[RE-wrenches] Hidden freight damage

Mon Nov 4 09:19:54 PST 2013

Hi Luke,
Shipping damage is a direct loss to profit, so the carrier will want to 
have reasonable proof 
confirming they are actually responsible. Anyone can say it was delivered 
that way.
 If it is necessary to have the delivery person sit there 
while you unpack everything, so be it. Do not sign anything until then. 
Sometimes, the manufacturer may "step up" and cover shipping damage 
to keep the customer happy. 

Eric
_____________________________________________________________________________________ 

Eric Bentsen  |   Schneider Electric   |  Solar Business  |   UNITED 
STATES  |   Technical Support Representative 
Phone: +(650) 351-8237 ext. 001#  |   
Email: eric.bentsen at schneider-electric.com  |   Site: 
www.schneider-electric.com/solar  |   Address: 250 South Vasco Rd., 
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*** Please consider the environment before printing this e-mail 

From:
Luke Christy <sgsrenewables at gmail.com>
To:
"re-wrenches at lists.re-wrenches.org" <re-wrenches at lists.re-wrenches.org>
Date:
11/04/2013 08:47 AM
Subject:
[RE-wrenches] Hidden freight damage
Sent by:
re-wrenches-bounces at lists.re-wrenches.org

Wrenches,

We have been in business for about 8 years, and up until now, the shipping 
gods have smiled upon me, but apparently my luck has run out, as I've had 
2 costly shipping nightmares within a month,  and I'm just wondering what 
other Wrenches have done to protect themselves from the liability involved 
in trusting expensive shipments to the freight carriers.  Here's my 
situation:

I recently had a pallet of modules shipped, and it arrived with multiple 
broken modules, due apparently to careless handling,and having had 
something heavy set on top of the pallet.  I have my freight shipments 
sent to a neighboring business which is kind enough to receive them for 
me, since they have many full time staff who are always available during 
business hours to fork shipments off a truck.  In this case the forklift 
driver did not notice the damage (it was not immediately evident), and the 
delivery was signed for.  However, upon picking up the pallet an hour 
later, I  realized that the shipment was damaged, called the freight 
company immediately to notify them of the damage, and subsequently filed a 
detailed written claim. 

I just got notice that my claim was denied by the carrier, evidently 
without considering any of the photos or the written explanation I 
submitted with the claim. They simply cited that the shipment had been 
signed for without noting damage. 
It is clear to me that the carrier was responsible for the damage, yet 
apparently because the damage was hidden and the BOL was signed, they can 
leave me holding the bag for a significant amount of money. 

This particular incident could have been worse, but it is the first time 
I've had it happen and it certainly makes me worried about future 
deliveries. It suddenly seems like an unacceptable liability to have 
others sign for my deliveries without a thorough inspection. 

I asked my distributor whether the shipments have any insurance on them, 
and the person I spoke with didn't know the answer. So my $50 Ebay 
shipment is insured, but my $50,000 worth of equipment isn't? My insurance 
agent says that I can make a claim on my commercial insurance, but advised 
against it in this case, since the loss was only around $1K, and is 
guaranteed to raise my future premiums.

I know that things get damaged or lost all the time in shipment, and I'm 
wondering how other businesses handle it.  Businesses that do larger 
volume must have damaged freight all the time.  Is it just impossible to 
get freight companies to take responsibility for damage that is not 
immediately evident, since they are acting as judge on their own behalf? 
Do you just refuse to sign the bill of lading until you've examined all 
the contents of the packages (this is a logistical nightmare in most 
cases)?  Do you just chalk it up to the cost of doing business and/or make 
claims to your commercial insurance? 

Would appreciate your thoughts / experiences with this issue. 
Thanks. - Luke

Luke Christy

NABCEP Certified PV Installation Professional™: Certification #031409-25 
NABCEP Certified Solar Heating Installer™: Certification #ST032611-03  
CoSEIA Certified PV Installer 

Solar Gain Services, LLC
PO Box 531
Monte Vista, CO. 81144
SGSRenewables at Gmail.com
719.588.3044
www.sgsrenewables.com

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