Posted by nobody special on 01/02/07 20:48

I have heard similar horror stories for every shipping service out
there, 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.

[Back to original message]