[Lonster]

I need to spout off. I just received some high end speakers I bought on E-bay and the things arrived mangled. The speakers are Definitive Technology Mythos one and I have been waiting on a pair of these for two years. I won the bidding for less than half of the retail price. http://www.definitivetech.com/loudsp...os/mythos.html I was extremely excited when the arrived. When I began to open the box, pieces of glass started to fall everywhere. The 1/2" thick tempered glass base was shattered. During shipping the glass then ate up the aluminum case and also shredded the grill. I have made a claim w/Fed-Ex. An "inspector" is supposed to come tomorrow and inspect the package and damage. The bases are $60 ea and the grills are $50 ea. The aluminum will probably not polish out. Why does this always happen... Get a good deal and then something always happens.

Does this happen to anyone else... or just me.

[gto fast pontiac]

well i know how you feel never happened to me, but i work at fedex right now and 9 times outta 10 the package handels treat the packages with care and something else to think about i know that we do 60,000 to 62,000 packages in eight hours

[quick67bird]

I also work for FedEx in the Freight division and sometimes a little additional packaging makes a world of difference. When the inspector comes out and makes notes for the claim make sure that you point out that it is possible that the aluminum will not polish out.

Robert

[gto fast pontiac]

yeah i work at fedex ground in indy

[Frank R]

Like the others I work at Fedex and I can tell you that we have the best service in the industry with the least amount of claims. Save all the packing that it was shipped in, the inspector will want to see how it was packaged. I have worked a for the express division for 19 years and for the most part damaged in shipping packages are rare.

[Lonster]

The same home delivery guy that delivered the package came and took the damaged speakers away this afternoon. The problem is that I got a great deal on the speakers and probably won't find another for a long time. I am severely disappointed. I guess I didn't understand the "inspector" thing. I thought Fed-Ex was going to inspect the damage and replace/compensate for the loss. These speakers retail for $1800, I only paid $860. Most used in the same condition go for >$1200. I thought I was going to be able to polish the speakers and replace the broken components that I had already gotten prices for. As I said I am getting shafted any way I look at it. I Won't find a deal like this again, and my money will be tied up for a while until the it is all settled. Just my luck!

[gto fast pontiac]

did you ship fedex ground because i work at the indianapolis fedex ?

[Forrest]

interesting, the add for these speakers say " unbreakable tempered glass bases"!

[Lonster]

Yes,... I live in Greenwood. The home delivery guy was named Bob. He only had one return receipt, the delivery came in two large boxes. He told me if I had any trouble because he only had one receipt sticker to contact customer service and give them his name. If you check in the "inspection" area where the Home Delivery guy took them, they should be there. I really was caught off-guard by the delivery guy wanting to take them back, so the were not packaged in anything. He just laid them in the back of his van side by side on a piece of cardboard and left me grieving.

Unbreakable...no. The bases were 1/2" thick tempered glass. When they broke, they busted into 1/4" cubes and scratched the heck out of the polished aluminum and cut up the material for the grill covers.

I can tell you for comparison sake, these speakers were like experiencing a 11 second car for the first time after driving an old Honda. They still sounded great even though I tested them laying on their side.

[vtxman]

How did this turn out? Did Fedex pay the claim? Did you get your speakers back, or did you get a replacement? I have heard that the claim process is not customer friendly.

[Lonster]

I have had to let the E-bay store (I-Sold It) I bought the speakers from deal w/ Fed Ex since they were the shippers. Fed Ex denied the claim due to inadequate packing. They are of course appealing. I am still waiting on a refund. I cannot express how much this has stretched my patience. I have paid $913.22 for something that has been returned for 4 weeks now and have nothing to show for it. Monday I gave up and let turned it over to Paypal. If this doesn't work out I'll let VISA get me my refund.

An interesting note: Once you escalate a case to Paypal they freeze the sellers (in my case) account for the amount in dispute. After escalation, it was amazing to see the emails and communication start to happen. Once it hit them in the pocketbook, it became a priority. Before escalation, I placed personal emails and phone calls that numbered around 30. I have each email saved w/return receipts and all phone call documented w/times, dates and names.

My last email which went has yet to be responded to: "Whatever happens with the Fed Ex claim happens. I expect a refund. Shipping the speakers with the glass bases attached was made with poor judgment. You cannot expect a piece of glass that is attached to a 35 lb, 48" ballast to survive a truck ground shipment of 620 miles loosely packed in paper. The glass bases were simply held in place with allen screws and could have been easily removed. The speakers were originally shipped that way, and should have been shipped to me in that way too. As stated by yourself, this is taking way too long. I expect good customer service. $913.22 is a considerable sum of money, and I worked hard for it. Conclusion: we both entered into a contract. I fulfilled my end by paying in full almost immediately, but I did not received the product as purchased. I also followed your wishes for returning the product. Therefore I expect you to resolve your end of the contract. Ship an exact replacement, or refund the money."

[pagesk]

Although I don't have those speakers, the factor packaging on the Definitive Tech speakers that I have was excellent. Speakers in a plastic bag, foam corner and end protection and double thick cardboard.