma 2.0 (FWD), for sale
1986 CE80 Toyota Corolla 1.8DX diesel (extaxi)
1989 CE96 Toyota Corolla 1.8DX diesel wagon
1989 CT170 Toyota Corona Select 2.0 diesel (taxi)