UPS Shipping Horror Story

[BwanaMdogo]

Because we are selling our Adirondack great camp, which includes a building with two dozen beautiful African heads (mounted by Jonas Brothers) from the '60's and '70's, I wanted my son to have the Lesser Kudu and and East African Oryx. So I arranged to have them packed and shipped by UPS in Lake Placid, NY, to San Francisco. The shipment did not arrive on the promised date, and the online status was "misrouted." For weeks dragging into months, no one at UPS could explain where it was or even for sure where it was last seen. Even writing to the CEO did no good... 4 months later, we concluded the heads obviously were stolen. UPS did pay a generous insurance claim, but that is small comfort for losing these treasures from my youth.

 

[BRICKBURN]

Insurance coverage or not, that is truly sad.

"Misrouted" another acronym for theft. I'll remember that.

 

[Hogpatrol]

Did you ship them yourself through a UPS depot, owned and operated by UPS or through a UPS "store". The stores are franchises that generally charge two to ten times what it would cost if you took it personally to UPS. I have found some of these stores to be CLUELESS when shipping large items.

 

[barbells.and.arrows]

Hate to be the millennial in the bunch, but have you taken to social media with your concerns/issues/loss? Not downing this forum, but something like facebook or twitter, where it might "go viral" or at least gain some traction? I might not publicly announce they were mounts, or I might go heavily with the fact they are older family heirlooms, as to keep the crazy's out of the equation.

I absolutely hate this for you! I can't even imagine! I was concerned moving our mounts ourselves when we moved, and we don't have nearly that many or ones with that special of meaning.

 

[Wheels]

Sorry that this happened to you.

In this day and age, your hunt in Kenya is rare and special. Would you mind sharing the places you hunted, your PH and outfitter along with some photos from your hunt(s), rifles you used, etc. , It would be appreciated if you have the opportunity.

Ps: I like your moniker and avatar.

 

[gillettehunter]

Glad to have you here on AH. Sorry for your loss. Never fun to lose items of your heritage..... Glad they paid up, but still not the same.....
Bruce

 

[CAustin]

Very sorry to hear this happened!

 

[BRICKBURN]

Hate to be the millennial in the bunch, but have you taken to social media with your concerns/issues/loss? Not downing this forum, but something like facebook or twitter, where it might "go viral" or at least gain some traction? I might not publicly announce they were mounts, or I might go heavily with the fact they are older family heirlooms, as to keep the crazy's out of the equation.

I absolutely hate this for you! I can't even imagine! I was concerned moving our mounts ourselves when we moved, and we don't have nearly that many or ones with that special of meaning.

Sadly, the news that UPS "lost" a package is not news to the hoards.

Using FB you can get some nice death threats for being a hunter.
More likely, you'll get congratulations that your trophies were lost.

 

[JimP]

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

This right here would be the problem with posting it on social media.

It is just the way things are at this time and it doesn't look like it is going to get better.

 

[barbells.and.arrows]

Sadly, the news that UPS "lost" a package is not news to the hoards.
Using FB you can get some nice death threats for being a hunter.
More likely, you'll get congratulations that your trophies were lost.

That's why I said to indicate you had lost heirlooms, and not mention what they actually were. It's all in what people perceive. Tell them it's heirloom home décor.
I know mentioning they were African game mounts, even if they aren't from present day would only incite the idiot parade.

 

[BRICKBURN]

Ah, fake news.
That is an excellent use of FB.

 

[barbells.and.arrows]

@BRICKBURN I mean if everyone else can do it, why can't we? It's not necessarily fake, but not the whole truth. *shrugs*

 

[BRICKBURN]

I know where you're trying to go.

We can all empathize with the OP and the loss he experienced. Hunters get it.
I think this was a good heads up for us all.
Sadly, thefts and destruction of shipments occur daily.

 

[Hogpatrol]

@BwanaMdogo Don't give up all hope. I waited I don't know how long for a vendor and UPS to make good on a lost shipment. It was a small package, about the size of a small flat rate USPS box. When UPS settled with the vendor, they sent me a replacement. Six months later, I get a package left on my front step, the missing shipment.

 

[Hogpatrol]

@BwanaMdogo Aren't those horns removable? My oryx's are. They slide right off. If yours are, why would it be packed like that?

 

[JimP]

A lot of them are glued on, while some heat might loosen the glue it also might destroy the horns.