Got My Amp But It Was Dropped In Shipping

[Jack Hammer]

So I finally bought a used amp of Audiogon, Parasound HCA2003a. Problem is it showed up yesterday and it looks like they dropped it a few times during shipping. The handle on the back is bent and the front has some slight damage to the handle and the corner of the faceplate is bent with a noticeable ding on it's side. Funcionally it is fine. I hooked it up to my system and it sounds great.

I emailed the seller late last night and sent some pictures to him today. I haven't heard back from him yet, but don't expect to until this evening. It really wasn't packed that solidly, just packing peanuts and shredded paper in a single box. The box looked a little beat up when it arrived, but not in any way alarming - it wasn't out of shape. I think the package just wasn't strong enough for a 60lb amp.

I'm not sure how to handle this. I'm concerned that UPS won't cover the damage, even if I have them come out here. I read the info in the dropped 3805 thread and don't know how to apply it to an individual. If they do cover it, they will pay out to the shipper. So far there has been nothing "shadey" on his part, just poor packaging.

In all honesty, I'd really like to keep it. I got a good price for the amp and it does work. However, the damage bothers me. I would have bought an amp with similar damage, but at a much lower price.

What do you guys think? How should I handle this? Should I ask for a partial refund or return it?

Thanks

Jack

 

[highfihoney]

You Have Several Options.

So I finally bought a used amp of Audiogon, Parasound HCA2003a. Problem is it showed up yesterday and it looks like they dropped it a few times during shipping. The handle on the back is bent and the front has some slight damage to the handle and the corner of the faceplate is bent with a noticeable ding on it's side. Funcionally it is fine. I hooked it up to my system and it sounds great.

I emailed the seller late last night and sent some pictures to him today. I haven't heard back from him yet, but don't expect to until this evening. It really wasn't packed that solidly, just packing peanuts and shredded paper in a single box. The box looked a little beat up when it arrived, but not in any way alarming - it wasn't out of shape. I think the package just wasn't strong enough for a 60lb amp.

I'm not sure how to handle this. I'm concerned that UPS won't cover the damage, even if I have them come out here. I read the info in the dropped 3805 thread and don't know how to apply it to an individual. If they do cover it, they will pay out to the shipper. So far there has been nothing "shadey" on his part, just poor packaging.

In all honesty, I'd really like to keep it. I got a good price for the amp and it does work. However, the damage bothers me. I would have bought an amp with similar damage, but at a much lower price.

What do you guys think? How should I handle this? Should I ask for a partial refund or return it?

Thanks

Jack

Damm that sucks,first off before we even discuss shipping you should be aware of AUDIOGON'S POLICY FOR SELLERS,at all times no matter how the damage to the gear was recieved the SELLER IS ALWAYS RESPONSIBLE FOR DAMAGES,REPAIRS & REFUNDS,also know that audiogon requires sellers to AT NO TIME MAKE THE BUYER WAIT FOR AN INSURANCE REFUND.

If you & the seller cant quickly reach a resolve to this issue YOU CAN FILE A DISPUTE WITH AUDIOGON,after the dispute is filed the staff will post a thread under the heading"disputes" & let you state your case,they will also let the seller state his case,after both you & the seller respond to the dispute audiogon then open's up the thread for the members to vote their opinion on the dispute,after a cosensus has been reached by the membership the audiogon staff will give its verdict,if the seller wont abide the verdict his screen name,personal name & IP address will be permantly banned from buying & selling on the site

Now lets talk packing guidelines set forth by all the shipping companies no matter who they are,shippers are strick on these guidelines & if he shipped ups or fedex he had to sign or initial a paper stating that his packing method meets or exceeds their guide lines which they clearly do not.

All electronic items should be placed in a box & surrounded by AT LEAST 2 INCHES OF PACKING MATERIAL ON ALL 6 SIDES,PACKING PEANUTS ARE ONLY TO BE USED AS FILLER,A RIGID MATERIAL SHOULD BE USED FOR THE REQUIRED 2 INCH PROTECTION.Depending on the weight of the item the double box method should be used using the outlined packing method for the box holding the item & the same 2 inches of packing material around all 6 sides of the inner box,packing peanuts are allowed in the outer box but never in the inner box.Bubble wrap is also not accepted for the required 2 inch minumum rigid packing material which should be sheet styrafoam & can be bought from home depot or lowes.

Your seller clearly violated packing/shipping requirements from every major shipping company so it will be impossible for him to claim shipping damage,crumpled up news papers/toilet tissue/bath towels ect are never accepted as legit filler,bubble wrap is also not accepted except for fill. Let the seller know that his packing will not meet the required packing in order to facilitate an insurance claim on your behalf & that you would prefer a refund.

Dont think im trying to knock your parasound gear because im not & i think parasound makes killer gear but in all honesty that amp is a dime a dozen,even if there isnt another one listed right now there will be very soon,think of just how hard that package had to be slammed in order to bend the rack handle & how that affected the interior of your amplifier,if it was me i'd demand a total & instant refund of all money involved including the shipping paid to get the amp to you & the return shipping in order to get it back to him.Your way better off to get a total refund & to start looking for another amplifier than you are to settle for an amp that sustained a huge impact.

If you dont have any luck reaching an agreement with your seller i might be able to help in private,if you need help getting this settled feel free to pm me.

 

[Seth=L]

Wow, long post!

 

[j_garcia]

Same thing happened to a friend of mine. He filed a claim for a damaged receiver that was poorly packed and the money went to the seller who suddently stopped responding to contact from my friend. Unfortunately for him, my friend is a police officer LOL.

 

[MDS]

Jack,
Make sure you take pictures of the amp damage and all of the packing materials so you can clearly show that the packaging did not meet the requirements set forth in highfihoney's post.

I would be very leery of keeping an amp that had visible damage because you know how electronics can be - it may work fine for awhile and then suddenly fail. You have no idea if the apparently rough handling caused internal damage that may cause problems later.

 

[j_garcia]

Yup. My friend's unit the remote was damaged badly (worked, but couldn't read display), and the unit had a dent in it. This is a B&K unit and the front panel is at least 1/4" thick, so it took a pretty hard hit to damage it. He sent it in to a B&K center to have it checked and repaired.

 

[Jack Hammer]

Pictures

I'm attaching some photos.

 

[Jack Hammer]

More Photos

Here are a couple more. You can see how it was packed and the size of the box relative to the amp itself.

I got an email back from the seller saying the damage seems minor and offeringme the opportunity to return it for a refund, minus shipping.

 

[highfihoney]

Wow, long post!

Yup,your right it was long but did jackhammer recieve the info he needed

 

[highfihoney]

Here are a couple more. You can see how it was packed and the size of the box relative to the amp itself.

I got an email back from the seller saying the damage seems minor and offeringme the opportunity to return it for a refund, minus shipping.

I'll try to keep it short

Ive seen some pretty lousy packing but that mess takes the cake,a child could have done a better job,a hand full of packing peanuts & shredded newspaper with 2 pcs of duct tape to hold a 40 plus pound amp

Minor damageIs this guy serious?

You should ask this seller why he feels you should have to pay shipping due to his inability to pack properly & also inform him that his packing does not meet the guidelines required from all shipping companies let alone his packing would not suffice to anybody with any common sense,the only thing he could have done worse was to tie the top of the box with twine instead of tape.From the pics you posted its easy to see that the damage was from improper packing.

Im so curious as to who this seller is,if you get nowhere with this guy post his audiogon username,it wont take long over at agon for the word to get around that he is a bad seller if he dont come through for you

 

[Seth=L]

That damage is neglegible in my book, I would keep it and try getting some reambersement. Sharpie fixes scrapes and scratches.

 

[Jack Hammer]

I took HifiHoneys advice and pointed out the problems with how it was packaged and asked for a full refund, including shipping both ways.

I just heard back from the seller. He agreed to a full refund and to pay shipping both ways. I told him I'd package it properly so no more damage would be sustained.

On Monday, I'll send the cost of shipping and materials. Hopefully there won't be any more problems. He says he'll issue the refund once he has recieved it back. I'm okay with this because I can always dispute it later with my CC company if there is a problem.

Thanks for all the help

Jack

 

[Seth=L]

I took HifiHoneys advice and pointed out the problems with how it was packaged and asked for a full refund, including shipping both ways.

I just heard back from the seller. He agreed to a full refund and to pay shipping both ways. I told him I'd package it properly so no more damage would be sustained.

On Monday, I'll send the cost of shipping and materials. Hopefully there won't be any more problems. He says he'll issue the refund once he has recieved it back. I'm okay with this because I can always dispute it later with my CC company if there is a problem.

Thanks for all the help

Jack

Just currious, how much was the guy asking? Do you think he will lower his price now that it is damaged?

 

[Ron Temple]

In the same train...if the amp works flawlessly, I'd ask for a settlement rather than risking further damage. If you saw the amp in a shop, what would you pay for it? Make the seller an offer. Just be sure you can, in turn, flip the piece at no loss (on CL with no shipping).

 

[AmpItUP]

Try to get a partial refund, make sure UPS pays for the damage or at least knows about this.

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