Hello brother! You tell it so right and made me relive all the moments from this experience. It was such a rollercoaster and im glad it got to me in the end. The guitar sings so beautiful and you play it with such emotional. You make me laught so hard when you read the masage "UPS are my preferred shipping agent" I guess you will not say it again soon.. They really did mess things up. It's such a shame that a company this big, can't take responsibility for errors they make. I hope for a good ending after all that is happened. We're in this together man. Btw- I'm not sure how did you let this guitar go, but be assured it get a a lot of playing now. She sounds beautiful thru my Marshalls. Keep in touch my friend. Hen.
Hello brother, thanks mate you really are a star! 🌟 sorry I made you live through it all again 🤦♂️ it really was a rollercoaster ride and it all came flooding back while making the film. Anyway I'm so glad it ended with the guitar finding you and it is at home now so I have no regrets selling to you. Play it hard through that Marshall Hen! 😁🎸✌️
Just wanted to say, Hen, you sir are a stand-up guy. So sorry for the frustration you guys had to go through. I know this beauty has a good home now. Enjoy!
I found myself audibly cheering for Hen when you got to him actually getting the guitar and it having arrived undamaged . I don't blame you a bit for refusing to pay. What an incredible way for them to get out of their public guarantee.
I’m a US resident and used to be in firearms sales. UPS “lost” a precision sniper rifle I shipped to a buyer. Turns out a UPS employee decided he wanted a go at it. Thankfully it was recovered.
@@MyDadWasALifeguard if the driver was familiar with the shipper and what they do and what they ship, doesn’t matter if the box is labeled or not. Like say they pickup from guitar center every day, they know even if it’s a plain brown box, there’s a damn good chance it’s a guitar or other musical instrument.
@@MyDadWasALifeguard youre a fucking dumbass. A rifle case or box is highly distinguishable. Especially if you live in the USA. We breathe and bleed weapon's. You ever shaken a Christmas present and KNOWN what it is without peeking? Yeah I thought so. FOH.
On the bright side, that R8 now has history. Hen more than likely has a stronger bond with it now and you will always remember it as "that" guitar. Also, you both made a new friend. That's what guitars and music are all about, right?
I had a very similar experience with UPS this summer. I purchased an Excellent condition 1982 CS250 Aria Pro II from Chicago Music Exchange (CME). This was the first guitar I ever owned. So, it was very important to me. I had CME ship the guitar via UPS to my local UPS store. I wanted to ensure the guitar was not delivered to my home if I was not there. CME immediately shipped the guitar and I tracked it. UPS attempted to deliver the guitar to the store when it was closed. I got the dreaded exception message. The next day they did the same exact routine. They delivered it later in the evening when the store was closed. This is when everything went downhill. Chicago Music Exchange spent time with UPS customer service but could not get any answers as to when the guitar would be delivered. For one week the UPS website reported Delivery Exception. No one knew where the guitar was located. Eventually CME filed an insurance claim and completely refunded my money. It was very disappointing because it was a very unique guitar for me. Four weeks later I received a text message from the UPS Store that the guitar was delivered. Apparently, UPS sent my guitar to Memphis, TN accidentally and lost it in shipping. It sat in their warehouse for a few weeks before someone found it. I immediately called CME and paid for the guitar. Fortunately, no damage occurred in shipping. I did the exact thing as your buyer. I ripped the box open in the middle of the parking lot. Chicago Music Exchange did an awesome job with customer service. UPS not so much. Cheers Mate
Oh man! I've had UPS leave a guitar at the end of the driveway leaning against a tree and the guy cutting the grass told me it was there. That's just one story, I have more. Hang in there Colin you're handling this like the pro you are.
man that’s horrible ! but in that case i think it’s honest people that just don’t realize you can’t leave a guitar outside in the humidity untill you get home, but that would kill my ocd man ! i litterally wait at the window once i have a guitar ordered i’m so scared something happens lol .
What a nasty experience, but so glad the guitar got to its destination eventually. Do Not Pay a cent to UPS for NOT doing their work. It's ridiculous! Congratulations to Hen for now owning this stunning guitar. Take good care of her 🙂
Ah man, I was hooked from start to finish, with my heart in my mouth. I need to go lie down now. What a horror show from UPS. I’m so relieved Hen got his guitar 🙏
This video sent me on an absolute roller-coaster of emotions... was filled with dread at the thought of a lost R8, I've got an R0 myself in a similar colour and love it bits, can't imagine what I'd do if it got lost. Am totally elated that Hen finally got his guitar, although both of you should never had to go through this nightmare. Great video as ever Colin, and if anything, it has shown us another side of you... besides being a Guitarista, you are also an excellent story-teller! 👍👍👍
I feel your pain...I'm afraid to sell and ship my guitars for this reason not to mention the fact that it's impossible to buy proper multi-ply guitar shipping boxes. Also, after I installed a doorbell cam...it's amazing anything shipped arrives in one piece - the things I've seen the drivers do.
In October 2021, UPS lost my 1991 Gibson Les Paul Classic Bullion Gold, from UK to Rome, Italy. They also provided some damages to the original hard shell case, that was in mint condition when shipped, I knew the guitar when I bought it.. After a month of struggle, they find my guitar, but it's a long story to be told in a few words.. a very bad experience ever. Not to mention the fact that they provided a fake trackings thru the site across the Europe, fake track to Milan and Venice (cities of northern Italy), while the guitar was "lost" in Germany.. Ciao from Rome.
Someone at ups deleted my tracking number on my jem back in 2000. My mum and I had to bug their call Center in shifts to get things started. There is an investigation team. The customer service team in USA was untrained and unaware of process.
I genuinely cheered when I saw the guy had gotten the guitar. So sorry for all the problems you’re going through on this. Personally, I think a part two would be a great video.
My nightmare story. This was with Fed Ex though, between the UK and USA. “Tuck in” to my nightmare please. I collect rare books. There is one rare book that I really, really wanted. More than any other book. I could never find a copy of this particular rare book, until one day a couple years ago it came up for sale in the UK! Happy days. I made an offer and it was accepted. Several thousands of British pounds. Seller in the UK wanted to ship it FedEx, he insisted really and I thought ok, why not. Like you we kind of formed a real bond over this book. I really liked the book seller and he liked me. I eagerly awaited its arrival here in the US. The book made it “across the pond” without a hitch and landed in a Fed Ex hub here in the US, several hundred miles from me. And there it sat, and sat, and sat. It never left the hub. After a few days of waiting for it to move, I called Fed Ex and they just told me what I saw myself online- it was being held for a customs issue. They claimed the seller filled out the paperwork incorrectly. The book would not move until the paperwork was corrected. So I contacted the seller, and he insisted he did everything right. He was disappointingly reluctant to get involved at this point. I was crushed. I told Fed Ex the seller did everything right but they wouldn’t budge. I was very afraid my book would get lost or discarded. Fed Ex customer service acted like they didn’t care and had better things to do. So I did something bold and bypassed the customer service line. I researched and found the local phone number for the Fed Ex hub my book was being held hostage at. I called it, without much hope, and got a front desk receptionist at the hub. I poured my heart out to her, told her the whole sad story, and she had real sympathy for me. But she had nothing to do with customs or shipping. She was a receptionist. However, she knew who could help me in that hub. She gave me the direct email address of the man responsible for my customs issue. I kid you not, I got direct access to him. I emailed him, he emailed me a short form to fill out, and the NEXT DAY my book was delivered! So moral of the story is, sometimes you have to bypass normal channels to get it done.
I totally feel you mate. I used to work at a bike shop and shipped high end bicycles all around the world. DHL, Fed, UPS, they all have their problems. You handled it like a champ, kudos to you!
@My Dad Was A Lifeguard I see your various comments in defence of UPS and appreciate you have skin in the game and of course none of this is a reflection on the good work that you (a driver?) and most others on the front line do... but when things go wrong the way the company deals with it represents how good or bad the company is and this occasion they seem to be letting you down badly. Customer service was a joke and so much misinformation was handed out to me... they really need to look at that!
UPS literally just screwed me too. It not half as bad fortunately. They claimed I didn’t have my apartment number on the address, and I know it did. Plus there’s a doorman at my building that they could have asked or left it with. A Way Huge pedal. Now it’s a whole fiasco getting the refund. Ridiculous. Hope it works out for you.
This is my new favorite guitar channel on UA-cam. I can’t get enough of these videos. He’s like the James May of the guitar world. Him and Neil Oliver are the only channels I now watch religiously.
And I thought I was the only one. I purchased a used Fender Eric Clapton Tremolux amp from a guy in Arizona through Reverb. I paid for it and he shipped it and provided a UPS tracking number. After one week, the tracking number showed it had arrived at the Modesto Ca. UPS hub. I waited a few more days and it never arrived at my home. I spoke with the seller (Very nice guy) and we were both perplexed. I called Reverb and they were total jerks. They told me to turn in a claim with UPS and basically said "Tough luck". I drove to the UPS terminal and spoke with the manager. He stated the package was in the building but could not locate it. He too was a very nice guy and did all he could to locate the amp. No luck. After another week of searching, the UPS manager said to go forward with the UPS claim. I called the seller and we both just sat and waited. About a few days later, a UPS driver knocks on my door with a Fender amp. He said it was on his truck when he came in and knew nothing about a lost package. I immediately called the terminal manager and he did not know the amp was located. The amp was hiding somewhere in the Modesto terminal for 3 weeks and magically reappeared. I opened the box and all was good. Here is the kicker: Reverb suspended my account for yelling at them. To this day, I have no Reverb account. This happened in 2016. I was completely disappointed in Reverb's lack of care regarding my lost amp. This is a true story. I'm not BS'ing. Long story short, Reverb sucks. And, UPS investigators think a UPS employee may have stashed the amp.
Your calm rational and honest attitude to this situation is so alien to me. I can't accept that you are going to even consider letting UPS off with just you not paying for something they failed to do properly.... what about the compensation you are due for all the time and stress you've experienced? For me it would be the small claims court for all of the costs you can think of associated with this situation. It's a very simple process and you can do it all online. They won't want to go to court and will settle with you ahead of time. In the event that they do nothing and ignore it, they will lose and you can apply to have them wound up as a company. At that point they will pay you ASAP !
My experience with customer service on everything from credit card companies to US gov. Is if you get a rep who just gives canned answers, hang up and dial back, keep doing until you reach a good rep that knows their job and wants to help, they do exist. Once you have them try to get their name/number and deal with them on future calls. It is frustrating, but keep at it until resolution.
Much respect to you for ALL your videos, your humor, your kind demeanor, & your playing. I don't blame you at all NOT to pay for their mistake & lying answers. I to ship instruments & sadly once here in USA I had FedEx damage a beautiful 12 string A/E that is no longer made. I sold it via eBay & the buyer decided to give me a negative review that eBay refused to remove even though I kept my end of the bargain by emailing updates to the buyer & refunding him before they had paid me for the insurance I had on it. Thankfully they refunded me in full + the shipping charge, & the buyer shipped it back, so I still have it in two + pieces with some of the splinters missing to repair correctly. It's not only frustrating it's also a damn shame when they can't handle a piece correctly and not lose or damage it. I hope you DO make an additional video with the end result of what UPS may or may not do for you, as this was an eye opener in regards to their message about the NO refund because of their additional handling or weight charge/s. That's total insanity and I'd never use them again, IMO Thanks again from USA! Cheers mate! Happy holidays.
Ha! First in line :) Was just checking in to see if you were there. Will watch and add intelligent comments 😀OK - clusterfuck. What a bummer. Is Mars out of alignment or something? Our friend up in Scotland sent some Murray's pick-ups off to his guy to install and the guy lost them! Heartbreaking! I hope this gets resolved for both your sakes . . . frankly I worry about shipping and online purchase type stuff. Colin, if I ever am in the market for buying a guitar from you (I have my eye on that Gibson single pick-up number with the scratches) it will be when I can fly to UK and swing by and grab a lunch at your local . . . I really get upset when I see people like you and our friend up in Scotland going thru shit like this. Hang in there! Much love, Mort.
I don't ship outside the UK anymore because of this kind of thing. 5 weeks for a guitar to Australia, the guy was exceptionally patient, but drove us both completely bonkers.
Hi Colin, I'm glad you finally got the R8 to Hen. That would be one hell of a loss. I've had issues with UPS and FedEx. I had bought an ES 339 for my dad in January of 2021. But it didn't arrive until 23 days after my dad passed in March. It was a dream guitar for him, so I bought it. My dad never got see it. I was so pissed. It set in a FedEx warehouse that whole time. I almost sent it back. I buried my Les Paul with my dad because he never got to see his own guitar. I'm glad everything came through for you. Good awareness video mate. Cheers 🍻
Hi Col, this resonates so much with my present problem, I too sold a Guitar that I was`nt using three weeks ago, and every time I watch your show I see it on the wall behind you, its the Epiphone Pelham blue SG Special, not sure why I`m not playing it but there you go. Sold it on Ebay within 30 mins, thank god to a guy as good as yours, always used Hermes as I know the local agent(did`nt know they are now Evri !!) paid for full insurance only worth £350 but still worth it , picked up bang on time should be delivered in two days, four weeks later and by pure chance Joe the guy who bought it see`s it being delivered to the wrong address, this is after me having to refund him for non delivery, he gets in his car and catches up with the guy, and rescues the guitar, lets me know he`s got it and I am now arranging for it to be returned, sounds like we both got lucy with buyers , cheers Col and thanks Joe !!
What an interesting tale ! Congratulations to both Colin and Hen for being so calm about this chaotic deal and I was over the moon with the news that the guitar eventually turned up from the dead. Maybe Hen can call his new R8 Lazarus like Bonamassa's 😁 Let's hope UPS do the right thing here and wave the fee that they are still demanding from Colin.
Colin you are a great storyteller and that was a great story with a happy midway point. I would like to know how you get on next with UPS, and have made a note never to use them voluntarily. Great content as always.
What a mess. Very surprised and relieved that the customer got the guitar. UPS and many large companies (I know I work for one) are very difficult to deal with when things go wrong. I have had many UPS shipments go well, I guess I can thank my lucky stars. Think of the time wasted on this, very sad. Best of luck man!
This is a beautiful video you made. People who don't love guitars might not understand, but this acctually made me emotional, a great story of how much we love our guitars, and yep, how much UPS sucks...great job guys 👍.
Watched it all. Lived it all. Me player moder builder buyer seller from age 11 now 65. Guitars violins accordions flutinas and squeeze boxes. 25 yr vet eBay buyer seller. Been through this with UPS FEDEX DHL. Some good and not so good endings. It always contains pain fear and hope. But those like me press on. For the joy it brings. Through the music we share. Thanks for sharing. Your not alone.
Omg Colin what a journey!! I’m glad it all worked out mostly except for the shipping costs dilemma!! Your videos are such great entertainment in my opinion. My wife even sat with me and watched this one lol. Cheers mate!! 👍
I bought a Washburn P4 a few years back from an awesome seller in Mass. I live in upstate NY, about 100 miles from the seller, so I was expecting UPS to ship it quickly. Lo and behold -- this guitar was shipped all over the place, at one point spending a few days in Chicago (over 800 miles away). I was freaking out, following the tracking locations, calling UPS and getting the run-around. It finally ended up on my front porch 10 days later. I did one of the only things that the "little guy" can do -- I filed a complaint with the Better Business Bureau. Lo and behold, a few days later I received a phone call from some supervisor high up in the company, who offered her sincere apologies and promised to do better in the future. It made me feel a little better.
I'm waiting for a Masterbuild Fender custom shop tele. This story scares the crap out of me. I have to watch because it's a learning experience. Glad it was found and thankful you shared the experience.⁹
While this story had so many troubling moments, I enjoyed knowing it was finally delivered. Good on you to fight like hell and stick it to them. I think it’s ridiculous to say one thing about a guarantee but then have loads of fine print to try and say it’s not their fault. Anything for a buck instead of a no hassle policy. I love this channel as I’ve recently stumbled across it before purchasing my Epiphone 1959 Les Paul. Incredible guitar.
OMG!! I sold several of my vintage keeps, but never shipped. I currently have a buyer for my 72 Black LPC, but requires shipping. Nope not gonna happen. glad ur experience turned for the good. I'm not going to chance it.
I am truly amazed how calm you told your story. I would probably have gone through the roof and made a very very nasty video about the disservice of UPS. Respect! On that note, UPS is bad, but by Jove DPD is the devil. They are absolutely terrible with untraceable packages and damaged deliveries - if they deliver. They are even worse.
Oh boy..damn I’m sorry for you and I mean it ……that’s disgraceful…I sold off my collection I’m 68 I had to get a 55 and over retirement home ..it was sad…but …I’ll just maybe pick up a few guitars now..my R9 2007 was my pride …lemonburst I can’t even look at an old photo lol…I’m glad you are a pragmatic guy ….I lost a few dollars selling my collection ….I got about 18 grand…but I needed it for retirement..my wife is being cool tho and saying get a few now …but as u said they’re so much money now..love your demeanor and I’ll keep checking in…Glenn …🇺🇸
I am truly sorry that 2 of you have been put through the ringer you guys don’t deserve it! I too have had ups destroy a banjo of mine and the whole experience has led me to only purchase at a store in person. I hope that you get a full refund for your troubles you should have to pay for shipping. Best to you in the future!
I was gripping the edge of my seat because I know exactly how stressful that must have been and maddening! Glad there was a happy ending, can't wait for part 2..lol..have a great weekend Colin.
Hey Colin, Here in the States, we know UPS is the worst. I am glad you had a positive outcome. I bought a LP Custom back in 2001 on ebay and I assume the guitar had an engine block dropped on it, because the neck was busted out of the body cavity. UPS inspected it and it was insured before it was shipped to me. When I dropped it off and their inspection department looked at it, they basically told me to go F myself as it was insufficiently packed and that the insurance would not be covering it. They sent it back to the seller. The seller took it back to his UPS place and they honored it there and it was sorted out. At least that's what he told me, he might've just eaten it and just made it right on his end. He was making Zakk Wylde editions with Gibson parts, a bit of a Frankenstein. He made me another one and I sent an empty hard case with $100 for his outstanding customer service towards me during the ordeal. It arrived and was the best playing and sounding LP I ever had. It's now unplayable do to an issue with the headstock, so I will be swapping the electronics from it into that Epiphone Slash LP I got a year or so ago. I've never dealt with UPS since and never will again. -J
Yes! It happened to me with a 1975 ash Stratocaster. They lost my vintage Stratocaster. Now, they reimbursed me for the "loss" but not without me first doing a lot of work to get it done. I have never used UPS to ship anything since.
I had a similar experience with almost all major shipping companies. if something like this happens my standard reply to a payment request is as follow:'I pay you if a judge tells me to do so. That statement frustrates the hell out of them and gives you a smile. cheers Bernie
I feel your pain my friend…I have been buying, selling, and shipping guitars worldwide for nearly 20 years with the majority of my world wide sales coming in a period of 5 years ago. In a nutshell, I used UPS for domestic shipping and USPS for international shipping. The majority of my problems with shippers was with FedEx who butchered a beautiful Martin and also busted a very nice Ovation. Both were shipped to me but the sellers did a very nice job of packing. Rough handling/package mishandling by FedEx damaged those guitars. Ups cost more to ship overseas so I went with USPS international shipping and never had one problem! Since then and till now/today UPS has begun to get rough especially since Covid, the incidents have worsened…I hope that helps…glad you didn’t lose the guitar…it’s a beauty! Hope it’s new owner treats it well…sounds as though he will!
I’ve never shipped anything with ups but have had lots of problems with them shipping to me when Thomann used to use them and recently a smashed Slash LP headstock from another company in Germany.I wouldn’t use them.Awful customer service when you eventually get through 😡
Damn, that sucks, and yeah couriers will do everything to charge every penny possible, and they always put some very questionable charges normally with funny names. But at least would be nice if the guitar is very delayed, was lost at some point and they mismanaged the package, to compensate for that. Or at least give a discount for the troubles. companies still don't understand how much more moeny they will earn in the long term if they take the hit now, cos they will have a customer for life if when an issue happens they worked it out well with the customer. BTW, this is currently one of my favorite guitar channels, keep up! Its a joy watching you play and your videos and input.
Oh Colin what a nightmare. I’m always worried about this kind of thing happening but have had great success with UPS so far. The only thing they could improve is customer services which was very frustrating experience. Like you say, they seem pretty clueless and pass you from person to another with no real answer to your problem. It seems as soon as something goes wrong there’s some small print you missed that disqualifies you from any compensation or comeback. I’ve come to understand that many popular UK couriers don’t seem to insure instruments but will happily let you pay extra for the service. I personally wouldn’t have shipped that R8 anywhere let alone to Israel but I’m glad it had a (reasonably) happy ending 🙂
I had a PRS SE that I sold on eBay left under a Tarp in someone's garden during a rainstorm, the box was soaked through, so was the PRS gig bag through to the guitar! The guy was livid at first and started asking for all types of money off the guitar, he didn't see the card the delivery guy had put through his door (his fault for not keeping tabs on the delivery) and the guitar sat out all night! Thankfully the guy calmed down and no real damage had been done to the guitar! DPS reply 'the driver put the guitar in a secure place'!
what a great story with a happy ending. if you ever write a book i would be very interested in reading it. you seem to have the knack of keeping me interested in whatever your talking about. keep up the good work with the channel.
I had a similar experience shipping a MIJ Stratocaster via parcel force. Glad the buyer got his guitar in the end. The thought of some thief playing such a beautiful guitar would of been terrible! Thanks for sharing
Man that was a for real sad story that I think you guys handled magnificently. And WOW, what a way to hose your customers UPS. Instead of bending over backwards to do right by the customer it seems they'd rather twist the knife. Shame on them. What you have been forced to endure is the sole reason I will not ship sales outside the lower 48 states here in the US. I never use FedEx since they have clearly demonstrated their incompetence for all the people to see. We avoid FedEx like the plague and will only use UPS for low end shipments. Everything else ships USPS Priority or Registered Mail only. Better days are ahead mate. Cheers!
Thanks for sharing your story, glad the guitar got there in the end! Poor customer service is sadly way to common an occurrence in the UK, I won’t be using UPS if I can help it after listening to this! On a positive note, love the great guitar videos 😊
Sooo glad that at least there is a partial Happy Ending. Very pleased for Hen. UPS are now using mumbo jumbo wording, which is slight of hand deception. They tell you if there is a delay then no charge, and at the same time show you fine print that says the opposite.
Not a guitar, but my brother order an F1 helmet from Europe to the US and it cleared customs but UPS then lost it... 7 months later it arrived. They never even let him know it was delivered. UPS is really bad, only the USPS is worse.
My Gibson Memphis '63 ES-335 disappeared on it's trip from Florida to New York via US Postal. It came up lost as well. Until I attempted to file the insurance claim for the thousands dollars of coverage. The investigation started. Then like your's, it showed back up in the system out of no where. When it got to it's destinantion she had a big hole punched through the shipping boxes and through the Custom Shop hard case. But, it stopped shy of the ES-335! ES-335 was safe! Anyway, after a drawn out process with the postal service, they paid the claim on a brand new Custom Shop case. Same, here, a terrifying trip for your treasured instrument. I hate shipping anything these days. Glad yours showed up as well. Happy ending. The dispute with UPS is an after the fact. I hope you come to a satisfactory resolution there.
This just happened to me also, with UPS in the UK. Bought a Marshall cab in September and it is still in a warehouse as I write this. Seeler dropped it off in North Rode, GB and it's stuck in Kentucky "missing paperwork"
Amazing Story and told very well. Thankyou. So Interesting and Entertaining and Informative. So Sorry you have had to go through this and thankyou for sharing. Congrats on the Happy-ish Ending. Cheers
I feel your frustration Colin. I bought a guitar with FedEx from the USA it was deemed LOST and I was refunded … that same guitar then ended up for sale in GAK in Brighton.. I contacted the original seller and he got it back from them … so much dodgyness in the guitar world even from the big companies. Shameful.
relieved about the happy ending.Fancy loosing something that you did not want to sell in the first place.Now you can see why some sellers state "collection only" or "no overseas bidders"
Sorry to hear Colin. FedEx stole a Jazzmaster from me. I had ordered a Troy Van Leeuwen JM from Zzounds, and someone at FedEx had opened the bottom of the box, took the guitar, put the case back in the box, and delivered me an empty case!! Fortunately Zzounds sent me out a new one right away.
What an interesting tale! I’ve had poor experiences with UPS myself. Especially international packages. Spanish customs held a guitar for three weeks before they let the new owner have it. It wasn’t an R8, but a 1965 harmony bobkat, but it was nevertheless a frustrating experience. In the end it worked out and the guy in Madrid was thrilled to get the old guitar.
I recently ordered a Stratocaster direct from Fender in Corona, California. It took a 10 day, 11 FedEx hub scenic tour across the US before last landing at a FedEx hub about 5 minutes from my home in northeast Ohio. It sat there for another 6 days. I called FedEx and they requested a trace. 3 days later, they called to tell me the package was lost. Two phone calls and multiple emails to Fender with no reply (email) and no answers (phone.) Called my credit card company, and they credited my account. So, no harm, no foul. But, still... Then again, I saw on IG that JTGH had a Huss & Dalton show up with the headstock fully snapped off. So, it could be worse. Glad the R8 eventually arrived safe and sound. Don't blame you a bit for pushing back on the payment for "services." Cheers!
I have always used DHL and they are always very good. Sent a precious Gibson RD to usa from Stavanger Norway via a reverb sale and buyer was very happy. Sometimes better to pay a little more for a quality service. Be great to get Hen on the channel and you have a jam with your new guitar friend. And the R8 has a very unique story which is great 👍
I had a similar nightmare on a much smaller scale with Parcel Force... I bought a used American Special Telecaster on Reverb. The night before it was due to arrive I just sensed something was off with the tracking. Checking through the updates it showed the guitar had been picked up from the seller's house, taken to a local post office, then taken 10 miles down the road to a sorting office. Then back to the seller's local post office, then all the way to their hub in Birmingham, about 120 miles in the wrong direction. Contacting Parcel Force they said they couldn't confirm where it was and that it may be lost, but by some miracle over night it found its way back to the original post office again. Next morning it was taken back to the sorting office, then back to the post office one final time before at last being taken directly from there to my house. It only had to go about 50 or 60 miles from the seller's house to me, but it ended up travelling about 300 miles. If I'd known it would be such a runaround I'd have gone and collected it myself. The seller was great about it though, he refunded the delivery out of his own pocket (Parcel Force didn't give a shit) and two weeks later a really nice braided guitar lead turned up in the post as a sorry for the inconvenience.
Main reason I avoid shipping abroad anything, yep I have done and rarely is it a smooth ride! Reluctantly sent some very rare clock parts to a guy in Germany, seemed a nice guy and desperately needed the bits so I reluctanly sent them. 2 weeks later, yep nothing the guy said still not arrived, so checked customer services, item had left UK was in Germany then no more scans. Left it another week called them again to be told items were found and were now back in the UK being returned. Next day email from customer that he had gotr the bits safely!! Yep a 3 day special delivery took 3 weeks. Glad it sorted out OK UPS are a cheeky bunch of ****** eh!! Great vid mate :)
What a great story man. It turned into a great video too. I liked how you put in the clips of you playing the guitar with great playing, great plot and ending as well. It sucks that you had to deal with this, but great to see you turn it into a great video.
Similar experience here last spring/summer with UPS and a guitar delivery from UK. Got lost for several month. The label got lost and it was stored in a warehouse in London they found out after weeks. Never left England. UPS wanted to pay the value of the guitar first, but the luthier and me wanted the guitar back. They never investigated in a good way to find it, then the luthier posted it on social media and a «CEO-Lady» came in after a few weeks. She identified the guitar in a few minutes. Learning: Write an adress on the box too and even better: Ship expensive and/or rare guitars with an Air Tag or something similar … and think about to commission UPS …
Hey Colin. What a tale of woe! Glad the guitar finally found it's new owner. Well done for making this public. If UPS threaten legal action then maybe you can counter claim for the time you've wasted trying to get this sorted. Obviously, get professional advice. I hope you'll keep us updated.
Just because you pay the insurance doesn’t mean you’ll get compensated!!!!!!! They will use every trick in the book to say it wasn’t in the box or say they delivered it and you stole it ect ect ect where’s the serial no, where’s the receipt. Proof of who sold it to you!!!! When did you buy it. Who was the shop? It was left on your doorstep with a dodgy signature. If you can think it they will try it. Hugh Manson once told me they don’t insure their guitars in transit owing to the minuscule losses they’ve had and failed claims. Three acoustic guitars were sent to me ( each was damaged on arrival) from rich tone music ( sigma solid wood hummingbirds) and they were triple packed and were in a thick foam case. The forth one was also damaged (just a little) but I accepted it with an 80 pound reduction. I’m sure they thought it was me. Basically you’re handing your guitar to someone who’s probably a liar and a thief or a complete buffoon!!!!!! Sorry for your loss. Another reason to buy a vintage v100 rather than an R 8!!!!!
I now ONLY ship with UPS. FedEx lost one of my guitars a couple years ago. It made it exactly 15 miles down the road. There is a MASSIVE distribution center near me. An entire complex of huge warehouses. How anything makes it in and out of there at all is a daily Christmas miracle. Like you Colin, I was eventually standing there with my pants down - refunded the buyer and no guitar. Customer Service was a joke. They couldn’t tell me anything about anything. Luckily, I had shipped from a FedEx store and they were great. They filed the claim and I had my money in a few days. I’m convinced they know what buttons to push. If I’d had to file the claim it would have taken forever. Yes to a part 2!
Well done Colin! FIRST of all you did a great Job of Laying out the story and presenting it without it being Boring like so many others. This might sound goofy but you have a gift and make it look easy. SECOND your timing couldnt be better. I just shipped a guitar for the first time across country in the U.S. using ups. (Rick Beato LP, ended up with two), It was late and was box was beat to hell! the first box had a flipping hole in it. Thankfully the guitar was good except possibly damage to pick up internals(low power). as nervous as I was , your tale was incredible and I dont know if I have the stomach for this shipping guitars stuff lol. Thanks a always Colin. Great Job
I’m sorry to hear this. I had the same thing happen with a guitar purchased on eBay four - five years ago. The guitar showed up a couple weeks late but I did end up getting it. Apparently it was lost once it was located it found its home. I hope that works out the same for you.
I should make my wife watch this. Last three guitars I’ve bought from Sweetwater, I’ve driven out there and picked them up. 8 hour round trip but no losses or damages.
Oh, good grief, that was stressful to watch! Sorry, this happened to you! UPS should take the extra cost as a loss after all you have paid them to be responsible for your package so that it would make it to your intended destination. Corporate business shirking responsibility and sticking it to the consumer because their mode of operation has made things so complicated, they can't keep track of a package and now they have to offset costs because of all the extra effort to find something that they were paid to be responsible for.
What a nightmare! That's the exact situation I was scared of the first time I sent pickups to America. Fortunately I've had no problems at all with postage.
UPS is not alone. I had a similar experience with DHL about two years ago. I ordered a guitar from overseas, but instead of it being sent to the proper terminal in Los Angeles, DHL mistakenly sent it San Francisco. The guitar was in limbo for over a week, but eventually it arrived in good condition.
My experience with UPS has been similar. They aren't interested in the package until it looks like they will have to pay out on a claim. A guitar that had been "missing" for several months appeared on my porch one day, delivered by a manager in his own vehicle, because I had been calling them 20 times a day and raising hell with anyone I could get transferred to on the phone. If you cause them enough annoyance, someone will feel that pain and relent eventually. It took UPS several more weeks to acknowledge the package was delivered.
Wow, what a roller coaster ride!!! I trade on Reverb and ship guitars fairly often. Here in the US, my carrier of choice is FedEx for guitars. UPS is sketchy at best. I've had a shipped guitar travel all over the country for over a week because of routing errors. I was kind of jealous because the guitar was visiting more places than I ever have! Nice to see that your fiasco had a relatively happy ending. Great video as always! Thanks for sharing.
I had this nightmare when I imported a load of curly maple guitar tops from Canada a couple of months ago. UPS seem to have problems with their tracking system relating to import tax. I've got to ship one of my builds out to California early next year, will absolutely not be using UPS.
UPS is probably one of the shipping companies i have most problems with.. From packages being delayed or getting lost to getting messages the driver has been to my house but that there was no one there when for a fact i was in my living room all day and not having seen any UPS van drive by. And it has happened that the status said the parcel was delivered while in fact no delivery guy has come by my house. I always make sure i am home when i expect a delivery. If in any case possible when ordering something i steer well clear of UPS or GLS (another company i have many troubles with). DHL seems to be most dependant when it comes to delivering packages to my house
“If you pay us extra for a service, we’re going to provide worse terms” is about the most UPS thing I’ve come across.
Hello brother!
You tell it so right and made me relive all the moments from this experience. It was such a rollercoaster and im glad it got to me in the end.
The guitar sings so beautiful and you play it with such emotional.
You make me laught so hard when you read the masage "UPS are my preferred shipping agent"
I guess you will not say it again soon..
They really did mess things up.
It's such a shame that a company this big, can't take responsibility for errors they make. I hope for a good ending after all that is happened. We're in this together man.
Btw- I'm not sure how did you let this guitar go, but be assured it get a a lot of playing now.
She sounds beautiful thru my Marshalls.
Keep in touch my friend.
Hen.
Hello brother, thanks mate you really are a star! 🌟 sorry I made you live through it all again 🤦♂️ it really was a rollercoaster ride and it all came flooding back while making the film. Anyway I'm so glad it ended with the guitar finding you and it is at home now so I have no regrets selling to you. Play it hard through that Marshall Hen! 😁🎸✌️
So happy for you man!
Glad to hear there are still honest people in the world. You don't hear of that much anymore. Congrats on your awesome LesPaul.
So glad this had a happy ending. Enjoy the guitar dude... 😉👍
Just wanted to say, Hen, you sir are a stand-up guy. So sorry for the frustration you guys had to go through. I know this beauty has a good home now. Enjoy!
I found myself audibly cheering for Hen when you got to him actually getting the guitar and it having arrived undamaged . I don't blame you a bit for refusing to pay. What an incredible way for them to get out of their public guarantee.
I’m a US resident and used to be in firearms sales. UPS “lost” a precision sniper rifle I shipped to a buyer. Turns out a UPS employee decided he wanted a go at it. Thankfully it was recovered.
Damn, stealing a gun carries a heavier penalty I believe.
Don’t believe you..firearm packaging in the US will not have a marking on its outside
@@MyDadWasALifeguard if the driver was familiar with the shipper and what they do and what they ship, doesn’t matter if the box is labeled or not. Like say they pickup from guitar center every day, they know even if it’s a plain brown box, there’s a damn good chance it’s a guitar or other musical instrument.
@@MyDadWasALifeguard so I don't believe you. Nah nah nah nah, nah, dad !
@@MyDadWasALifeguard youre a fucking dumbass. A rifle case or box is highly distinguishable. Especially if you live in the USA. We breathe and bleed weapon's. You ever shaken a Christmas present and KNOWN what it is without peeking? Yeah I thought so. FOH.
On the bright side, that R8 now has history. Hen more than likely has a stronger bond with it now and you will always remember it as "that" guitar. Also, you both made a new friend. That's what guitars and music are all about, right?
😎👍
even still, when these things happen, it steals some of th joy from the experience, and there's no compensation for that, but there should be
Colin, you and Hen are both genuinely good people, the way you handled it and the genuine sincerity from both of you. Much respect!
Thanks man! 🙏😎
I had a very similar experience with UPS this summer. I purchased an Excellent condition 1982 CS250 Aria Pro II from Chicago Music Exchange (CME). This was the first guitar I ever owned. So, it was very important to me. I had CME ship the guitar via UPS to my local UPS store. I wanted to ensure the guitar was not delivered to my home if I was not there. CME immediately shipped the guitar and I tracked it. UPS attempted to deliver the guitar to the store when it was closed. I got the dreaded exception message. The next day they did the same exact routine. They delivered it later in the evening when the store was closed. This is when everything went downhill. Chicago Music Exchange spent time with UPS customer service but could not get any answers as to when the guitar would be delivered. For one week the UPS website reported Delivery Exception. No one knew where the guitar was located. Eventually CME filed an insurance claim and completely refunded my money. It was very disappointing because it was a very unique guitar for me. Four weeks later I received a text message from the UPS Store that the guitar was delivered. Apparently, UPS sent my guitar to Memphis, TN accidentally and lost it in shipping. It sat in their warehouse for a few weeks before someone found it. I immediately called CME and paid for the guitar. Fortunately, no damage occurred in shipping. I did the exact thing as your buyer. I ripped the box open in the middle of the parking lot. Chicago Music Exchange did an awesome job with customer service. UPS not so much.
Cheers Mate
Oh man! I've had UPS leave a guitar at the end of the driveway leaning against a tree and the guy cutting the grass told me it was there. That's just one story, I have more. Hang in there Colin you're handling this like the pro you are.
man that’s horrible ! but in that case i think it’s honest people that just don’t realize you can’t leave a guitar outside in the humidity untill you get home, but that would kill my ocd man ! i litterally wait at the window once i have a guitar ordered i’m so scared something happens lol .
What a nasty experience, but so glad the guitar got to its destination eventually. Do Not Pay a cent to UPS for NOT doing their work. It's ridiculous!
Congratulations to Hen for now owning this stunning guitar. Take good care of her 🙂
Hell yes we need a part 2. Thanks for sharing your experience. This is always the nightmare with shipping instruments!
Ah man, I was hooked from start to finish, with my heart in my mouth. I need to go lie down now. What a horror show from UPS. I’m so relieved Hen got his guitar 🙏
Cheers mate! 😁👍
This video sent me on an absolute roller-coaster of emotions... was filled with dread at the thought of a lost R8, I've got an R0 myself in a similar colour and love it bits, can't imagine what I'd do if it got lost. Am totally elated that Hen finally got his guitar, although both of you should never had to go through this nightmare. Great video as ever Colin, and if anything, it has shown us another side of you... besides being a Guitarista, you are also an excellent story-teller! 👍👍👍
🌟 Thanks man that's appreciated! 🙏 😊
You had me on the edge of my seat. So happy for you, Hen and the guitar. We were all rooting for you.
Thanks Bridget! 😊🙏
I feel your pain...I'm afraid to sell and ship my guitars for this reason not to mention the fact that it's impossible to buy proper multi-ply guitar shipping boxes. Also, after I installed a doorbell cam...it's amazing anything shipped arrives in one piece - the things I've seen the drivers do.
In October 2021, UPS lost my 1991 Gibson Les Paul Classic Bullion Gold, from UK to Rome, Italy. They also provided some damages to the original hard shell case, that was in mint condition when shipped, I knew the guitar when I bought it..
After a month of struggle, they find my guitar, but it's a long story to be told in a few words.. a very bad experience ever.
Not to mention the fact that they provided a fake trackings thru the site across the Europe, fake track to Milan and Venice (cities of northern Italy), while the guitar was "lost" in Germany..
Ciao from Rome.
Someone at ups deleted my tracking number on my jem back in 2000. My mum and I had to bug their call Center in shifts to get things started. There is an investigation team. The customer service team in USA was untrained and unaware of process.
Couple months later did get the guitar and they were still assholes about it
Unbelievable! Props to you and Hen for how you've handled this so far. Can't wait for part two and hopefully UPS makes this right.
I genuinely cheered when I saw the guy had gotten the guitar. So sorry for all the problems you’re going through on this. Personally, I think a part two would be a great video.
I cheered too! Ha ha
My nightmare story. This was with Fed Ex though, between the UK and USA. “Tuck in” to my nightmare please.
I collect rare books. There is one rare book that I really, really wanted. More than any other book. I could never find a copy of this particular rare book, until one day a couple years ago it came up for sale in the UK! Happy days. I made an offer and it was accepted. Several thousands of British pounds. Seller in the UK wanted to ship it FedEx, he insisted really and I thought ok, why not. Like you we kind of formed a real bond over this book. I really liked the book seller and he liked me. I eagerly awaited its arrival here in the US.
The book made it “across the pond” without a hitch and landed in a Fed Ex hub here in the US, several hundred miles from me. And there it sat, and sat, and sat. It never left the hub. After a few days of waiting for it to move, I called Fed Ex and they just told me what I saw myself online- it was being held for a customs issue. They claimed the seller filled out the paperwork incorrectly. The book would not move until the paperwork was corrected. So I contacted the seller, and he insisted he did everything right. He was disappointingly reluctant to get involved at this point. I was crushed.
I told Fed Ex the seller did everything right but they wouldn’t budge. I was very afraid my book would get lost or discarded. Fed Ex customer service acted like they didn’t care and had better things to do. So I did something bold and bypassed the customer service line. I researched and found the local phone number for the Fed Ex hub my book was being held hostage at. I called it, without much hope, and got a front desk receptionist at the hub.
I poured my heart out to her, told her the whole sad story, and she had real sympathy for me. But she had nothing to do with customs or shipping. She was a receptionist. However, she knew who could help me in that hub. She gave me the direct email address of the man responsible for my customs issue. I kid you not, I got direct access to him. I emailed him, he emailed me a short form to fill out, and the NEXT DAY my book was delivered! So moral of the story is, sometimes you have to bypass normal channels to get it done.
I totally feel you mate. I used to work at a bike shop and shipped high end bicycles all around the world. DHL, Fed, UPS, they all have their problems. You handled it like a champ, kudos to you!
I’m a former racer who has shipped high end bikes around the world myself..UPS is the best Fed Ex the worst..by far
@My Dad Was A Lifeguard I see your various comments in defence of UPS and appreciate you have skin in the game and of course none of this is a reflection on the good work that you (a driver?) and most others on the front line do... but when things go wrong the way the company deals with it represents how good or bad the company is and this occasion they seem to be letting you down badly. Customer service was a joke and so much misinformation was handed out to me... they really need to look at that!
UPS literally just screwed me too. It not half as bad fortunately. They claimed I didn’t have my apartment number on the address, and I know it did. Plus there’s a doorman at my building that they could have asked or left it with. A Way Huge pedal. Now it’s a whole fiasco getting the refund. Ridiculous. Hope it works out for you.
This is my new favorite guitar channel on UA-cam. I can’t get enough of these videos. He’s like the James May of the guitar world. Him and Neil Oliver are the only channels I now watch religiously.
And I thought I was the only one. I purchased a used Fender Eric Clapton Tremolux amp from a guy in Arizona through Reverb. I paid for it and he shipped it and provided a UPS tracking number. After one week, the tracking number showed it had arrived at the Modesto Ca. UPS hub. I waited a few more days and it never arrived at my home. I spoke with the seller (Very nice guy) and we were both perplexed. I called Reverb and they were total jerks. They told me to turn in a claim with UPS and basically said "Tough luck". I drove to the UPS terminal and spoke with the manager. He stated the package was in the building but could not locate it. He too was a very nice guy and did all he could to locate the amp. No luck. After another week of searching, the UPS manager said to go forward with the UPS claim. I called the seller and we both just sat and waited. About a few days later, a UPS driver knocks on my door with a Fender amp. He said it was on his truck when he came in and knew nothing about a lost package. I immediately called the terminal manager and he did not know the amp was located. The amp was hiding somewhere in the Modesto terminal for 3 weeks and magically reappeared. I opened the box and all was good. Here is the kicker: Reverb suspended my account for yelling at them. To this day, I have no Reverb account. This happened in 2016. I was completely disappointed in Reverb's lack of care regarding my lost amp. This is a true story. I'm not BS'ing. Long story short, Reverb sucks. And, UPS investigators think a UPS employee may have stashed the amp.
Your calm rational and honest attitude to this situation is so alien to me. I can't accept that you are going to even consider letting UPS off with just you not paying for something they failed to do properly.... what about the compensation you are due for all the time and stress you've experienced? For me it would be the small claims court for all of the costs you can think of associated with this situation. It's a very simple process and you can do it all online. They won't want to go to court and will settle with you ahead of time. In the event that they do nothing and ignore it, they will lose and you can apply to have them wound up as a company. At that point they will pay you ASAP !
My experience with customer service on everything from credit card companies to US gov. Is if you get a rep who just gives canned answers, hang up and dial back, keep doing until you reach a good rep that knows their job and wants to help, they do exist. Once you have them try to get their name/number and deal with them on future calls. It is frustrating, but keep at it until resolution.
Yes that makes good sense
Much respect to you for ALL your videos, your humor, your kind demeanor, & your playing. I don't blame you at all NOT to pay for their mistake & lying answers. I to ship instruments & sadly once here in USA I had FedEx damage a beautiful 12 string A/E that is no longer made. I sold it via eBay & the buyer decided to give me a negative review that eBay refused to remove even though I kept my end of the bargain by emailing updates to the buyer & refunding him before they had paid me for the insurance I had on it. Thankfully they refunded me in full + the shipping charge, & the buyer shipped it back, so I still have it in two + pieces with some of the splinters missing to repair correctly. It's not only frustrating it's also a damn shame when they can't handle a piece correctly and not lose or damage it. I hope you DO make an additional video with the end result of what UPS may or may not do for you, as this was an eye opener in regards to their message about the NO refund because of their additional handling or weight charge/s. That's total insanity and I'd never use them again, IMO Thanks again from USA! Cheers mate! Happy holidays.
Ha! First in line :) Was just checking in to see if you were there. Will watch and add intelligent comments 😀OK - clusterfuck. What a bummer. Is Mars out of alignment or something? Our friend up in Scotland sent some Murray's pick-ups off to his guy to install and the guy lost them! Heartbreaking! I hope this gets resolved for both your sakes . . . frankly I worry about shipping and online purchase type stuff. Colin, if I ever am in the market for buying a guitar from you (I have my eye on that Gibson single pick-up number with the scratches) it will be when I can fly to UK and swing by and grab a lunch at your local . . . I really get upset when I see people like you and our friend up in Scotland going thru shit like this. Hang in there! Much love, Mort.
Cheers Morton... Paul's lost his pickups too? I need to catch up!! 😎👍
What a nightmare, Colin !
Glad it turned up in the end, and good for you for not paying for such a crap service.
I don't ship outside the UK anymore because of this kind of thing. 5 weeks for a guitar to Australia, the guy was exceptionally patient, but drove us both completely bonkers.
Hi Colin, I'm glad you finally got the R8 to Hen. That would be one hell of a loss. I've had issues with UPS and FedEx. I had bought an ES 339 for my dad in January of 2021. But it didn't arrive until 23 days after my dad passed in March. It was a dream guitar for him, so I bought it. My dad never got see it. I was so pissed. It set in a FedEx warehouse that whole time. I almost sent it back. I buried my Les Paul with my dad because he never got to see his own guitar. I'm glad everything came through for you. Good awareness video mate. Cheers 🍻
Hey Donny, that's an even worse story I think... there's no happy ending there and I feel for you mate 😕
That is one heck of a story 😮 😢
Hi Col, this resonates so much with my present problem, I too sold a Guitar that I was`nt using three weeks ago, and every time I watch your show I see it on the wall behind you, its the Epiphone Pelham blue SG Special, not sure why I`m not playing it but there you go. Sold it on Ebay within 30 mins, thank god to a guy as good as yours, always used Hermes as I know the local agent(did`nt know they are now Evri !!) paid for full insurance only worth £350 but still worth it , picked up bang on time should be delivered in two days, four weeks later and by pure chance Joe the guy who bought it see`s it being delivered to the wrong address, this is after me having to refund him for non delivery, he gets in his car and catches up with the guy, and rescues the guitar, lets me know he`s got it and I am now arranging for it to be returned, sounds like we both got lucy with buyers , cheers Col and thanks Joe !!
What an interesting tale ! Congratulations to both Colin and Hen for being so calm about this chaotic deal and I was over the moon with the news that the guitar eventually turned up from the dead. Maybe Hen can call his new R8 Lazarus like Bonamassa's 😁 Let's hope UPS do the right thing here and wave the fee that they are still demanding from Colin.
Colin you are a great storyteller and that was a great story with a happy midway point. I would like to know how you get on next with UPS, and have made a note never to use them voluntarily. Great content as always.
They are your best bet........sadly it is all down hill from there.
What a mess. Very surprised and relieved that the customer got the guitar. UPS and many large companies (I know I work for one) are very difficult to deal with when things go wrong. I have had many UPS shipments go well, I guess I can thank my lucky stars. Think of the time wasted on this, very sad. Best of luck man!
This is a beautiful video you made. People who don't love guitars might not understand, but this acctually made me emotional, a great story of how much we love our guitars, and yep, how much UPS sucks...great job guys 👍.
Cheers Erick 🙏😎
I never thought I'd be glued to the screen over a lost package story! :)
Well done
Thanks Kevin that's appreciated 😎👍
Watched it all. Lived it all. Me player moder builder buyer seller from age 11 now 65. Guitars violins accordions flutinas and squeeze boxes. 25 yr vet eBay buyer seller. Been through this with UPS FEDEX DHL. Some good and not so good endings. It always contains pain fear and hope. But those like me press on. For the joy it brings. Through the music we share.
Thanks for sharing. Your not alone.
Omg Colin what a journey!! I’m glad it all worked out mostly except for the shipping costs dilemma!! Your videos are such great entertainment in my opinion. My wife even sat with me and watched this one lol. Cheers mate!! 👍
Cheers Ed that's appreciated! 😁👍
Yes, part two. And a picture of Hen with the guitar.
Hen sounds like an absolute legend. Fantastic the R8 found it's proper home!
I bought a Washburn P4 a few years back from an awesome seller in Mass. I live in upstate NY, about 100 miles from the seller, so I was expecting UPS to ship it quickly. Lo and behold -- this guitar was shipped all over the place, at one point spending a few days in Chicago (over 800 miles away). I was freaking out, following the tracking locations, calling UPS and getting the run-around. It finally ended up on my front porch 10 days later. I did one of the only things that the "little guy" can do -- I filed a complaint with the Better Business Bureau. Lo and behold, a few days later I received a phone call from some supervisor high up in the company, who offered her sincere apologies and promised to do better in the future. It made me feel a little better.
At least that's something! 😁👍
I'm waiting for a Masterbuild Fender custom shop tele. This story scares the crap out of me. I have to watch because it's a learning experience. Glad it was found and thankful you shared the experience.⁹
While this story had so many troubling moments, I enjoyed knowing it was finally delivered. Good on you to fight like hell and stick it to them. I think it’s ridiculous to say one thing about a guarantee but then have loads of fine print to try and say it’s not their fault. Anything for a buck instead of a no hassle policy. I love this channel as I’ve recently stumbled across it before purchasing my Epiphone 1959 Les Paul. Incredible guitar.
OMG!! I sold several of my vintage keeps, but never shipped. I currently have a buyer for my 72 Black LPC, but requires shipping. Nope not gonna happen. glad ur experience turned for the good. I'm not going to chance it.
Yeah I'd definitely think about delivering that one in person!
I am truly amazed how calm you told your story. I would probably have gone through the roof and made a very very nasty video about the disservice of UPS. Respect! On that note, UPS is bad, but by Jove DPD is the devil. They are absolutely terrible with untraceable packages and damaged deliveries - if they deliver. They are even worse.
Oh boy..damn I’m sorry for you and I mean it ……that’s disgraceful…I sold off my collection I’m 68 I had to get a 55 and over retirement home ..it was sad…but …I’ll just maybe pick up a few guitars now..my R9 2007 was my pride …lemonburst I can’t even look at an old photo lol…I’m glad you are a pragmatic guy ….I lost a few dollars selling my collection ….I got about 18 grand…but I needed it for retirement..my wife is being cool tho and saying get a few now …but as u said they’re so much money now..love your demeanor and I’ll keep checking in…Glenn …🇺🇸
I am truly sorry that 2 of you have been put through the ringer you guys don’t deserve it! I too have had ups destroy a banjo of mine and the whole experience has led me to only purchase at a store in person. I hope that you get a full refund for your troubles you should have to pay for shipping. Best to you in the future!
I was gripping the edge of my seat because I know exactly how stressful that must have been and maddening! Glad there was a happy ending, can't wait for part 2..lol..have a great weekend Colin.
Cheers Todd, and you mate!
Hey Colin,
Here in the States, we know UPS is the worst. I am glad you had a positive outcome.
I bought a LP Custom back in 2001 on ebay and I assume the guitar had an engine block dropped on it, because the neck was busted out of the body cavity. UPS inspected it and it was insured before it was shipped to me. When I dropped it off and their inspection department looked at it, they basically told me to go F myself as it was insufficiently packed and that the insurance would not be covering it. They sent it back to the seller. The seller took it back to his UPS place and they honored it there and it was sorted out. At least that's what he told me, he might've just eaten it and just made it right on his end. He was making Zakk Wylde editions with Gibson parts, a bit of a Frankenstein. He made me another one and I sent an empty hard case with $100 for his outstanding customer service towards me during the ordeal. It arrived and was the best playing and sounding LP I ever had. It's now unplayable do to an issue with the headstock, so I will be swapping the electronics from it into that Epiphone Slash LP I got a year or so ago.
I've never dealt with UPS since and never will again.
-J
Yes! It happened to me with a 1975 ash Stratocaster. They lost my vintage Stratocaster. Now, they reimbursed me for the "loss" but not without me first doing a lot of work to get it done. I have never used UPS to ship anything since.
I had a similar experience with almost all major shipping companies. if something like this happens my standard reply to a payment request is as follow:'I pay you if a judge tells me to do so. That statement frustrates the hell out of them and gives you a smile. cheers Bernie
Cheers Bernie, I will definitely balls it out!
I feel your pain my friend…I have been buying, selling, and shipping guitars worldwide for nearly 20 years with the majority of my world wide sales coming in a period of 5 years ago. In a nutshell, I used UPS for domestic shipping and USPS for international shipping. The majority of my problems with shippers was with FedEx who butchered a beautiful Martin and also busted a very nice Ovation. Both were shipped to me but the sellers did a very nice job of packing. Rough handling/package mishandling by FedEx damaged those guitars. Ups cost more to ship overseas so I went with USPS international shipping and never had one problem! Since then and till now/today UPS has begun to get rough especially since Covid, the incidents have worsened…I hope that helps…glad you didn’t lose the guitar…it’s a beauty! Hope it’s new owner treats it well…sounds as though he will!
I’ve never shipped anything with ups but have had lots of problems with them shipping to me when Thomann used to use them and recently a smashed Slash LP headstock from another company in Germany.I wouldn’t use them.Awful customer service when you eventually get through 😡
Damn, that sucks, and yeah couriers will do everything to charge every penny possible, and they always put some very questionable charges normally with funny names.
But at least would be nice if the guitar is very delayed, was lost at some point and they mismanaged the package, to compensate for that. Or at least give a discount for the troubles. companies still don't understand how much more moeny they will earn in the long term if they take the hit now, cos they will have a customer for life if when an issue happens they worked it out well with the customer.
BTW, this is currently one of my favorite guitar channels, keep up! Its a joy watching you play and your videos and input.
This happens a lot these days. They break a lot of them too. For a vintage guitar, I always travel myself to pickup the guitar just to be safe.
Oh Colin what a nightmare. I’m always worried about this kind of thing happening but have had great success with UPS so far. The only thing they could improve is customer services which was very frustrating experience. Like you say, they seem pretty clueless and pass you from person to another with no real answer to your problem. It seems as soon as something goes wrong there’s some small print you missed that disqualifies you from any compensation or comeback. I’ve come to understand that many popular UK couriers don’t seem to insure instruments but will happily let you pay extra for the service. I personally wouldn’t have shipped that R8 anywhere let alone to Israel but I’m glad it had a (reasonably) happy ending 🙂
I had a PRS SE that I sold on eBay left under a Tarp in someone's garden during a rainstorm, the box was soaked through, so was the PRS gig bag through to the guitar! The guy was livid at first and started asking for all types of money off the guitar, he didn't see the card the delivery guy had put through his door (his fault for not keeping tabs on the delivery) and the guitar sat out all night! Thankfully the guy calmed down and no real damage had been done to the guitar! DPS reply 'the driver put the guitar in a secure place'!
what a great story with a happy ending.
if you ever write a book i would be very interested in reading it.
you seem to have the knack of keeping me interested in whatever your talking about.
keep up the good work with the channel.
Thank James that's appreciated! 🙏 ... maybe one day I will write that book! 😁
I had a similar experience shipping a MIJ Stratocaster via parcel force. Glad the buyer got his guitar in the end. The thought of some thief playing such a beautiful guitar would of been terrible! Thanks for sharing
Man that was a for real sad story that I think you guys handled magnificently. And WOW, what a way to hose your customers UPS. Instead of bending over backwards to do right by the customer it seems they'd rather twist the knife. Shame on them. What you have been forced to endure is the sole reason I will not ship sales outside the lower 48 states here in the US. I never use FedEx since they have clearly demonstrated their incompetence for all the people to see. We avoid FedEx like the plague and will only use UPS for low end shipments. Everything else ships USPS Priority or Registered Mail only. Better days are ahead mate. Cheers!
Thanks for sharing your story, glad the guitar got there in the end! Poor customer service is sadly way to common an occurrence in the UK, I won’t be using UPS if I can help it after listening to this! On a positive note, love the great guitar videos 😊
WHAT A GREAT STORY!!! Thanx for sharing this one!!!
Sooo glad that at least there is a partial Happy Ending. Very pleased for Hen. UPS are now using mumbo jumbo wording, which is slight of hand deception. They tell you if there is a delay then no charge, and at the same time show you fine print that says the opposite.
Speechless. Thanks for sharing!!
Not a guitar, but my brother order an F1 helmet from Europe to the US and it cleared customs but UPS then lost it... 7 months later it arrived. They never even let him know it was delivered. UPS is really bad, only the USPS is worse.
This story took 5 years from my life … I was so happy to hear that hen received it and I jumped from my sofa like MACCABI TEL AVIV just scored a GOL 🎉
😁👍
My Gibson Memphis '63 ES-335 disappeared on it's trip from Florida to New York via US Postal. It came up lost as well. Until I attempted to file the insurance claim for the thousands dollars of coverage. The investigation started. Then like your's, it showed back up in the system out of no where. When it got to it's destinantion she had a big hole punched through the shipping boxes and through the Custom Shop hard case. But, it stopped shy of the ES-335! ES-335 was safe! Anyway, after a drawn out process with the postal service, they paid the claim on a brand new Custom Shop case. Same, here, a terrifying trip for your treasured instrument. I hate shipping anything these days. Glad yours showed up as well. Happy ending. The dispute with UPS is an after the fact. I hope you come to a satisfactory resolution there.
This just happened to me also, with UPS in the UK. Bought a Marshall cab in September and it is still in a warehouse as I write this. Seeler dropped it off in North Rode, GB and it's stuck in Kentucky "missing paperwork"
Amazing Story and told very well. Thankyou. So Interesting and Entertaining and Informative. So Sorry you have had to go through this and thankyou for sharing. Congrats on the Happy-ish Ending. Cheers
😎👍
terrible situation... but the storytelling was so well done. thanks, Colin!
I feel your frustration Colin.
I bought a guitar with FedEx from the USA it was deemed LOST and I was refunded … that same guitar then ended up for sale in GAK in Brighton.. I contacted the original seller and he got it back from them … so much dodgyness in the guitar world even from the big companies. Shameful.
relieved about the happy ending.Fancy loosing something that you did not want to sell in the first place.Now you can see why some sellers state "collection only" or "no overseas bidders"
Sorry to hear Colin. FedEx stole a Jazzmaster from me. I had ordered a Troy Van Leeuwen JM from Zzounds, and someone at FedEx had opened the bottom of the box, took the guitar, put the case back in the box, and delivered me an empty case!! Fortunately Zzounds sent me out a new one right away.
What an interesting tale! I’ve had poor experiences with UPS myself. Especially international packages. Spanish customs held a guitar for three weeks before they let the new owner have it. It wasn’t an R8, but a 1965 harmony bobkat, but it was nevertheless a frustrating experience. In the end it worked out and the guy in Madrid was thrilled to get the old guitar.
Thanks so much for the heads up, I'm NEVER using UPS.
I recently ordered a Stratocaster direct from Fender in Corona, California. It took a 10 day, 11 FedEx hub scenic tour across the US before last landing at a FedEx hub about 5 minutes from my home in northeast Ohio. It sat there for another 6 days. I called FedEx and they requested a trace. 3 days later, they called to tell me the package was lost. Two phone calls and multiple emails to Fender with no reply (email) and no answers (phone.) Called my credit card company, and they credited my account. So, no harm, no foul. But, still... Then again, I saw on IG that JTGH had a Huss & Dalton show up with the headstock fully snapped off. So, it could be worse. Glad the R8 eventually arrived safe and sound. Don't blame you a bit for pushing back on the payment for "services." Cheers!
Thanks for your great reviews I picked up a Gibson les Paul tribute last week after watching you comparison 👍
I have always used DHL and they are always very good. Sent a precious Gibson RD to usa from Stavanger Norway via a reverb sale and buyer was very happy. Sometimes better to pay a little more for a quality service. Be great to get Hen on the channel and you have a jam with your new guitar friend. And the R8 has a very unique story which is great 👍
I had a similar nightmare on a much smaller scale with Parcel Force... I bought a used American Special Telecaster on Reverb.
The night before it was due to arrive I just sensed something was off with the tracking. Checking through the updates it showed the guitar had been picked up from the seller's house, taken to a local post office, then taken 10 miles down the road to a sorting office. Then back to the seller's local post office, then all the way to their hub in Birmingham, about 120 miles in the wrong direction. Contacting Parcel Force they said they couldn't confirm where it was and that it may be lost, but by some miracle over night it found its way back to the original post office again. Next morning it was taken back to the sorting office, then back to the post office one final time before at last being taken directly from there to my house.
It only had to go about 50 or 60 miles from the seller's house to me, but it ended up travelling about 300 miles. If I'd known it would be such a runaround I'd have gone and collected it myself.
The seller was great about it though, he refunded the delivery out of his own pocket (Parcel Force didn't give a shit) and two weeks later a really nice braided guitar lead turned up in the post as a sorry for the inconvenience.
Main reason I avoid shipping abroad anything, yep I have done and rarely is it a smooth ride! Reluctantly sent some very rare clock parts to a guy in Germany, seemed a nice guy and desperately needed the bits so I reluctanly sent them. 2 weeks later, yep nothing the guy said still not arrived, so checked customer services, item had left UK was in Germany then no more scans. Left it another week called them again to be told items were found and were now back in the UK being returned. Next day email from customer that he had gotr the bits safely!! Yep a 3 day special delivery took 3 weeks. Glad it sorted out OK UPS are a cheeky bunch of ****** eh!! Great vid mate :)
What a great story man. It turned into a great video too. I liked how you put in the clips of you playing the guitar with great playing, great plot and ending as well. It sucks that you had to deal with this, but great to see you turn it into a great video.
Aloha and Mahalo Colin! So sorry to hear about the R8! 2016 I tried to buy a R8 when I turned 58 yrs old.
That's as good an excuse to buy a guitar as any Victor! 😁👍
Similar experience here last spring/summer with UPS and a guitar delivery from UK. Got lost for several month. The label got lost and it was stored in a warehouse in London they found out after weeks. Never left England. UPS wanted to pay the value of the guitar first, but the luthier and me wanted the guitar back. They never investigated in a good way to find it, then the luthier posted it on social media and a «CEO-Lady» came in after a few weeks. She identified the guitar in a few minutes. Learning: Write an adress on the box too and even better: Ship expensive and/or rare guitars with an Air Tag or something similar … and think about to commission UPS …
What a rigorous experience! Don’t pay! Thank you for sharing.
Hey Colin. What a tale of woe! Glad the guitar finally found it's new owner. Well done for making this public. If UPS threaten legal action then maybe you can counter claim for the time you've wasted trying to get this sorted. Obviously, get professional advice. I hope you'll keep us updated.
Cheers Peter, will do!
Just because you pay the insurance doesn’t mean you’ll get compensated!!!!!!! They will use every trick in the book to say it wasn’t in the box or say they delivered it and you stole it ect ect ect where’s the serial no, where’s the receipt. Proof of who sold it to you!!!! When did you buy it. Who was the shop? It was left on your doorstep with a dodgy signature. If you can think it they will try it.
Hugh Manson once told me they don’t insure their guitars in transit owing to the minuscule losses they’ve had and failed claims.
Three acoustic guitars were sent to me ( each was damaged on arrival) from rich tone music ( sigma solid wood hummingbirds) and they were triple packed and were in a thick foam case. The forth one was also damaged (just a little) but I accepted it with an 80 pound reduction.
I’m sure they thought it was me.
Basically you’re handing your guitar to someone who’s probably a liar and a thief or a complete buffoon!!!!!!
Sorry for your loss. Another reason to buy a vintage v100 rather than an R 8!!!!!
I now ONLY ship with UPS. FedEx lost one of my guitars a couple years ago. It made it exactly 15 miles down the road. There is a MASSIVE distribution center near me. An entire complex of huge warehouses. How anything makes it in and out of there at all is a daily Christmas miracle. Like you Colin, I was eventually standing there with my pants down - refunded the buyer and no guitar. Customer Service was a joke. They couldn’t tell me anything about anything. Luckily, I had shipped from a FedEx store and they were great. They filed the claim and I had my money in a few days. I’m convinced they know what buttons to push. If I’d had to file the claim it would have taken forever. Yes to a part 2!
Well done Colin! FIRST of all you did a great Job of Laying out the story and presenting it without it being Boring like so many others. This might sound goofy but you have a gift and make it look easy. SECOND your timing couldnt be better. I just shipped a guitar for the first time across country in the U.S. using ups. (Rick Beato LP, ended up with two), It was late and was box was beat to hell! the first box had a flipping hole in it. Thankfully the guitar was good except possibly damage to pick up internals(low power). as nervous as I was , your tale was incredible and I dont know if I have the stomach for this shipping guitars stuff lol. Thanks a always Colin. Great Job
Cheers Ernie, thanks for the kind words and glad yours arrived ok! 😎👍
I’m sorry to hear this. I had the same thing happen with a guitar purchased on eBay four - five years ago. The guitar showed up a couple weeks late but I did end up getting it. Apparently it was lost once it was located it found its home. I hope that works out the same for you.
I should make my wife watch this. Last three guitars I’ve bought from Sweetwater, I’ve driven out there and picked them up. 8 hour round trip but no losses or damages.
Oh, good grief, that was stressful to watch! Sorry, this happened to you!
UPS should take the extra cost as a loss after all you have paid them to be responsible for your package so that it would make it to your intended destination.
Corporate business shirking responsibility and sticking it to the consumer because their mode of operation has made things so complicated, they can't keep track of a package and now they have to offset costs because of all the extra effort to find something that they were paid to be responsible for.
What a nightmare! That's the exact situation I was scared of the first time I sent pickups to America. Fortunately I've had no problems at all with postage.
UPS is not alone. I had a similar experience with DHL about two years ago. I ordered a guitar from overseas, but instead of it being sent to the proper terminal in Los Angeles, DHL mistakenly sent it San Francisco. The guitar was in limbo for over a week, but eventually it arrived in good condition.
Glad at least Hen got his guitar despite all the issues !
My experience with UPS has been similar. They aren't interested in the package until it looks like they will have to pay out on a claim. A guitar that had been "missing" for several months appeared on my porch one day, delivered by a manager in his own vehicle, because I had been calling them 20 times a day and raising hell with anyone I could get transferred to on the phone. If you cause them enough annoyance, someone will feel that pain and relent eventually. It took UPS several more weeks to acknowledge the package was delivered.
Wow, what a roller coaster ride!!! I trade on Reverb and ship guitars fairly often. Here in the US, my carrier of choice is FedEx for guitars. UPS is sketchy at best. I've had a shipped guitar travel all over the country for over a week because of routing errors. I was kind of jealous because the guitar was visiting more places than I ever have! Nice to see that your fiasco had a relatively happy ending. Great video as always! Thanks for sharing.
They lost mine too!!!! Wonder if it’s more than a coincidence guitars are going missing at UPS 🤔
I had this nightmare when I imported a load of curly maple guitar tops from Canada a couple of months ago. UPS seem to have problems with their tracking system relating to import tax. I've got to ship one of my builds out to California early next year, will absolutely not be using UPS.
Nice that we still get the playing as intro
UPS is probably one of the shipping companies i have most problems with.. From packages being delayed or getting lost to getting messages the driver has been to my house but that there was no one there when for a fact i was in my living room all day and not having seen any UPS van drive by. And it has happened that the status said the parcel was delivered while in fact no delivery guy has come by my house.
I always make sure i am home when i expect a delivery.
If in any case possible when ordering something i steer well clear of UPS or GLS (another company i have many troubles with). DHL seems to be most dependant when it comes to delivering packages to my house
Are you located in the US?
no im located in the netherlands