I repair and service airhead gauges, so do a lot of shipping - mostly fedex. I've had a few problems in the past with UPS and USPS where they raked me over the coals, so have tended to use fedex as much as possible. The US postal service self insures (don't know about the others) and found out the hard way they do everything in their power to keep from paying on a claim. And they'll play real dirty too - like saying they didn't receive the paperwork (on-line form) yet because it was already sent there's no way to resend it.
Fedex was always reasonably priced and the very few times a claim was made it was quick and simple - no stress. But things have changed. A customer's gauge arrived with a crack in the housing so we filed a claim. It wasn't easy and the data wasn't easily accessible. There's no on-line contact or way of filing on line. The form has to be printed out and mailed in. The local fedex clerk said the claims process has changed recently and can take up to six months.
Anyway, I was told a rep would inspect the damage (package and contents) as the next step in the process. Several weeks later I received a letter saying the claim was closed because the package hadn't been presented. Getting through on the phone can be a lengthy process, but finally talked to someone in the claims dept. They said a driver had shown up at the recipient's address three different times of the day to inspect the package and found no one home. No door tags, phone messages, arranged meetings times - nothing. My customer had never heard from them so it was news to him.
I advised the customer to co-ordinate with fedex a time to meet with them - they'd re-open the claim (bless their hearts) if they could get the data needed. However, fedex wouldn't co-ordinate with the customer, only me, the shipper. What a PITA!
Luckily it was also possible to send photos of the damage and the customer did that.
After waiting a week or so I called back again - still trying to arrange a meeting to inspect the damage. The claims rep told me arranging a meeting wasn't his job but instead customer service. Customer service had directed me to him. I wasn't pleased. Before he could transfer me back I told him the situation. He looked at the forms and data we'd sent and said all the data was there, we'd done everything right and he'd approve it right there. I'd get a check confirmation in a few days.
Close to two weeks went by with nothing in the mail and we suspected we'd been BS'd again. But then yesterday the check arrived. What a relief!
So - my message is this: the best insurance is packing to survive a drop to concrete from six feet up. Possibly repeatedly. The insurance claim process is stressful and time consuming. And if they decide the packing wasn't adequate, the claim can be denied. So go overboard on padding and extra space around the item. I know, a larger box and padding can cost more, but believe me, it's worth it!
