[nonoise]

Whatever happened to pride in what you do for a living?   Even the simplest and mudane tasks should be done with a certain amount of pride and craftmanship. 'Work ethic' seems to be something that others should attend to  . When Vinnie takes the time to build something so right, so beautiful, and I work my butt off to acquire the fruits of his labor, it shouldn't be spoiled by the hamhanded, the handling challenged apes, the present generation of cretins, at the Post Office, who can't appreciate the signifcance of a 'fragile' sticker placed about a package  . The box felt like a roll of Charmin when I picked it up and had the tell tale signs of being under, around, against and whatever preposition you wish to use while coming my way.
Anyway, I had a glimpse of what is to come as I had to listen to it, my Signature 30, and that alone tempered my will to...., nevermind  .
Vinne, the perenial gentleman, has taken the high road and will have it back to me shortly.
THAT'S what I'm talking about  .

Thank you Vinne,
Tim

[ricmon]

I hope my new cartridge arrives intact.

[TheSloth]

Whatever happened to pride in what you do for a living?   Even the simplest and mudane tasks should be done with a certain amount of pride and craftmanship. 'Work ethic' seems to be something that others should attend to  . When Vinnie takes the time to build something so right, so beautiful, and I work my butt off to acquire the fruits of his labor, it shouldn't be spoiled by the hamhanded, the handling challenged apes, the present generation of cretins, at the Post Office, who can't appreciate the signifcance of a 'fragile' sticker placed about a package  . The box felt like a roll of Charmin when I picked it up and had the tell tale signs of being under, around, against and whatever preposition you wish to use while coming my way.
Anyway, I had a glimpse of what is to come as I had to listen to it, my Signature 30, and that alone tempered my will to...., nevermind  .
Vinne, the perenial gentleman, has taken the high road and will have it back to me shortly.
THAT'S what I'm talking about  .

Thank you Vinne,
Tim

Perhaps Vinnie needs to switch to FedEx for shipping... if it adds a few $ to the price, so be it for peace of mind that one's precious piece of kit will arrive the in the condition it departed in.

[Bob in St. Louis]

Work ethic is DEAD. Most don't care. The VAST majority don't care.
It really pisses off those of us that still care, still try to be the hero in life, those of us that still smile for eight hours a day, and us who try to make a small difference in someones life in whatever menial way our job affects thier lifes.

Bob - and NO, I'M NOT BITTER      

[Vinnie R.]

Hi nonoise,

Welcome to Audiocircle and the RWA forum! 


All,

I've had a few Sig 30s damaged in shipping in the last few weeks (even with all that bubble wrap and flourescent FRAGILE stickers on all sides of the box!) and I am now doing something about it:

Starting tomorrow, the Signature 30s will be shipped in a larger box.  The Sig 30 will sit inside thick foam insulation that is cut via table saw to line the box.  Louis of Omega uses this same material for packing his speakers and we worked all night building the new Sig 30 boxes.  He has been a tremendious help.  There is even a separate compartment for the charger.  I expect shipping issues to be all over with going forward. 

These new boxes plus beefy foam insulation are certainly adding more to my cost (and time to make them), but it is well worth it because my customers shouldn't have to be inconvenienced with shipping damage and it is not fun for me having to repair damaged units and ship them back (which adds time and money and frustration for both my customers and me). 

I'd really appreciate feedback from those who receive their Sig 30s in these new custom boxes.  I think you'll find them to be very solid and useful in the future if you need to transport your Sig 30 safely.  Thanks again to Louis!

Thank you,

Vinnie

[Paul_Bui]

It's frustrating to say the least.  I wanted to swear out loud when my long awaited FTA-2000s came to my door damaged.  That was UPS.  So far I have been lucky with RWA shipments:  Clari-T monoblocks, 2 modded squeeze boxes with heavy batteries were delivered without a problem.  But they are admittedly lighter than the Signature 30.

In the past few years I witnessed two exemplary shipments from Cain & Cain (Abby's speakers) and Shunyata Powersnakes (Hydra).  They both used a crate to ship their products, and I had to take a good 15 to 30 minutes to open up the wooden crate.  In return, there was not a chance for the goods to be damage.  I am thinking, using crates could be a good alternative.

[nonoise]

It seems that misery loves company so let me apologize for dredging up bad memories and having good people do more than needed  . Sometimes things are beyond anyones control but I keep thinking back to that opening scene in 'Ace Ventura' when Jim Cary is delivering a package disguised as a UPS guy and what he does to that poor package makes me both wince and smile .
The one good thing about all of this is the occasional moment when things go right, unexpectedly, for no good reason other than through the unsolicited kindness of others

Regards everyone,
Tim

[Bob in St. Louis]

Sorry about the rant fellas. 

Tim, that caught me at the right/wrong time.

...and NO, I don't work for the Post Office.
Bob

[oldtimer]

Thats not like you Bob
I remember haing to sent a HardDrive to a cfriend a few years ago. I went into the local PO, and said I wanted the best packaging that thay had to send a very fragile item . They sold me their best package, and big fragile stickers. I packed it all up , handed it to the girl, only to watch her THROW it into a mail bag from about 4 feet . I mean what can you say. Some people just dont care, so its up to all of us to make up for them.

Happy listening

[macrojack]

Two comments.
I think that so many American workers have been shown by their employers that the employer doesn't care about them, that they have come to not care about the work. The attitude we see in workers is a trickle down.
Secondly, I think the Postal Service is much more expensive than FedEx on domestic shipments and that FedEx treats things better. Use of the USPS for shipping is the only thing Vinnie does that I do not heartily endorse.
Priority mail is faster than FedEx ground but I can wait an extra day or two if it means better handling and lower cost.

[Bob in St. Louis]

Thats not like you Bob

No it's not, but sometimes people get the better of me. I shouldn't allow that. I'm better than that.
After having "one of those days", I saw Tims post and was more than happy to joint the fray so to speak.

ON TO OPEN BAFFLE DISCUSSION !  

Bob

[Vinnie R.]

I keep thinking back to that opening scene in 'Ace Ventura' when Jim Cary is delivering a package disguised as a UPS guy and what he does to that poor package makes me both wince and smile .

I love that scene!!!

Ace Ventura: HDS, sir, and how are you this afternoon? All righty, then. I have a package for you.

Man: Sounds broken.

Ace Ventura: Most likely, sir. I'll bet it was something nice, though.

 

[Frihed91]

I know of one Audio equipment mfr (amps and preamps) who spends a lot of money on packing (double boxes with molded foam inserts) and shipping and includes both in his base price.  He does not advertise this and I think I know why, but his packing is better than any I have ever seen and he has a very low damage rate. 

[TIC]

Folks,

It is a shame when equipment arrives damaged although the packaging should be adequate for the job. However, I would caution people that "should be adequate" probably isn't adequate.

There are 4 potential pitfalls for proper packaging: 1. shock absorbsion, 2. Package penetration, 3. crushability and last, but not least 4. movement.

If you don't package an item (especially a heavy one) without considering all of these pitfalls, you will have damage (sooner or later).

Many people think that styro-peanuts of bubble wrap is good enough, but if an item is heavy and is dropped, neither of these will sufficiently prevent movement of a heavy item because of the inertia of the item. The box corner stops when it hits the ground, but the amp doesn't because it has considerable inertia. You absolutely must prevent the amp from moving within the box.

As Vinnie stated, using specifically cut styrofoam layers is your best bet. Make sure there is enough to completely encapsulate the item you are hoping to protect. I buy 1/2" pink styofoam (with backer) from Home depot. I use a drywall "T" as my guide and measuring device and a utility knife to cut it. Works great! I also make sure that there is enough foam around the item to completely prevent movement. If you can jiggle the box and see/feel any movement at all, you're not done yet! If you need smaller pieces than the 1/2" foam, use layers of cut cardboard as filler. Use the cardboard as the layer on the outside edge of the box and it will also increase the ridgidity of the box and improve the ability of the package to prevent penetration and crushing.

I've shipped electronics probably a hundred times via FedEx ground, UPS and USPS and I've yet to have a single item damaged.

Not preaching, just offering some unsolicited advice.

Enjoy,

TIC

[tmarshl]

I've had a few Sig 30s damaged in shipping in the last few weeks (even with all that bubble wrap and flourescent FRAGILE stickers on all sides of the box!) and I am now doing something about it:

Starting tomorrow, the Signature 30s will be shipped in a larger box.  The Sig 30 will sit inside thick foam insulation that is cut via table saw to line the box.  Louis of Omega uses this same material for packing his speakers and we worked all night building the new Sig 30 boxes.  He has been a tremendious help.  There is even a separate compartment for the charger.  I expect shipping issues to be all over with going forward. 

These new boxes plus beefy foam insulation are certainly adding more to my cost (and time to make them), but it is well worth it because my customers shouldn't have to be inconvenienced with shipping damage and it is not fun for me having to repair damaged units and ship them back (which adds time and money and frustration for both my customers and me). 

I'd really appreciate feedback from those who receive their Sig 30s in these new custom boxes.  I think you'll find them to be very solid and useful in the future if you need to transport your Sig 30 safely.  Thanks again to Louis!

Thank you,

Vinnie

Hi Vinnie,

I received a pair of Omega Revolutions from Louis, and I must say that the packing is incredible.  There was a big forklift gash in the back of one of the boxes, but NO damage at all to the speakers.  I think that you, and the happy recipients of the Signature 30 amplifier will be very pleased with the result.  This is just in keeping with your excellent and responsive service.

I have had my Signature 30 for several weeks now, and I have to tell you that it just keeps getting better and better: smooth and warm, detailed and plenty of punch.  I am very happy to recommend it to my audiophile friends.

Tom