|  | Posted by nobody special on 01/02/07 20:48 
I have heard similar horror stories for every shipping service outthere, UPS, USPS, Fedex,DHL,you name it, somebody's lost somethign
 vital or had it damaged from time to time. I've seen plenty mof phot
 evidence onthe damaged stuff where it was obvious, i,e, big treaded
 boot prints on the boxes and so forth, or holes in a case (and a deck
 within) made by the forks of a forklift. You can't say any one of those
 services is definitively better or worse. I think the best you can do
 is to do everything you can up front, then it's up to fate.
 
 Things I would do if it was an important job:
 
 Split the shipment up into two components, either of which has the bare
 minimum to get most of the assignment done if the other half gets lost.
 
 If possible, carry-on the camera, battery, and charger and forget any
 other luggage, leave everything else to checked baggage or overnight it
 ahead or arange for a local area rental.
 
 Put obvious shock-sensor /g-meter stickers on the outsides of a box or
 case.  Pay for all the extra coverage and bill the client for it.  If
 there are extra features or serivces that require tracking numbers and
 signing for things, by all means employ every one of those things.
 
 Don't count on the shipping employees to have a conscience about losing
 or damaging your gear. Count on them to be afraid of accountability:
 tracking numbers, delivery van and operator numbers, manifests that
 require capturing a signature, g-shock indicators that can prove at
 what stage damage occured; these are the things that keep those guys
 and gals honest because it tracks loss or damage back to them
 personally, and that can endanger their job.
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