Doesn't insurance cover damage in transit??

[jonnydouble]

OK....I bought a CGC book on E-bay last week...Paid for priority shipping and insurance ....shipper sends it out quick enuf,...but when I open it...there is a 3 inch crack on the bottom back corner of the case....so I call CGC and they tell me with the shipping and insurance charges the cost of a re-holder would run me about $25.00....Ok...I contact the shipper to inquire about a possible credit for the damages and I get this response:

 

Hi John,

The crack wasn't there when I mailed the book and I believe I wrapped it

pretty well. Even so, I am willing to split the cost of re-holdering with you.

If that's okay with you I will refund $12.50 to you via Paypal.

 

 

Like this is a big frickin favor he's going to do me this one time....first off the box was stuffed with newspaper,...which in my opinion is no way to secure an item in a box...bubble wrap or peanuts make a much safer delivery......and second...isn't the whole idea of paying for insurance to cover the possiblity of either loss or DAMAGE???

 

Being the wuss I am I said yeah, sure f,ine....but should'nt this be covered by the seller???

[Foolkiller]

I would say that he should cover the cost of reslabbing... or just offer a refund and take the book back.

[aardvark88]

For Canada Post, insurance only covers outright loss of the entire parcel & takes at least 90 days after initial ship date to claim. Not sure what USPS policy is.

IMHO the seller's offer to reimburse for 1/2 of reholdering fee + shipping is reasonable. Other board members use crumpled up newspaper for shipping Cgc comics inside free USPS boxes too.

[jonnydouble]

Maybe it's just the way he put it....like he was doing me a big favor...that's what left a bad taste in my mouth...the whole "the book was in perfect shape when I sent it " thing...it's not like I acused him of scamming me....I'm sure it did happen in transit.

 

Jonny D.

[GL13-migration]

I went through the same thing and you would not believe the $#!+ the post office makes you go through to get your money; long waits, long forms, etc. It's probably worth $12.50 to not deal with the hassle.

[jonnydouble]

I went through the same thing and you would not believe the $#!+ the post office makes you go through to get your money; long waits, long forms, etc. It's probably worth $12.50 to not deal with the hassle.

 

I agree...and I'm OK with the $12.50...just poor customer service in my opinion.....I wouldn't think twice about giving someone credit for a situation like this especially if I charge him $3.20 for insurance....he made me feel like I was out of line.

 

Jonny D.

[aardvark88]

Keep in mind when Cgc sends a boxful of graded books to u & say the 2 slabs on the perimeter get cracked or the top gets shredded 6 inches, Cgc won't offer any rebate for damage at all. U pay for the return shipping & reslab fee to Cgc. Your comic is not guaranteed to receive the same grade in case the comic was compromised.

[fantastic_four]

If you paid for insurance through the USPS, then he IS doing you a favor. Damage in transit is between you and the USPS; the seller's responsibility ends once he mails it intact and pays the USPS the insurance cost.

[joe_collector]

Take the $12.50, keep the insurance documentation, and the next time you're at the PO, file for $20 in damages. For that amount, it's just a matter of waiting for the check.

[Bonds25]

Be happy he offered you the $12.50. Newspaper is probably one of the best ways to buffer the book, because it protects it on all sizes. You could try and get the $25 from the USPS, but good luck. I had a book that was lost in transit to England, and it took me 9 freakin' months to get a refund.

[Warlord]

 

One thing I haven't seen mentioned - if you submit a damage claim to the USPS, they won't pay you just for the amount of damage. They will pay you the amount for which the package was insured, and they will KEEP the package and contents!

 

In my experience, that was how a claim for damage was handled. I ended up with a full refund, but didn't get to keep the item. Which was fine for me, because I didn't want the damaged item.

 

In your case, the comic (presumably) isn't damaged, and you want to keep the comic. The seller is doing a pretty cool thing - giving you half of the cost of the damage out of his own pocket. So your loss is mitigated, and you get to keep the comic. If you try to collect through the USPS you must complete some paperwork, give up the item, and wait weeks or a month or two to get your money back.

 

Half your losses remitted asap and you get to keep the comic. Or full value of the insurance, a big hassle, a long wait, plus you don't get to keep the comic. Sounds like the first option is not a bad way to go, IMHO.

 

 

[Midnight8992-migration]

This is why I like to deal with UPS. Much easier to deal with on damaged stuff than USPS.

 

I think the responsibility of the seller ended after you received it. It was nice of him to offer half the cost.

 

I think if he hadn't offered you insurance this would be a different story.

 

 

[fantastic_four]

I didn't realize the USPS confiscated your item if it still has some use...does UPS confiscate it too? This may be enough for me to not use the USPS for shipping packages anymore.