Rickresource Rickenbacker Forum

my 1965 360/12 came to me via fedex ground from its service place today with headstock broken off at the nut. it was packed well. and that didn't saved her yes that is how i feel right now. it looks like the box was dropped flat from high above... i am bit mad and i want to claim the whole declared value... so i got their claim forms....what do you people suggest as for the claims procedure so it would go easy? i want to hear everything and be ready because i had one like that before with ups many years ago and they were pretty bad and i haven't seen a penny from them. i haven't file the claim with fedex before so please any hints will be much welcome.

ouch that must hurt

So sorry to hear that Dusan..........yikes. I can't even think right now how you must feel. Good luck with the claim.

Sorry, Dusan. It's been a while but I think the claim has to be originated from where you bought it. It was a number of years ago but the same thing happened to a buyer of one of my guitars. I had to file the claim as the shipper. Things may be different today.

buzfluhart wrote:Sorry, Dusan. It's been a while but I think the claim has to be originated from where you bought it. It was a number of years ago but the same thing happened to a buyer of one of my guitars. I had to file the claim as the shipper. Things may be different today.

oh well that is what i worry, i bought it looong ago, it was in for service/setup and it got broken on the way back. i do not have original invoice. i asked to put value for $4k to cover it but man it looks like fedex will want some proof of value. where am i going to get that?

Was it with a luthier Dusan and if yes did he ship and insure it for any specific value?

grazioso wrote:

buzfluhart wrote:Sorry, Dusan. It's been a while but I think the claim has to be originated from where you bought it. It was a number of years ago but the same thing happened to a buyer of one of my guitars. I had to file the claim as the shipper. Things may be different today.

oh well that is what i worry, i bought it looong ago, it was in for service/setup and it got broken on the way back. i do not have original invoice. i asked to put value for $4k to cover it but man it looks like fedex will want some proof of value. where am i going to get that?

Even if it was just in for service, the shipper still might have to make the claim. Even if it wasn't his fault. I don't think it matters that you show proof of value, but only what you insured it for. I could be way off, but the guitar, even broken, could certainly be appraised for what its value would be if it were in pristine condition. It's sort of subjective, but why else would someone insure an item for $4k. Think if they are at fault (FedEx) they would have to pay the fully insured amount. There in lies the caveat though. They're going to likely deny any wrong doing.
Maybe someone else has better insight.

Man that is terrible news. On a vintage instrument, it's sickening. I am so sorry for your loss.

As for tips dealing with fedex, I can only give this shipping damage claim example;
New cymbal, value: $250, dinged on edge in shipping. (Not enough to make it useless, but enough to cut it's value a bunch.)
Claim filed, fedex wrote check for $120. Claim closed.
Obviously they cut the deal thinking that the cymbal was playable, but the $120 would cover my loss on resale - and make me go away.

In your situation, the instrument is totaled...right? I mean yeah, it could be fixed - but never really the same. Clearly, you must do whatever it takes to make sure they don't try that on you.

Good luck to you...

winston wrote:Was it with a luthier Dusan and if yes did he ship and insure it for any specific value?

yes and yes.

I recently pursued a small damage claim with UPS ... I did not have to arrange to have the guitar "inspected", which in my view would have been a complete waste of time in the age of digital photos, but I did have to fill out the paperwork that they provided and send them photos and invoices to back up the damage claim. The shipper was able to assign the claim to me so I pursued the claim and the payment came directly to me (that only made sense, as I had possession of the instrument). It is absolutely essential that you retain the original box because, among other things, they are likely to ask about how sturdy it was, etc. UPS paid the claim within a month ... it helped that I was put in touch with a competent claims handler.

If they give you trouble about not having an invoice, you might be able to show them comparables or get an appraisal, but get their agreement to that manner of proceeding in advance and keep a record of all of your correspondence with them by e-mail, etc., so they don't waste your time. In a worst case scenario, they might take the position that you have to surrender the instrument to them if they are going to pay the full value of the insurance. Last but not least, I don't know how your box was marked on the outside, but I have learned from (bad) experience that, as a general rule, it helps to mark the outside of guitar boxes fragile, this side up, etc. no matter how much padding is on the inside. That's a signal to the carrier that it might not be a good idea to give the box a beating; it won't always help, but it can't hurt. Good luck ....

thanks, the box has big FRAGILE stickers all over, and i am sure to keep that box and all the packaging material until it is resolved. that idea of getting their approval upfront for the value determination is just excellent thanks a lot!

Follow John Barry's advise , it is exactly what you need to do. If the shipper insured it for $4,000- , you should be able to get that amount but , you will have to surrender the instrument (in effect you are selling it to them). Otherwise they will pay to have it repaired ,and you will have a complicated procedure to go through to get monies above that for the lost value of what the guitar would be worth in perfect original condition vs. a "restored instrument" condition. So sorry to hear about this, and wish you best of luck!

Dusan, I'm so sorry to hear about this!
Good luck with the claim.

What a drag! I hope the claim goes well, and you get reimbursed for what the guitar's worth.

That is terrible! What a horrific feeling opening it up and discovering that. I feel for you and I wish you the best getting this issue resolved as best as it can under the circumstances.