I shipped a brand-new $450.00 Briggs & Stratton 11.5 HP motor using The UPS Store #2257 in Addison, Texas. I purchased a $450.00 insurance policy and paid $77.58 for shipping, and the motor arrived damaged. The carburetor and air cleaner were cracked. The buyer of the motor refused shipping, and the package was shipped back to The UPS Store #2257. They filed a claim with UPS, and UPS denied the claim due to insufficient packaging. UPS also stated that in its initial investigation no additional protection was purchased. I have a receipt from The UPS Store #2257 showing I paid $10.25 for a $450.00 insurance policy, which they denied. I contacted UPS, and they stated that they have no proof of an insurance policy purchased for this package. I contacted store #2257 about this, and they said they show I did purchase insurance. However, this was not brought to the attention of UPS when the claim was filed.
I also have photos of the motor that the buyer took before the motor was sent back to store #2257. The motor was then shipped to a UPS investigation facility from store #2257, inspected, and returned to store #2257, where it sat on their floor for a week without my knowledge. I went to store #2257 in person and brought them proof of the cost of the motor and told them I had photos of the motor before and after it was shipped. They said I should have told them this in the beginning. I emailed the photos to store #2257, and they said they would forward the photos to UPS. The next day they called and left a message stating that UPS would be contacting them on Monday of the following week. That same day, store #2257 called me and told me UPS was still denying the claim.
They said the photos did not make a difference. They then called me and told me to come get the package because it was leaking fuel and oil all over their floor. I arrived the next day with camera in hand and took photos of a non-leaking motor. There was no leak because the engine was brand new. It had never been installed on anything, so there was no way there was oil or fuel all over their floor. I took photos of the box and store #2257's floor, and there were no fuel or oil stains. After I took possession of my box and motor, I opened it in their parking lot to inspect it. The carburetor and air cleaner were not just cracked; they were completely broken off, and half of my packaging material was missing. They claim they never opened the package at their store. OK, but somewhere along the way half of my packing material disappeared, the carburetor and air cleaner snapped clean off, and The UPS Store said, "Oh well!"
The sales associate then went on to tell me that since their own personnel did not package my motor in a poor-quality box with styrofoam popcorn, my having purchased insurance made no difference. Now that my motor is broken, I am out $77.58 in shipping and lost the $400 sale. I also had to make three 35-mile trips (one way) to their store to try to get this matter resolved. The UPS Stores need to write in big bold letters that if store personnel are not the ones who "properly packaged" your items, the insurance policy you bought and paid for becomes null and void the minute you leave the premises. The UPS Stores are ripping people off and lying to their customers to avoid paying on the insurance policies!
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