I just got my Gallagher B chanter sent back to me with some shiny new reeds. Unpacked it from it’s box, lovingly wrapped in large bubble-wrap, foam, newspaper and foam peanuts only to discover that the brass reed cap had been crushed. Ouch.
The faux-ivory top was shattered, the tube is no longer circular and the neck is bent inwards into the main tube. Thank god that was the only damage to the chanter. With some plumbers putty I was able to make everything airtight and playable. Seth will be making a new one so this is definitely not what you would call a huge tragedy.
UPS was the shipper and the package was insured for $1,000, the maximum amount. The inspector came out and took a look at it. Turns out he’s the brother on an old friend of mine so that went well. Hopefully I’ll be getting the cash for it soon.
So lesson learned, even with really good packing, things get crushed. Next time I ship a chanter, I’ll be putting it into a Pelican case and then into a box.
I once sent a set of french pipes to the maker for servicing. When it came back, the pipes were in perfect condition, but the case totally smashed into pieces. I still wonder how the pipes survived that without damage.
My experience is that UPS should be avoided for any type of shipping, not just pipes. Fedex is the most expensive, but also the fastest. I get better value using the regular postal service, but make sure you use their best service, not their cheapest. Use Global Priority for international shipping.
I have a tale to tell about UPS as well and a fine half set. Long story short: Item arrives “looking like the package was run over by a forklift” (it really did), box had been ripped apart and taped back together, bellows gone, bag destroyed, somehow the set itself was largely unharmed. With copious and detailed pics, delivery man’s testimony, and recipients word, it only took 6 weeks to finally get them to pay up…
I came home one day to see a paper bag lying on my front porch. As I got closer I realised it wasn’t a paper bag but a package, something wrapped in old brown wrapping paper and tied up with string, like something you would see in the old days.
That’s when the realisation hit me that this was the boxwood half-set I had ordered months before!
The paper was torn open and you could actually see the pipes through the hole.
The pipes had been shipped from Ireland fully assembled (except for the bass bottom) with no padding or newspaper, simply wrapped in brown paper and shipped.
Miraculously there was no damage to the pipes whatsoever.
This is an excerpt from a similar discussion I read recently on another forum regarding Fedex’s insurance.
[ Their “fine print” states guitars and other musical instruments over 20 years old and customized instruments (which means if it is a new instrument that has been customized) are covered to $500.00 no matter how much insurance you buy.]
I took a look at Fedex’s website to try to verify this but had no luck.
Also mentioned in the same discussion was that UPS’s insurance coverage ends when the delivery person leaves the package on your doorstep, or when a neighbor signs for it.
Send chanters in PVC tubing, the thickest you can buy in a reasonable length. I don’t know about a forklift, but I’d hazard a bet that it can withstand being run over by a car.