[R-390] R-388 knobs, etc (LONG)

[James M. Walker]

Hello Bruce,
I guess I should chime in here so here goes. The full story about my
dealings with
UPS can be seen at Http://eshop1.chem.buffalo.edu go to the E-Bay
Rip-Off point
and read the story. I'll explain briefly what transpired here.

My wife bought me a fathers day present on e-bay, a Johnson thunderbolt,
supposed to be in "Collector Quality Condition", She asked for, and paid
for
"Double Boxing" to the tune of $88.00 for shipping from California. She
also
asked for and paid for insurance of the unit at $1000.00 as it was
supposed to
be "Collector Quality" and was to be considered un-replaceable.

The seller took her money which was sent promptly, and then went to a
Mail Boxes
ETC; (a UPS shipping independent) dropped it off and left it to them to
follow
the instructions, ie; double boxing, insurance and so forth. The "MBE"
folks put
it in a single box with peanuts in it, (the thunderbolt weighs 117 lbs).
What is wrong
with that picture? They sent it out like that. It was destroyed in
shipping, when we
asked UPS about it they said have it appraised and file a claim. The
shipper is
responsible for filing the claim and says he did. Ups paid the claim
(1000.00) to
the shipper who KEPT the funds for the unit. We ended up with a box of
broken
parts, and a very corroded thunderbolt in less than good condition, our
cost almost
800.00 finally and never heard again from the seller or UPS. E-bay was
no recourse
either, as they couldn't even find the seller, who subsequently changed
his e-bay
ID and is still going business with unsuspecting souls.

I eventually got the thing "running" to the tune of an additional 500.00
but it was NOT worth it.

Jim
WB2FCN

Bruce Bennett wrote:

> Hello All -
> OK, here is another horror story courtesy of UPS. The
> R-388 that I purchased was sent to me via UPS. The box
> was apparently dropped and the front panel was
> impacted. The result was that the two large knobs for
> tuning and band switch were cracked and one of the
> small knobs for selecting selectivity was also
> cracked. Can anyone tell me where replcements may be
> obtained? I get the impression that they are hard to
> find. I hope not. The scary thing is that the PTO
> shaft may have also been bent. The man who shipped the
> R-388 to me told me that he would double box it.
> However, he ended up putting it in a heavy cloth wrap
> and surrounding it with peanuts in one box. Of course,
> the receiver shifted in shipment and the panel was
> apparently quite close to one side when it was dropped
> or hit. So much for my dream of being able to open up
> this box and behold a beautiful, ready to go Collins.
> Also, has anyone had any dealings with UPS as to
> filing for damages? The man who shipped it said he
> would call and make a claim. It was insured for $400.
> I would appreciate any comments about those knobs and
> UPS. I have no plans to turn it on now. I'm going to
> test the tubes first and give it a close going over
> before that.
>
> 73,
> Bruce  K6RQR
>
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