Hey guys, alright, I did not want to come here, but I have no options as of now left. I am not the person who comes to a forum to blast people. Luap sold the tank to me. I have emailed and PM'd him a few times over the past 2 weeks and have no response. The tank is damaged, there was no insurance put on the tank, it was packed poorly, and now he is ignoring my PMs and emails on getting the tank back to him and the money back to me. if you have been to my build thread, you will know I am very detailed about things, this post will be no different. I am very frustrated and just want things settled. I don't know any other way to get his attention. this is an unfortunate situation but I paid for something, and I did not receive it. bottom line.
Here is the story in depth. I messaged Luap asking about his tank. he originally wanted $100 plus shipping. I offered $75 shipped. he counter offered with $75 plus shipping. so I counter offered with $100 shipped. we agreed and he sent it. He shipped it out USPS parcel post and when it arrived I was a little surprised at how small the box was (I wasn't sure the tank could actually fit in the box). the first thing I noticed was the shipping label clearly marked $17.08 for shipping. this isn't the biggest deal obviously but it is noteworthy.
when I opened the box there was minimal packaging. there were 5 clear plastic bags, one plastic grocery bag, one small cardboard box, and one bundle of that really thin foam sheeting. NOT proper packing materials. no bubble wrap at all. the TANK DOES NOT EVEN FIT properly with the lid closed. I am surprised on of the top edge sides wasn't bashed in because it was in direct contact with the box. 2 inches MINIMUM of proper packing material around something like this. like I said before, the shipping should have cost him $30 to $35, he paid $17 with a clear failed packing job.
I immediately let him know and he suggested I take it in to have USPS open up a claim. I filled out the online form from a link he gave me, and took it in. they ran the number on the box and it came up a "parcel post, no insurance, no confirmation delivery". just as I thought. UPS puts $100 automatic insurance on things you ship. USPS does NOT. they told me they are not responsible for any damages without insurance. I might add that on the USPS insurance claim page the way the process reads is that the shipper starts the claim anyway. Luap assured me that I file the claim because I have the damaged box/goods. I may be right or wrong but if you read it yourself it sounds like the shipper makes the claim. Not worried about that, just a note. I contacted Luap with this info from USPS a week ago by PM, and then again 5 days ago by email. he has not responded to either. he also has not logged on here since Jan. 1st. the email should have got to him as we have communicated that way before. He should at least send me SOMETHING even if it says "hey sorry, i don't have the money right now but give me a few days or so and I can get it back to you". I understand life happens, but when you sell something and put your name to it, back it. make your name worth something. we aren't all in the service industry or in customer service relations, but when you are selling something even over a public forum, you would be wise to try and represent yourself well.
I have over 150 100% feedback on ebay, and I have almost 100 100% feedback on
www.talkbass.com , the other forum that I am on frequently. I'm not some golden seller, but I do my best to describe things I sell as honestly and best as I can. I want to completely please the buyer and make sure they are getting exactly what they think they are getting AND it gets to them in the shape I sent it out. while most other people do as well, you cannot forget about the shipping portion. the people working at UPS, USPS, fedex, and DHL do not handle boxes like its their stuff...well because it isn't. it's business and they have a lot of packages to get out and around and throwing them and dropping them is going to happen, 100% of the time. I don't like it but I know it. PACK ACCORDINGLY
here is the shipping label
here is the packing material. let this be a lesson as how NOT to pack a tank
here is the tank inside the box with no packing materials. the petcock IS on and it butts up against the side of the box. not much clearance.
here is me showing how the tank actually stuck out of the box, pressing up against the cardboard. it should have 2inches of clearance with packaging all around