She went the extra mile... paying for insurance... even having an expert pack her artwork, but a local woman's damage claim was denied.
The package cost close to two-thousand dollars to ship from Austria to Colorado Springs. It arrived covered in broken glass.
Ariaa Jaeger says, "I was devastated. Lo and behold, right on top you could see all the glass just shattered."
Jaeger says she immediately called Mailboxes Etcetera in Salzburg, Austria and UPS, the shipper and was shocked by the response.
Jaeger adds, "I got to a lady who had no interest in hearing it, she absolutely didn't care."
Then, Jaeger made a Call for Action, getting ahold of our volunteer, Rhonda... who was able to cut through the red tape and get to upper management.
Jaeger says, "Boy she was a whippersnapper. She got on the phone and started making calls and got us to the right people. Even though it took three months they did do the right thing in the end."
In Jaeger's case she did everything right. All it took was a call from us to get her her money back.
But we did want to get some extra advice for you... next time you're shipping.
I contacted AMPC... Associated Mail and Parcel Centers. It's the largest, national trade association which represents private mail and parcel shipping centers.
Their managers say things happen in shipping. Items can get lost or damaged... so irrepaceable items should not be shipped.
When problems arise they say go to the people you gave your money to and let them handle the claims process.
If you packed the items yourself don't count on insurance to help you. Carriers can't tell how well you packed and the burden's on you to provide receipts or appraisals to prove exactly how much your item's worth.
I also learned shipping by air is better than ground because packages are handled a lot less.
If it's important go to an AMPC member who has training and experience and will stand behind his work.
Member businesses will have an AMPC sticker displayed in their windows.