OK all people who pack balsa into boxes listen up. Please make sure that there are layers of packing material between ALL sides of the cardboard box and the balsa. DO NOT pack balsa against any side of the box. ARGHHHHHHHHHH. How hard is this to understand?? This stems from trying to get a fuse side from Sig. I'm not ragging on sig because they have been very good about this but this is crazy. I ordered a side it got to my house in cracked in two. The side was packed againt the side of the box with the air bags on the other side. OK so I call sig, they send out another at no cost. Gets here today...same packing same result. I know they write fragile on the box but have you ever seen the fedex or ups hubs??? If not I promise there is NO WAY the shipper can prevent this from happening.....The mfg needs to take better care when packing a box. *sigh* Oh well guess I'll be on the phone with sig very first thing tomorrow morning.

*Beats head on desk*

I know the feeling buddy. One of my suppliers will ship me a solid aluminum part that could survive a drop from 30,000ft and pack it in a box 4-times it's size loaded with packing peanuts.
Then they'll ship me a circuit board in a box that is "just okay" size wise... passable with proper packing... but then instead of wrapping the board in bubble wrap, they'll pack the bottom of the box in bubble wrap and lay the board on top!

OK so called sig this morning. Now I have to send the fuse back to them, and pay shipping for it, before they will send me a new one. ARGH!!!!!! At this rate it'll be cheaper just to order a new kit and get the piece i need out of it.

Won't they accept a digital photo of both damaged parts?

Didn't ask. Maybe I sould call them back.

Ah, but this is far from unusual. In a former life, I ran a repair shop. Had some alternator brush assemblies sent from the NAPA store, the brushes (spring loaded to stick out of a ceramic fixture) were found broken in the box. NAPA sent another box, same result. They had no more, so they offered to send some the next day. The salesman brought them, instead of the delivery truck, and in fact he had 3 boxes with him. We opened the first two to find broken brushes. The third box held unbroken brush assemblies! Until the salesman and I opened those boxes, I think they were ready to accuse me of carelessness.

Good luck!
Dave Olson

I'm still waiting for a claim to FedEx. I purchased a trainer from a lady here on RCU. The wing came totally smashed. Big hole in the side of the box. I feel your pain brother [&o]
Joe

I guess all of us have been on the disappointing receiving end of a badly packed item. The message I would like to send is that safe and secure packing is not rocket science, or brain surgery...but it does require just a bit of "un-common" sense, and some forethought. As it is with so many situations in life, you always have to think of the worst-case-scenario when packing. Yep, that'll be nearer the actual handling that your "Delicate-XYZ" will get enroute. Unfortunately, the inexperienced packer...whether it be the un-trained kid in the commercial shipping room, or the hopeful modeler selling his prize on RCU, just has no clue as to what awaits his package out there in the world of automated package handling. It is not that humans intentionally abuse the boxes, but rather that the machinery just does not discriminate between your little 12 ounce fragile tissue box, and the 55 pound carton coming down that same automated roller ramp and landing right on top of your little treasure. I think thats why Greyhound is doing so well shipping our planes. Reasonably packaged, and handled by humans (not machines) as they are placed on the bus, they typically get to their destination is good condition, and quickly too. As a kid, I was taught.."if it's worth doing...it's worth doing WELL." So, my best advice is to invest some care when packing, the guy on the receiving end will be much happier.....and some times, that just may be you!.
Good luck.
Jim

OK OK i have worked for ups for 12 years and us and fe* ** always get the rap for all of this.. I wish you guys could tell some of the shippers we have that there stuff would get there ok if they would just take the time and prep the box and put packing on all 4 sides and and if it is very fragile like balsa just put some would around the edge even if it means a little more weight!! cause i think that most people would pay a little extra to make sure that there product got there in one piece and my stock would go up!! LOL just my two cents.