Missing Hamer TBird -- UPS Shipment

mc2

mc2

New member
Supporter
MISSING As of 10/12/2011 -- Hamer FBIV Thunderbird Bass

Shipped via UPS on October 11 from Farmingdale (LI,) NY to Landisville PA (Lancaster area) and claimed to have been "delivered" on October 12 at 2:38 p.m.

The buyer is a close personal friend of Nikki Sixx's and I had sold him a similar candy red FBIV earlier this year, so I know the buyer. He says someone was home at the

delivery address all day. He called me at 4:01 p.m. to say UPS claims they delivered it about an hour earlier but it did not arrive. That means the bass would have vanished in just a little over one

hour, IF it was indeed ever delivered to this address.

The delivery driver claimed on Tuesday to have "left it on the porch by a tin bucket full of cigarette butts," according to UPS' records. He said there are only three houses on the block and he remembered the delivery.

But the buyer says no one at the address smokes and there IS no such bucket of butts. On Wednesday, the next day, the same delivery person reports the bass is definitely not on the truck and now

he "cannot remember what house he delivered it to" yesterday (????)

The shipping box was fairly large, being a Thunderbird Bass. It had large black magic marker "FRAGILE" markings on front and back and "UP" with arrows on all sides. The upper one-third of the box had EXCESSIVE one-inch wide white tape with red "FRAGILE: Handle With Care" printed along it.

This is a fairly rare bass and in an even rarer (for a Hamer) sunburst finish. The rear of the bass is solid black. The truss rod cover is engraved "Boog." It is in pristine condition and looks new, despite having a 1986 yellow-inked SN# on the back of the headstock. It is in a Hamer branded original hardshell case that is a little worn and missing the handle (handle is in the inside case pocket.)

The delivery was supposed to be "Signature Required" but the driver claims to have instead simply just left it on a front porch. The buyer says several UPS deliveries (ONLY of music gear) have not made it to him the last few months....the buyer also says a UPS driver spotted and talked to Nikki Sixx at the same address during a delivery, so it is a known musician house.

PLEASE keep an eye out for this bass. It is the one on the left side in the photo....chrome hardware and rosewood fingerboard. If you see it pop up for sale anywhere (EBAY, Craigs List, in a music store, etc.) PLEASE call the local police and email/call me immediately and consider it stolen property until further notice. Thanks.

Feel free to cut/paste/post this notice anywhere else you might think it can do some good.

Contact: mc2@usa.com or phone 631-455-9479

FBIV_BurstsPairWeb.jpg


 
Last edited by a moderator:
UPS started forcing gun dealers and jewelry stores to use their higher priced overnight or two day services because there were too many cases of guns and jewelry stolen by... wait for it... UPS employees.

 
I sure hope it turns up.

Didn't it require an adult signature upon delivery???

If there are three houses on the street, can't the drive remember which one??? In my experience UPS delivery guys always seem to know they are delivering a guitar based on the box shape and weight.

Once I was told that FedEx Ground had delivered a guitar to me. I never got it. Turns out the seller never scratched off the address of the store that sold it to him and FedEx had re-delivered to the store despite the true FedEx label on the box. (don't they scan them?) It was a couple days before FedEx straightened it out. I was more relieved than pissed but I have always wondered if the mom-and-pop store was laying low, hoping to keep the Fender Special Run Tele to re-sell.

 
Last edited by a moderator:
It was stolen by the UPS employee. I've had a UPS and USPS employees steal a guitar from me.

If UPS employees want to steal something with tracking, they tend to go by the area (drive near) and say they delivered it, but they really didn't (it's packed snug in their house by then). And since it's hard to get proof, they can always say "someone else" must of stolen it when they left. After all, how can we prove it?

USPS doesn't have tracking, just delivery confirmation when the item is first received and delivered. Therefore, a USPS employee can easily steal a package throughout the trip because they don't scan at drop-offs as much as UPS. I had a guitar that shipped from Hawaii going to Wisconsin. The tracking only showed the scan at Hawaii...nothing else. The head honcho said one of his employees stole it and they are investigating. I never heard back but did get a refund after a nightmare of hassling with insurance.

It sounds like you have the UPS's employees name. That helps a lot. My guess is he snagged it - sounds fishy to me.

 
Makes Craigslist look more favorable in comparison...and I didn't think that was possible! /emoticons/default_laugh.png/emoticons/default_wink.png

 
Those delivery companies should pay 100% for that right away if the driver was supposed to get a signature.

Requiring a signature costs more, you paid for it, now they should pay for not doing what they were paid to do. Freakin a$$holes ruin everything.

I hope the guy does try to sell it, gets caught, and goes to the slammer.

But seriously, what a douche. Especially if he met Nikki and was a fan.

 
Sux, Jon.

There are two regular FedEx drivers in my neighborhood, one Home Delivery, one for anything else, (Air, Freight, etc.) Both have told me that, on deliveries that require a signature, if the package goes missing, the driver is on the hook for the full value of the item. One of the guys is a parlor picker musician and home theater junkie and he knows exactly what he's delivering sometimes. That's how the subject came up.

 
If you specified signature upon delivery and UPS didn't get a signature upon delivery, they will reimburse you for the insured amount.

 
I am surprised at how often they simply ring the doorbell and drive away without waiting for an answer. Once had them leave a 4 figure instrument on the front porch in Los Angeles(!!). Fortunately, still there when I got home. No actual losses----Yet.

I am flexible enough now to be able to keep busy at home when the tracking shows the delivery is scheduled.

 
UPS sucks... we got a killer deal on a Big Mixmaster one time... shipper specified and pid for 'signature required'.

Me and the Mrs were working when it arrived... UPS did get a signature... delivered it 3 houses down the street asked my neighbour to make sure we got it.

I was flabbergasted...

I can't count the number of items thet have been left on the front step or at the side door... hell they left a little package in the BBQ once...

I just buy stuff locally now... no time for shenanigans...

 
The UPS business model is based on volume. The average truck has to do 150 deliveries and 40 pickups in an eight hour shift. If the driver waited for people to answer their doors, he would never get back to the loading dock on time.

To provide the level of service we think we want, they would need 30% more employees and trucks, so the prices would have to go up significantly.

Good luck on finding the bass.

 
In my experience, all you have to do is report one item as not delivered, and you will forever need to be home to receive a package from UPS.

For less expensive items, my driver has given me a pad of the "you weren't home" things they stick to your door. When there's something being delivered when I'm not home, I can fill out one of those and leave it on the door. This works out well because the I have the same guy all the time.

For more expensive items (guitars) I typically make arrangements to pick it up at the UPS depot. That way I avoid the added handling and rolling around in a truck, and I get to open/inspect in the presence of employees/non-employees.

 
Even if u paid for signature required I believe that all of them, FedEx, UPS, USPS, DHL, ETC are taking your money for extra services and then rolling the dice. Probably at least 95% of the time that "sig req" package gets left on the porch and all is well. If a problem comes up then they put you thru the sausage maker of the insurance claims dept where a lot of people give up on their claim because of the endless runaround. If your first request is denied (it will be), most people will suck it up and take the loss. You have a slim chance of success with your second claim submission. By that point most people move on to other things that are higher priority in their lives (kids, leaky roofs, dog still crapping underneath the Lay-z-Boy, etc)...and the shipping company still has your extra fees in their pocket.

An extremely small percentage will take the Clark Howard approach and keep climbing up the corporate ladder for a solution. If you wanna do that u best be prepared with lotsa pics of the instrument, packaging process plus names, dates n times of everyone you have spoken to at the shipping company.

Satisfied? Exhausted? Frustrated? Giving up? Back sore from bending over?

With a biz model like that u might consider buying UPS or FedEx stock. Roll the dice.

caddie

 
Studio Custom said:
The UPS business model is based on volume. The average truck has to do 150 deliveries and 40 pickups in an eight hour shift. If the driver waited for people to answer their doors, he would never get back to the loading dock on time.

To provide the level of service we think we want, they would need 30% more employees and trucks, so the prices would have to go up significantly.

Good luck on finding the bass.
Click to expand...
Well, my residential Fed Ex driver NEVER leaves a package if it requires signature. If no one is there, it is brought back to the Fed Ex location and kept there until I pick it up. And that is how UPS should do it as well.

I hate when I get stuff sent UPS, too many horror stories with them.

 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top