ScoobySteve
Well-known member
Hey guys, just wanted to share a personal experience with you, that may save you some money and headaches through the experience I had. They say the lessons that stick with you are the ones that hurt, and being shorted out $120 as a college student, before first day of classes start, well hurts.
To preface this post, I will simplify my points as addressed in the thread title, save the shipping boxes your Balls came in, and be wary of the UPS store.
The College Boy's Story:
Firstly, I was having a huge personal struggle with the RW JP6 I have. It was great for the music I was playing up until now. (The drawback of being a gun for hire and teacher is you don't oftentimes play/teach the music you personally enjoy, it's what the customer wants!) So I called up Pete and inquired about trading in my JP for something else. We worked something out, had a plan, and made arrangements.
So everything went fine, until I went to e-mail Pete the tracking number letting him know I shipped it out(via the UPS Store no less), and I dropped the price it took to ship the guitar to him: $169.80
He basically told me I was robbed. Mugged, you could say, by telling me he ships via UPS to me around $50. There's a $120 discrepancy somewhere. After talking to Pete and doing a little research, I come by this little tidbit:
MBE is a UPS® company. The UPS Store® locations are independently owned and operated by franchisees of Mail Boxes Etc., Inc. in the USA and by its international master licensees and their franchisees outside of the USA. Services and hours of operation may vary by location.
UPS Stores are not directly owned nor operated by UPS! They take your package, then ship it out, with an additional *handling and convenience fee* on the side! Since I didn't have a box for my EBMM OHSC, they told me a custom box would have to be crafted, and an additional handling charge would be included. My total was $170. Basically $120 for shipping, $50 for a box. I could have avoided $50 by saving my old box, or having a box ready (though its hard to find one in the OHSC dimensions)
UPS does have options online where a driver can come by and pick up a package at your place, and you print the labels yourself. Much, much cheaper. This method, in conjunction with saving my old box would have only cost around $50! It requires a bit more digging online, and a bit more research, but it's so worth it. My total was $170 for regular, standard ground service(4-5 business days) and the Overnight Air Shipping cost for Pete to send me my other guitar to me was around $160. Both via UPS, except mine via the UPS Store. There's something terribly bizarre about that.
Anyways, lesson learned, it builds character, etc. etc.
1. Save the boxes your balls came in, could save you 50 bucks down the line if you need to ship it for whatever reason.
2. Try UPS directly, FedEX or something else.
Anyways, that's my tale. And it's also a way for me to sneak in the fact I'm getting a new Ball.
To preface this post, I will simplify my points as addressed in the thread title, save the shipping boxes your Balls came in, and be wary of the UPS store.
The College Boy's Story:
Firstly, I was having a huge personal struggle with the RW JP6 I have. It was great for the music I was playing up until now. (The drawback of being a gun for hire and teacher is you don't oftentimes play/teach the music you personally enjoy, it's what the customer wants!) So I called up Pete and inquired about trading in my JP for something else. We worked something out, had a plan, and made arrangements.
So everything went fine, until I went to e-mail Pete the tracking number letting him know I shipped it out(via the UPS Store no less), and I dropped the price it took to ship the guitar to him: $169.80
He basically told me I was robbed. Mugged, you could say, by telling me he ships via UPS to me around $50. There's a $120 discrepancy somewhere. After talking to Pete and doing a little research, I come by this little tidbit:
MBE is a UPS® company. The UPS Store® locations are independently owned and operated by franchisees of Mail Boxes Etc., Inc. in the USA and by its international master licensees and their franchisees outside of the USA. Services and hours of operation may vary by location.
UPS Stores are not directly owned nor operated by UPS! They take your package, then ship it out, with an additional *handling and convenience fee* on the side! Since I didn't have a box for my EBMM OHSC, they told me a custom box would have to be crafted, and an additional handling charge would be included. My total was $170. Basically $120 for shipping, $50 for a box. I could have avoided $50 by saving my old box, or having a box ready (though its hard to find one in the OHSC dimensions)
UPS does have options online where a driver can come by and pick up a package at your place, and you print the labels yourself. Much, much cheaper. This method, in conjunction with saving my old box would have only cost around $50! It requires a bit more digging online, and a bit more research, but it's so worth it. My total was $170 for regular, standard ground service(4-5 business days) and the Overnight Air Shipping cost for Pete to send me my other guitar to me was around $160. Both via UPS, except mine via the UPS Store. There's something terribly bizarre about that.
Anyways, lesson learned, it builds character, etc. etc.
1. Save the boxes your balls came in, could save you 50 bucks down the line if you need to ship it for whatever reason.
2. Try UPS directly, FedEX or something else.
Anyways, that's my tale. And it's also a way for me to sneak in the fact I'm getting a new Ball.
