[RE-wrenches] Hidden freight damage

[Jason Szumlanski]

I has been our experience that just about EVERY freight damage claim is
initially denied. They like to negotiate with you and give you a settlement
offer.

We make a good visual inspection, and if there is so much as a scratch or
grease mark on the wrap, we note possible hidden damage. We threatened to
make drivers wait for unpackaging, but the local managers told us just to
note on every bill of lading that there may be hidden damage. That sounds
disingenuous to me, but it may be all we can to do protect ourselves.

It's a tough situation - we've found broken modules in the middle of a
pallet with no apparent external damage to the frames or packaging. Did
that happen at the factory? On the boat? At the distributor? On the
truck(s)? On my forklift?

Jason Szumlanski

Fafco Solar



On Mon, Nov 4, 2013 at 11:47 AM, Luke Christy <sgsrenewables at gmail.com>wrote:

> 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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